Dell Inspiron 5150 HDD password (not BIOS)

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my computer was running fine and normal, until two days ago.

i rebooted, and left my ipod plugged in. normally in this scenario, the computer will boot to the dell loading screen as it always does, and the progress bar will stick at about 95 percent. so i press power, unplug the ipod, and restart normally. this time, however, on reboot i came up with a "Hard disk #***********-A95B, the primary system HDD, is protected by a password authentication system" message...a *similar* message has been discussed at length on these boards. it seems that very few people have the exact same message...there are more starting with "This computer, #blahblahblah"...

and from what i've heard, HDD passwords are close to impossible to break. if anyone can help me out, i would like to know how this could have happened, and what i can do to [at the very least] preserve the data on the disk or remove the password.

the curious thing is that after reading the forum, i came under knowledge that a password can be generated using information from my computer...which was unsuccessful over the phone with dell. they provided me a password which they had "generated," and it did not work. however, the tech support woman was almost arguing with me that the HDD password was the same as the bios/system password. i have seen other peoples' messages, and they are seemingly different (system/computer password as opposed to hard disk). am i wrong to think that if i were to put my HD into another 5150, the data would still be locked? i am still able to get into bios on my computer...

...which brings me to the fact that i'm getting eleven asterisks instead of a code, followed by the "bios standard" a95b (which is why they insist that it's a bios password). does this mean that (potentially) my hd is not actually the problem, but there is a motherboard short causing it to not be recognized properly?

help is desparately appreciated. thanks :]
 
neqsohthree said:
...which brings me to the fact that i'm getting eleven asterisks instead of a code, followed by the "bios standard" a95b (which is why they insist that it's a bios password). does this mean that (potentially) my hd is not actually the problem, but there is a motherboard short causing it to not be recognized properly?

help is desparately appreciated. thanks :]

According to my big book of HD issues, the asterisks mean that the IDE section of the drive is flumped, or your IDE on the mobo is, one of the two.

It should so a series of letters and numbers, if so then it can be unlocked by dell assuming you can prove ownership.

Yes the HD and the BIOS Password are different, actually there are 4, admin, config,setup and the HD.

The easiest way to find out is to hook the HD to a an IDE on a desktop PC and see if it can be seen, if its Locked (ie passworded) it will show as a zero sized drive, if however its flumped,chances are the BIOS wont detect it full stop.

If it is unlocked and accessible copy of the data and scrap the drive and get a new one, now would be a good time to get a decent brand and maybe a size increase.

If it's flumped or locked and dell wont help then they make great paperweights.

Any other questions give us a shout....
 
neqsohthree said:
my computer was running fine and normal, until two days ago.

i rebooted, and left my ipod plugged in. normally in this scenario, the computer will boot to the dell loading screen as it always does, and the progress bar will stick at about 95 percent. so i press power, unplug the ipod, and restart normally. this time, however, on reboot i came up with a "Hard disk #***********-A95B, the primary system HDD, is protected by a password authentication system" message...a *similar* message has been discussed at length on these boards. it seems that very few people have the exact same message...there are more starting with "This computer, #blahblahblah"...

and from what i've heard, HDD passwords are close to impossible to break. if anyone can help me out, i would like to know how this could have happened, and what i can do to [at the very least] preserve the data on the disk or remove the password.

the curious thing is that after reading the forum, i came under knowledge that a password can be generated using information from my computer...which was unsuccessful over the phone with dell. they provided me a password which they had "generated," and it did not work. however, the tech support woman was almost arguing with me that the HDD password was the same as the bios/system password. i have seen other peoples' messages, and they are seemingly different (system/computer password as opposed to hard disk). am i wrong to think that if i were to put my HD into another 5150, the data would still be locked? i am still able to get into bios on my computer...

...which brings me to the fact that i'm getting eleven asterisks instead of a code, followed by the "bios standard" a95b (which is why they insist that it's a bios password). does this mean that (potentially) my hd is not actually the problem, but there is a motherboard short causing it to not be recognized properly?

help is desparately appreciated. thanks :]
Some cases: probably you have now a failed HDD, you have accidently locked HDD with unknown password, you have glitched laptop, you have BIOS which I cant help, A95B - is not standard message.
tell me which BIOS version on your inspiron 5150?
also try with this:
1) K8XV9ERU
2) N4DVW4DE
3) 13T6B7I5
4) NNNNUUUN
 
Ididmyc600 said:
According to my big book of HD issues, the asterisks mean that the IDE section of the drive is flumped, or your IDE on the mobo is, one of the two.

It should so a series of letters and numbers, if so then it can be unlocked by dell assuming you can prove ownership.

Yes the HD and the BIOS Password are different, actually there are 4, admin, config,setup and the HD.

The easiest way to find out is to hook the HD to a an IDE on a desktop PC and see if it can be seen, if its Locked (ie passworded) it will show as a zero sized drive, if however its flumped,chances are the BIOS wont detect it full stop.

