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 Post subject: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: September 26th, 2008, 15:14 
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Joined: February 5th, 2007, 20:56
Posts: 14
Location: San Diego, CA
I have just completed HDDerase v4.0, a free hard disk drive secure erase utility. It can be downloaded at: http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml

Release Notes:
------------------
- Added a system clock to print out the current time as well as the expected time
during the secure erase command.

- Added new item in the options menu to switch between different attached hard
drives without exiting the program.

- Added new item in the options menu to unlock unlock drives with HDDErase
passwords as well as user defined user or master passwords.

- HDDErase now displays the password being set on the drive before the secure erase
command is issued. A message is printed to the screen when the passwords are
unlocked as well.

- Added warning message to inform users to run HDDErase from AC power and not the
laptop battery.

- Added an audit log failed message that is printed only to the removable media when
a secure erase command does not complete successfully.

- Changed menu header displays.

- Updated MD5 hash and added SHA1 hash.

Let me know what you think!

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HDDErase v4.0 - http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: October 5th, 2008, 19:01 
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Joined: February 5th, 2007, 20:56
Posts: 14
Location: San Diego, CA
Added bootable ISO image with HDDErase v4.0. This should be used in place of the v3.1 on the ultimate boot CD.

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HDDErase v4.0 - http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: February 2nd, 2009, 20:22 
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Joined: February 2nd, 2009, 20:16
Posts: 5
Location: Texas
Deence, thanks for your work but....

The other day I was using Ultimate Boot CD, your HDDEraseapp v3.1 is included in it, and I volintarily held down the power button on my laptop while it was running! I thought it was taking too long,, and didn't know that it would lock the drive.

I tried the idrive password as well as the xty3fgrxxxx password, none work... and besides the fact that my bios only supports 10 digits for password input. When it fails, it locks the drive, therefor rendering it unwriteable.

I downloaded and tried booting with v4 of your app and it would not accept the passwords it tried (idrive and or xtyfgrxxxxx...xxx), is it because my bios locks the drive on start?

I am really worried and I know its not your fault, but I am hoping you could help.


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: February 18th, 2009, 16:34 
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Joined: February 5th, 2007, 20:56
Posts: 14
Location: San Diego, CA
Hello,

You need to attach the hard drive to another system that does not halt the boot sequence upon detecting a locked drive, e.g. almost any desktop system. Just run HDDErase v4.0 and select the unlock drive option.
You can also try removing power to the HDD before BIOS detection, then reapplying power before loading HDDERase v4.0 and selecting the unlock drive option. Also see the readme for more suggestions.

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HDDErase v4.0 - http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: March 10th, 2009, 23:10 
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Joined: March 10th, 2009, 22:33
Posts: 9
Location: Madison, WI
Using v4.0 of this software, I performed an erase of a friend's 2.5" SATA Seagate 40GB drive. After 90 minutes, which seemed well longer than what little information I found online suggested it should take for a 40GB drive, I decided something must have gone wrong and powered off, knowing that the drive may be locked state on boot, but thinking that since the "idrive" password was clearly given, it would simply be a matter of entering that password to unlock it.

I experienced the same problem as above: the "idrive" password does not work. I didn't try the long version since this is version 4, and because my BIOS wouldn't allow a password that long anyway.

As far as I'm concerned, until this problem is resolved, this software should be labeled as alpha and the potential users of this software need to be made aware that the given password may not work, they might be totally locked out of their drive and they would NEED access to a desktop computer that can read that drive (which may require adapters that they do not have if it's a notebook drive).

I did try plugging the drive in after BIOS detection and it wasn't detected. I've tried using other utilities, but I'm guessing nothing will work because I have to fail the password test 3 times on bootup, which freezes the drive. I'd love to know if there are other passwords I can try, or other solutions since finding a desktop isn't going to be so easy (all my friends have laptops).

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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: March 11th, 2009, 13:30 
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Joined: May 5th, 2004, 20:06
Posts: 2782
Location: England
It may also hang because your drive is faulty. It depends upon how HDDErase detects format complete.

I would also like to add my thought.... Secure Erase is not 100% reliable for erasing your data. If the hard disk firmware engineer programs the secure erase algo incorrectly it leaves the last sector un-touched ;o) It also leaves G-defects with user data intact :idea:

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All went well until I plugged the drive in.


