Momentus XT, Momentus, Momentus Thin, MobileMax, and other notebook drives

[zekeblue]

I am assuming that taking an encrypted disk with password to another computer with compatibile BIOS is possible by entering the password in the BIOS of the second computer but would like confirmation.  Is this accurate?

Thanks........

(I have ST9500421AS)

[PJ52]

no, the drive is not encrypted nor has a pass word...it's a case of moving between 2 operating systems...W98SE to a Vista system...

[zekeblue]

Huh?  The drive is encrypted with a HDD password set in the BIOS.  It shouldn't have anything to do with operating systems at all.  I don't follow.

[Grim0x]

YUP - It'll prompt you just the same -All the best (and welcome! : ))

[zekeblue]

It doesn't even seem like either of you are replying in the same thread!!

To take the operating system issue out of this all together, assume two similar computers, both with Win7.  One has the FDE drive with BIOS set password.  If the the first computer dies, can I take the drive and access the data from the second computer since I do have the password?

Thanks.....  I think!

[AlanM]

zekeblue,

FDE drives are tricky.  I don't fully understand how they work either, so I asked one of our lead techs.  He told me that the drive encryption interfaces with the motherboard of the original system into which the drive is installed, and so the unlock with password OR erase option you get in the original system would not even appear if the drive were installed in a different computer.  You'd simply be stuck with a useless drive (when installed in that second computer) unless you use a secure erase on it, then start over. 

SeaTools for DOS can do that kind of erase, once it's installed in the 2nd system, just FYI.

However, I get the feeling that's not what you're after.  Sorry about that - it's part of the way that FDE drives can be so secure.  They only work on one computer at a time, and only with the password.

Given all that, it is absolutely essential that the data be backed up, preferably in more than one place (to protect against backup failure).  Ie, three copies of your data.  But no less than two, ever.

Does that answer your question?  Sorry it took a while and that it wasn't the best or most convenient news...

[Grim0x]

As was said afore so say I now again. YES ^_^ It will simply prompt you as usual, you can enter your PW np prob. -Tell us how it goes

[AlanM]

(Actually, Grim0x, I understood the technician to be saying that it wouldn't happen that way in a 2nd computer.)

[zekeblue]

Thank you Alan for a coherent response!  Not the answer I was looking for, but good to know.  I may test it out of curiousity, though the only system I have easy access to would be 32bit Vista (the drive is in a Win7x64 system currently. 

If this is true, backups won't be good enough.  Frequent images will be necessary to avoid having to reinstall/reconfigure software if the original computer fails.

[zekeblue]

Sorry Grim0x, I read your first post and got thrown thinking the first part of your signature about Windows was part of your reply since it followed another poster's reply about operating systems.