If it is unlocked and accessible copy of the data and scrap the drive and get a new one, now would be a good time to get a decent brand and maybe a size increase.

If it's flumped or locked and dell wont help then they make great paperweights.

Any other questions give us a shout....


i don't have access to a desktop pc, sadly. but dell did offer me a free motherboard replacement. my biggest fear is loss of data. there is a lot of money at stake (regrettably, only about half backed up).

like i mentioned, dell did try and give me a "generated" password. which did not work...and it is a decent size (60gb) hd.

...therefore, i'm gonna take their mb replacement offer and see what happens. from the scenario (locked on restart), which do you think is more likely? the hd failure or the mb "flump?"




thanks for the input :]
 
rustam_ said:
Some cases: probably you have now a failed HDD, you have accidently locked HDD with unknown password, you have glitched laptop, you have BIOS which I cant help, A95B - is not standard message.
tell me which BIOS version on your inspiron 5150?
also try with this:
1) K8XV9ERU
2) N4DVW4DE
3) 13T6B7I5
4) NNNNUUUN


i know i didn't accidentaly lock the hdd. hdd failure scares me. what i am curious about is why it would ask for a password of all things instead of simply not reading the drive given that case...

my bios is phoenix version A38.




thank you too for your input!
 
neqsohthree said:
i know i didn't accidentaly lock the hdd. hdd failure scares me. what i am curious about is why it would ask for a password of all things instead of simply not reading the drive given that case...

my bios is phoenix version A38.




thank you too for your input!
you already tried with my passwords? Accidentally locks the HDD can be happened accidentally without your wish :) But in such case I cant help you.
 
rustam_ said:
you already tried with my passwords? Accidentally locks the HDD can be happened accidentally without your wish :) But in such case I cant help you.

yeah i tried those passwords. they didn't work. lol i don't see an accidental (meaning an inputted password by any means) as a possibility in my case...
 
neqsohthree said:
yeah i tried those passwords. they didn't work. lol i don't see an accidental (meaning an inputted password by any means) as a possibility in my case...
-A95B is very rare case. I dont know why it may be happen. Please inform us if you change motherboard or HDD, resolved it your trouble or not.
 
okay so...

today, my motherboard was replaced. i still get the error message.

i talked to hitachi, there is NO master password for their hard drive, at all.

this pretty much narrows my situation's cause down to a malicious program that ran on my computer which forced the computer to boot to it...then set the hdd password.

i am still working my heart out looking for any information on this type of (or any particular) malicious program online, so IF ANYONE COULD PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE THIS OUT i would greatly appreciate it. potentially, there is a standard password that this "virus" sets to the hdd and if that can be discovered by analyzing the software...(if anyone finds out where it came from)

i do not have the $300 that the very few companies that are able to remove the password and preserve the data are asking for. again, help!! ;[
 
some further research suggests that "some drives can develop an issue which may incorrectly cause them to believe that they have their ATA passwords set"
 
i even created a dos booting flash drive to run atapwd, and the drive isn't even recognized at all.

when i plugged the drive into another computer externally, the computer recognized that there was a usb mass storage device attached, but the installation was never finished/successful.
 
I don't know if it is too late, but if You didn't opened the HDD yet why You don't put the HDD in a USB case and try to read it. On my case it worked with a Dell NB HDD.
 
Then you were just plain lucky, once a HD is passworded it cant be read by any method, I have tried several tricks and tips and none worked.

Regards

PS this thread is 9 months old.
 
Hi
I got a inspiron from a ebay and i got the cursed grey and white screen....
service tag is #DZRW9B1-595B
express is 30461341213
plz help
 
passwords passwords passwords...

i dont know what Latitude_MasterPW.exe is or how to use it. all i know is that my laptop, a dell latitude cp says that i have to have a password because hard disk #k30k35a8768-d35b is protected by a password user authentication system. i bought this thing from my uncles church. they had a school there but it is no longer and they are selling all of the school supplies. no one knows the password. can anyone help me get a master password? is there such a thing?
 
not sure why i'm lookin back on this thread, but for future reference...

you can't remove the HDD password with the laptop's master password or by any other means for that matter. the only option will cost you big bucks.
 
Rustam,
I have a Dell 110l and need ur help, PLEASE!

I need a HDD password and my service# 15TNL81-595B

i C ur da guru of passwords for dell

Thnx,
LMN8tor
 
Anybody help me on the HDD PASSWORD : VOSTRO 1500: Servicetag:3B9SQD1-595B
HDDSerial: QJD0P925974-595B is there any code that I unlock my notebook HDD. Thank you.
 
Help!!!...bios Password

my laptop is locked with a bios password and dell will not help me unlock it. Can someone PLEASE HELP ME! I am in a Doctoral Program and all of my files are on this damn laptop.

I have a Dell Inspiron 9200
Service Tag: 19NH461-595B
Express Code: 2760407641

Thanks
 
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