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: March 14th, 2009, 3:21 
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Joined: February 15th, 2006, 3:38
Posts: 1079
Location: canada
cheers for this it looks good :)


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: March 18th, 2009, 12:44 
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Joined: February 27th, 2009, 3:26
Posts: 1721
Location: French Polynesia Tahiti
Clear you bios password. Take out the battery of your motherboard and leave it out for a few seconds, Install it again and this will reset the bios on your mother board. You will need to reconfigure the bios. Works if someone has put in a password on the bios like a manufacture when they want to lock you out. After that get Linux live CD and make a boot disk using ISO burner, after boot from this disk and you can unlock all other passwords on your system.

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Iorana Haraharaini


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: March 18th, 2009, 20:51 
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Joined: March 10th, 2009, 22:33
Posts: 9
Location: Madison, WI
poehere wrote:
Clear you bios password. Take out the battery of your motherboard and leave it out for a few seconds, Install it again and this will reset the bios on your mother board. You will need to reconfigure the bios. Works if someone has put in a password on the bios like a manufacture when they want to lock you out. After that get Linux live CD and make a boot disk using ISO burner, after boot from this disk and you can unlock all other passwords on your system.


This isn't a BIOS password issue. The BIOS password isn't even setup.

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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: March 19th, 2009, 18:54 
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Joined: October 23rd, 2008, 18:58
Posts: 9
thank you friends


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: March 21st, 2009, 3:54 
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Joined: February 5th, 2007, 20:56
Posts: 14
Location: San Diego, CA
Hello kctopitz,

The password set by HDDErase v4.0 is "idrive". I have tested this many times. Someone actually sent me one of their drives claiming it was not the password and I unlocked it in my office using this password in a few minutes. You are not the first person have this issue. I have come to the conclusion some laptop computers do not send the password correctly or either pad the password with a non-0 pattern. I have tried requesting information on the failing systems that can reproduce this issue, but no user has been able to provide me with such information. Maybe you provide me with information on your system so I can reproduce the issue and send a message to the manufacturer. I am sorry HDDErase did not work for you, but the issue you are having is beyond my control.

You can also try unplugging your drives signal cable, booting up with MHDD, then plugging in your drives signal cable and selecting your device. MHDD, like HDDErase, accesses the disk registers directly through the controller so it doesn't need to be detected by bios. The handshaking done to detect HDDs by MHDD may be different than HDDErase, so it may work for you. Hope all goes well.

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HDDErase v4.0 - http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: March 22nd, 2009, 17:41 
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Joined: March 10th, 2009, 22:33
Posts: 9
Location: Madison, WI
Dencee,

The "idrive" password failed on two different laptops, both Fujtsu-Siemens. Here's the hardware on one:

Fujitsu-Siemens AMILO Pro V2030 Notebook
BIOS: Phoenix cME FirstBIOS Notebook Pro
Motherboard: VIA VLink VN800 (VN800+VT8237)
CPU: Celeron M 1.5GHz
Hard drive: Seagate Momentus 5400.2 40GB

If you need other hardware specifics, let me know.

I did try running both HDDErase and MHDD after connecting the drive after boot, but neither of them detected the drive. Maybe this is because they didn't have power at boot, which I can't do since it's a laptop drive and gets power from the SATA connection.

Even if this problem is due to faults with the way the hardware handles the password, I think it must be made explicitly clear to users of your software that this is a known problem - and I don't mean that it should be mentioned in accompanying documentation. There should be a screen notifying the user of the risk, urging them not to use the software if they don't have a means of booting up the drive with a desktop computer using the same interface type, and getting a double confirmation to continue - the second prompt being of the "ARE YOU SURE?" variety. Maybe you could compile a list of known compatible and incompatible computers.

I had previously read that this software was the best solution for wiping a drive, which is why I was curious to try it. I do hope you understand that my criticism is meant to be constructive, to save other users from potential headaches and you from having to hear about them. Thank you for writing the software and contributing it openly to the public.


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: August 5th, 2009, 13:30 
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Joined: August 5th, 2009, 13:22
Posts: 3
Location: Virginia
I got bitten by this today on a Dell D620 notebook with a 2.5" Hitachi HDD. The battery was already dead, so when the A/C power met with an untimely interruption, it appears the drive failed locked. I have tried everything listed here except for putting it into a desktop. I have no desktop machines with SATA.

I love the HDDErase program. This is the first time I've ever ended up with a drive in a locked state. Any help?


