T22 completely erase hard drive

[mrtweaver]

I have a T22 thinkpad. Well actually it is my daughters. There is something wrong with the hard drive. After the splash screen for IBM right before it would normally go into loading windows it comes up and asks for a password. She dont remember putting a password in for the hard drive.

If I pull the hard drive out of her system and put it in one of the other T series laptops it does the exact same thing.

If I put the hard drive in a windows based desktop PC using the proper adapter if you make it the primary it does the same thing and if you make it the secondary windows does not recognize the partitions or format.

Now there is nothing on the drive that she does not have backed up. So if I can find a way to completely erase the hard drive and start over from scratch that would be wonderful. Otherwise I will have to get a replacement hard drive. I have taken the drive to two local computer shops and they want like 50 or so to wipe the drive, on ebay I can get a similar drive for 25. So either I can find a way to do this at home or the drive becomes a hockey puck.

Oh and when the drive is in a system it does not allow access to the bio settings either.

Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[andyP Community SuperMod]

It would seem that the drive has been password protected, without the password it's pretty much a paper weight. Someone needs to remember the password.

Are you able to insert another drive in the T22 and is it recognised?

FYI; the forum rules prohibit discussion on getting around passwords.

No posts shall include instructions or directions intended to subvert security measures, including passwords, locking mechanisms, fingerprint scans, etc, nor shall any posts provide.

[mrtweaver]

I understand the forum rules. I am not asking for a way to get around the password feature. I am asking for a way to low level format the drive.

If these computer sales companies like Staples and Office Max and Office Depot can do it then I should be able to do it as well.

It must be a program or something that they use. I am asking if anyone knows what they would use so as I can save the 50 bucks and low level format the drive myself.

I am somewhat familiar with computers even though I never officially took it in college. So if someone says well use this program and it will recognize the drive even though windows does not and it will write all zeros to the drive and wipe it clean I am all for it.

I dont want to recover any data on it I just want to be able to use it again, I figured asking for a way to low level format was not against the rules of this forum since i am not asking for a password or anything secure like that.

[mrtweaver]

Sorry forgot to mention that if I put a different drive in the laptop it works good.

As you can see the problem follows the existing drive. Note that I tried the drive on 2 other thinkpads, 1 dell laptop and 1 gateway desktop.

[IPnaSh Guru]

Replace the disk directly. If it had important data, bring it to an specialized data recovery laboratory.

Best regards.

[mrtweaver]

As I have stated the problem follows the suspected hard drive.

If I put a different hard drive in the laptop the laptop works fine.

There is no valuable information on the suspect hard drive.

All I want to do is be able to low level format it and reuse it.

I figure low level format will destroy all data so its not like I am asking for a password or anything to be able to preserve the information.

There has to be some way to have a system recognize it and be able to low level format.

[andyP Community SuperMod]

The hard disc password is stored on the disc, to remove it you need to know the password. The drive is, so to say, locked. In order to run a format you will need to enter the password, which you don't have.

I'm sorry, but the drive is not useable without the password. IPnaSh correctly stated that a "specialized data recovery laboratory" will be able to help, but this would cost probably, at least, ten times the price of a new drive. As the system accepts other drives, I suggest use one and forget the password protected drive as "history".