Looking for a program to flash hdd firmware

frazzeld · Joined: Aug 05, 2008 Posts: 3

Hi Guy's

I have an Hdd that has locked (Requires Password on Boot) I've tried using HddUnlock - Ultimate Boot Cd - Mhdd & ATPWD.... all with no luck! i've read that you can by pass the password protection by flashing the firmware, I have the firmware.... so now I need to make a bootable disk which will load the firmware

looking for some help

alphanumeric · Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 647

Are you sure thats a hard drive password and not a BIOS password? If it's a BIOS password you just reset your BIOS to defaults with the jumper on the motherboard.

frazzeld · Joined: Aug 05, 2008 Posts: 3

All the programs that I have used, say it's the Hdd thats locked, BTW its a 2.5 Hdd...I have removed the battery from the Motherboard could not see any jumpers!

silmaril8n · Joined: Jan 29, 2004 Posts: 1743 Location: Phoenix, AZ

Can you post the details about the make/model of the drive?

frazzeld · Joined: Aug 05, 2008 Posts: 3

Seagate
Momentus 40Gb
ST94811A

alphanumeric · Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 647

If the data on the drive is encrypted and you don't wish to recover it, just delete the partition(s) and format it. If you really do have to flash the firmware there should be instructions on the drive makers web site. I have flashed DVD drives and it is the same as flashing your BIOS. You run the flash utility and tell it what file to flash with. Bootdisk.com has free down loadable images to make a floppy for flashing your bios.

goretsky · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:43 am Post subject:

Hello,

What brand and model of computer did the Seagate Momentus 40GB hard disk drive come out of?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

My last investigation into flashing a HD bios ended with finding out that HD bios's are factory installed in ROM chips, NOT eProms and thusly cannot be flashed or updated. That came straight from Seagate/Maxtor.

However, CD/DVD drives DO have eProms that can be flashed or updated.

There is NO password programmed into HD's.
The two possibilities for a bootup password are either in the BIOS or the OS.

I'm very curious though, why would you have a 2.5" drive on a desktop computer, or is this indeed a notebook? You didn't specify that, which is actually required information in this and most every forum.

It sounds like you're on a wild goose chase.

Remove all power from your system and remove the battery from the motherboard
and leave it out for at least 20 to 30 minutes. That should reset anything locked into the bios chip. Then replace the battery and restore system power and see if the bootup still halts asking for a password.

Good Luck,
The Doctor Cool

alphanumeric · Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 647

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

Yeah, it's so dang'd frustrating, trying to help someone who won't do what this and every forum tells them to do. (give us ALL the information about your system) Crying or Very sad

For every password or some type of "protection" some h-a-c-k-e-r has found a way around it.
I have several CD's that have been sent to me by friends, with programs to do all sorts of bypasses, getting around Windows passwords and what have you.

The answer is always in the details.............. Rolling Eyes

goretsky

Hello,

Most hard disk drives actually do have firmware in them. They actually do have tiny embedded controllers in them these days, which is why you don't need a full length controller card sitting in an expansion slot to run the drive.

Not all of them can be updated by the end user, though. Sometimes it requires jumpering some of the reserved jumpers and connecting a serial cable to unused pins or contact pads on the drive to perform the actual upload.

All, or at least a majority, of 2.5" SATA hard disk drives, though, are field upgradeable. If you visit this page on IBM's web site, you'll see they have a bootable CD used to flash the firmware on the various hard disk drives shipped in Lenovo computers. Usually this is done to do things like fix incompatibilities with the shock sensors in the computer so the heads can be moved out of the way during an acceleration event, but it looks like the last one was to fix some issues with operating system installations. The disc contains updated firmware for Fujitsu, Hitachi and Toshiba disk drives. I suspect there is an equivalent process for Western Digital and Seagate hard disk drives, but since Lenovo doesn't ship ThinkPads with those brands of hard disk drives, they do not include them.

There actually was a discussion about hard disk drive passwords a while ago in the forum. You can find it here. One of the messages contains some links to the standards for embedded password protection on hard disk drives.

Anyways, I can think of two solutions to the problem:

Insert the hard disk drive back into the computer, enter the password to access the hard disk drive, then disable it.
Return the hard disk to the manufacturer for replacement.

The latter is only useful if you do not care about what is on the hard disk drive, as you will receive a blank one back from Seagate.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Michael84 · Joined: Jan 27, 2009 Posts: 5

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

Michael,
You're responding to threads that are months old.
If the original poster has not fixed his problem by now, he never will.
And I doubt he's still reading this thread.

Just a thought.

Doc Cool