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: August 5th, 2009, 13:38 
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Joined: March 10th, 2009, 22:33
Posts: 9
Location: Madison, WI
I can tell you that while I had no success using the HDDErase software to unlock the drive, I did finally (after a lot of experimenting and research) have luck with another utility called MHDD.

http://hddguru.com/content/en/software/2005.10.02-MHDD/

The laptop BIOS was blocking the drive because I wasn't entering in the "correct" password as stated in the HDDErase docs. I didn't have a desktop with SATA connection, so I tried plugging in the drive after the computer passed BIOS. However, I don't recall if this was actually part of what actually led to getting the drive unlocked, so I would only try it if you're unable to access the drive at all in MHDD.

Also, I do remember manually editing the config file for MHDD to alter the way it detected the drive.

Sorry I can't be more precise, but I hope that at least gets you in the right direction. If you have access to a desktop with a SATA interface, that definitely may be an easier way to get the drive unlocked.

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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: August 6th, 2009, 8:29 
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Joined: August 5th, 2009, 13:22
Posts: 3
Location: Virginia
Well, I appreciate your feedback, but I'm still stumped. I even tried both MHDD and HDDErase 4 on this drive connected to a desktop computer. Best I could get was "Drive Not Ready". I tried a variety of commands to include DISPWD.


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: August 7th, 2009, 8:18 
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Joined: March 10th, 2009, 22:33
Posts: 9
Location: Madison, WI
To disable the password, you need to use the UNLOCK command first, according to the MHDD manual:

Quote:
There are two commands to unlock drives: UNLOCK and DISPWD. UNLOCK just unlocks a drive till the next power cycle. To disable password you have to UNLOCK drive first, then use DISPWD command to disable the password. You have to know the password to use unlock or disable password commands. UNLOCK and DISPWD will ask you which kind of password you will enter: master or user. For example, PWD command sets USER password.


Does the drive show up in MHDD (is it being detected)? If not, try editing the config. Here's the config file I believe I used to unlock my drive with MHDD. You can either edit the ISO file, or boot up with MHDD, exit to prompt and edit the MHDD.CFG file manually (though you'll have to edit it each time you boot in that case). Here's what was in mine:

#AUTODETECT_ENABLED=TRUE
#PRIMARY_ENABLED=TRUE
#DEVICE=1

Of course the device number may be different in your case. After editing, run MHDD again.

If you still have problems, be more specific about exactly what's happening when you boot up and when running either software so that people can help.

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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: August 10th, 2009, 8:11 
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Joined: August 5th, 2009, 13:22
Posts: 3
Location: Virginia
I finally managed to get the drive unlocked after I connected it to a second desktop computer. On this one, I was able to go into the BIOS and reset the password, using "idrive" as the "old" password. Not sure why I couldn't get this working on any of the other computers I was connecting the drive to.

Anyway, thanks for the help! I was just about to write that drive off....


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: August 10th, 2009, 15:25 
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Joined: August 10th, 2009, 15:21
Posts: 1
Location: England
I have a hard drive which i want to unlock (set password cant remember) i dont however want to erase the data on it. i noticed your software resets the password is there anyway to do this without erasing data.

Thanks tom


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: August 22nd, 2009, 10:14 
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Joined: August 22nd, 2009, 10:00
Posts: 1
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Thanks for creating this utility! It's really appreciated for when you don't want random people accessing your old files, from your previous computers. I've used it three times in total.
First was for making the SSD in my Thinkpad X300 like new. Unfortunately the secure erase failed after having run the whole night. I don't know what went wrong, but I got a new drive from Lenovo.

Second attempt was the Samsung SSD I bought for my X60s, and the secure erase was completed succesfully in very short time.

Third attempt on my T42 that I wanted to erase so that I could sell it. It started and ran without problems, and I had the power adapter plugged into the laptop. I had put the laptop away, and hadn't noticed the mains switch was off, so it ran out of battery. That left the drive in a locked state. When powered on, it asks for password, but doesn't accept "idrive". I decided to try another computer, an older Fujitsu-Siemens laptop. It also asked for password, but there "idrive" worked. I could start a boot CD and run HDD Erase. HDD Erase could not reset the drive with any password, so that left the drive in locked state. Neither could MHDD with "idrive" as password. The Phoenix BIOS didn't give the possibility of erasing the harddrive password.

What did remove the harddrive lock was attempting to start a new secure erase. It then sets the password "idrive", and when it asks if I want to proceed, I enter No. The harddrive lock is then removed, and the drive works again.

Hope this information is usefull to someone out there with a locked harddrive :)


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 Post subject: Re: HDDErase v4.0
PostPosted: August 24th, 2009, 8:29 
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Joined: July 15th, 2008, 1:50
Posts: 95
I tried this on few drives , unfortunately it failed in all cases , i think software is still in immature stage & needs further refinements before practically useful


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