Hi, I read previous threads on this but I think my situation is a bit different...
My university purchased a new Seagate HDD for my computer so it could put disc-level encryption on it. The computer tech installed the drive with the department's standard Windows image. Since I had spent tons of hours configuring my previous install exactly to my liking, I imaged my old hard drive using Redo Backup (http://redobackup.org/) and then attempted to restore to the new HDD. Somewhere along the way the ATA password was set, apparently unintentionally by either of us, and now the drive cannot be accessed. He called Seagate but they told him that they didn't have any tools to clear the password. We purchased it through a vendor account so demonstrating ownership should be no problem, and I think they gave him the master password.

There is no needed data on the drive and I just want to wipe it so he can reinstall the standard image. It seems that there must be a way to do this for free. Can anyone offer advice? Is Seagate telling the truth that they do not have tools to wipe the drive? Is there another way to do it?

Thanks in advance.