IBM Thinkpad 600e can't get past password prompt...

[jpero at sympatico.ca]

Date sent:      	Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:04:06 -1000
From:           	Warren Wolfe <lists at databasics.us>
Organization:   	DataBasics
To:             	General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
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Subject:        	Re: IBM Thinkpad 600e can't get past password prompt...
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> Fred Cisin wrote:
> > On Thu, 18 Jun 2009, Zane H. Healy wrote:
> >   
> >> It was my understanding that the password is stored on a chip on the HD.
> >>     
> >
> > Wow.
> > Yeah, that would be harder to circumvent.  How hard a password is it?
> > Does it have any time delays or trial counts that would prevent a rapid
> > brute furce crack?
> >
> > Anything preventing swapping board from another drive with chip holding
> > known password?
> >   
> 
> That's the right thinking, Fred....
> 
> 
> Warren
> 
> 
Not quite what it is.

The design is more secure than you think, the locked HD is locked even with board swap.  
The pwd the hard drive itself checks against is stored on the platter itself.  The hard drive 
board checks for presence of pwd every power cycles.  If present, it's unaccessible.

This is reason the NEED to extract the password by reading the thinkpad's eeprom IC with 
PC and homemade circuit while disassembled thinkpad powered on at the password 
request.  When pwd is known, reassemble the thinkpad and type in password to unlock the 
whole thinkpad and that will unlock the hard drive, then go into bios and clear out password 
settings to disabled.

Cheers, Wizard