HD Password

[KRPGroup]

By setting the HD password in the Bios, does this secure the data on the HD from any access unless the password is used?

We are using WinXP on Dell laptops.

 

[stduc]

No
The HDD could always be removed and read on another PC. You need to install pre-boot HDD encryption to be sure unauthorized people such as thieves cannot gain access to the system.

One such product you may want to consider is

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2157825/cyberangel-saves-laptops

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[KRPGroup]

We tested moving the drive to another computer and the HD password followed the drive and was needed to boot the system.
These were exact systems of course but accourding to Dell this drive is secure.

Dell also has a partnership with Computrace(R) that seems to have the asset tracking/recovery features that vnunet has.

 

[stduc]

Interesting

What happens if you mount it on another PC as a slave?
What is the Dell model number. This sounds like an interesting development.

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[KRPGroup]

This is a Dell Latitude 820 but apparently this HD Password as been around for a while now. I have some older models and will be checking to see if it is responding in the same manner as this D820.

The Computrace is fairly new but what is nice about it is that all the major vendors have partnered with them and there is a BISO component as well as an OS agent that work together and if one is missing it calls into their system. It also has a remote HD wipe feature and asset tracking that includes software inventorying.

 

[KRPGroup]

Can anyone tell me why I shouldn't trust Dell's HD password features as a means to secure the data in the event of theft or lose of the laptop?

 

[Kalshane]

Did you try stduc's suggestion of setting it up as a slave on another computer see if you can access the data? I'm curious to know if the password protection worked in that case. Also, have you tried the hard drive in a non-Dell computer?

If the password is still required in both those cases, then it certainly sounds like a viable option, though not being familiar with the feature, I'm not sure how easy it would be to crack or circumvent the hard drive password.

 

[KRPGroup]

We tried serveral options even booting with a Knoppix CD and you can see the drive but can't access it.

I got all the info from the following article

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Storage/Q_21197847.html#questionTop.

Scroll about 1/2 down the page to read the legible remarks, especially from "AlfaLAN". This guy did his homework. After reading the entire page and using some of the links from the article and serveral discussion with Dell I have come to the conclusion that this is a good security option. And it is not only Dell drives but it has been on ATA drives for some time now.

 

[Grenage]

It is indeed possible, although it's a relatively new security measure. All of our new tablet computers come with the feature.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area" - Major Mike Shearer

 

[PedalSteel]

Does anyone know what the situation is with passwords on HP laptop hard-disks? I can't find anything useful in the HP help information. This is a relatively recent Pavilion DV5000.

I guess the main question is, "Is a password-protected hard-disk secure if installed in another machine?"

Meanwhile I'll keep looking on the web, and report back if I find anything.

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[KRPGroup]

The article above from Exch Experts does explain where the password is kept which is on the hard drive itself. Even changing the circut board on the HD did not bypass the password