- Dynabook, Inc. And its subsidiaries were deconsolidated from Toshiba Group on October 1, 2018. They will continue to develop, manufacture, sell, support.
- Locking down your hard disk drive can be risky business. On the one hand, a HDD password can give your computer an extra layer of serious security. On the other hand, forgetting a password means the end of your hard drive. There is no way to unlock a hard drive without the original password. Even the manufacturers won't be able to help you.
- May 24, 2017 Toshiba laptop hard disk password Remove. When you hdd is password protected you can't access you data without unlock. So today i share with you how to remove hard disk password. After unlock.
Method One - Running chkdsk to unlock hard drive. Boot the computer via the Windows installation media either a USB stick or a DVD, and go to 'Next'. Click 'Repair your computer' 'Advanced startup options' 'Troubleshoot' 'Advanced options' 'Command prompt'. On the command prompt window, you will need to write the line: 'chkdsk C: /f /x /r' (C: is where your Windows is installed).
Summary
'The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again.' This is a Windows error when you attempt to install/restore operating system from recovery media or start your PC. Get fixes hereof to remove the error, unlock hard drive and boot your computer with success. The complete process is about: [1]Back up data with bootable WinPE; [2]tackle the problem; [3]recover data with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
Error Explanation
About 'The drive where Windows is installed is locked' error:
It usually happens to Windows 10/8.1/8/7 system recovery when a critical system file is missing or corrupted, the System Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is damaged or some required information is missing.
Data Backup
You should know that this locked hard drive issue will prevent you from starting your computer as normal. To access data and create an exact copy of the hard drive, you need to back up data without booting into Windows, and third-party EaseUS backup and recovery software could help achieve the goal.
On a working computer, go to the EaseUS Todo Backup product page, download and install it for a 30-day free trial. Prepare a USB flash drive or a CD/DVD disc in advance, to create a bootable recovery disk as the below video demonstrates. Afterward, boot your problematic computer from the recovery disk, and start disk/partition backup.
Troubleshooting
Following are the 4 widely used methods to unlock hard drive so that you can refresh your PC and completely get rid of 'the drive where Windows is installed is locked' problem. The methods are applicable to major Windows operating system including Windows 10/8.1/8/7. Pick up one that works the best for you.
Fix 1. Check disk errors with CHKDSK
The CHKDSK utility is built in Windows, aiming to check the integrity of your hard disk and fix bad sectors if any were found.
1. Boot the computer via the Windows installation media either a USB stick or a DVD, and go to 'Next'.
2. Click 'Repair your computer' > 'Advanced startup options' > 'Troubleshoot' > 'Advanced options' > 'Command prompt'.
3. On the command prompt window, you will need to input the command line (C: is where your Windows is installed).
4. Press 'Enter' on the keyboard for the check to start.
5. After this operation is finished, please reboot the Windows computer and check to see if you get the same error.
If you don't have any technical know-how and want to minimize data risks, using third-party software could be a better choice. The Command line is suitable for computer professionals since wrong commands can cause severe problems. Therefore, we strongly recommend you to try an automatic command line alternative.
EaseUS Tool M is a practical computer fixing tool that is safe and light-weighted. It's a perfect alternative to CHKDSK command. Use this one-click tool to solve your computer issues.
To fix file system error or disk error:
Step 1: DOWNLOAD EaseUS Tool M for Free and install it.
Step 2: Open the software and select 'File Fixing' on the left pane.
On the right pane, choose the drive and check off the box at the bottom - 'Check and fix file system error'. Then, click 'Fix' to start repairing the error.
Step 3: Wait until the operation completes. Wait until the operation completes. After the operation completes, click the 'View' button to check the drive.
Fix 2. Use the SFC command
Toshiba Hard Drive Backup Software
The SFC command is a Command Prompt command that can be used to verify and replace important Windows system files. Many troubleshooting steps likewise advise the use of the SFC command.
1. Open the command prompt window as you did in [Fix 1].
2. Type the following command in the command prompt window
3. Press 'Enter' on the keyboard.
4. Let the scan finish and fix any potential errors.
5. Reboot your Windows computer and check if you have the same error message.
Fix 3. Perform the bootrec command
1. Go to the 'Troubleshoot' feature in Windows as you did in [Fix 1].
2. Type 'Advanced options' > 'Automatic repair' > 'Command prompt'.
3. Type the command line and press 'Enter' on the keyboard.
4. Type the command line and press 'Enter' on the keyboard.
5. Type the command line and press 'Enter' on the keyboard.
Toshiba Hard Drive Unlock Software Free
6. Type the command line: 'Exit', and press 'Enter' on the keyboard.
7. Reboot your Windows computer and see if you still get the error message.
Fix 4. Refresh the PC
1. Restart your computer and boot from the USB drive or DVD installation media.
2. Click 'Repair your computer'.
3. Click 'Troubleshoot' and then click 'Refresh your PC'.
4. Follow the wizard instructions to complete the process.
Extra help: How to recover data without backup
Refreshing Windows or unlocking the hard drive, are helpful methods to deter the 'drive where Windows is installed is locked' error. But there's a big risk that you lost some precious data on the hard drive in the process. So we feel responsible for offering some extra help if data loss really happens.
If by chance, Windows data, system files, personal files, and other information are erased by performing the command line, refreshing, system restoring methods, use EaseUS data recovery software to perform a hard disk recovery and get your data back! Other issues such as recover deleted files can also be easily fixed. It's user-friendly, safe, and efficient. Feel free to download it whenever you are in need.
Locking down your hard disk drive can be risky business. On the one hand, a HDD password can give your computer an extra layer of serious security. On the other hand, forgetting a password means the end of your hard drive. There is no way to unlock a hard drive without the original password. Even the manufacturers won't be able to help you. However, if you do have your original password and would like to reset the lock, this can be quickly done through the BIOS. This tutorial is specific to the Phoenix BIOS used by current models of Toshiba laptops.
Step 1
Turn on your laptop. Press the 'F2' key when the first loading screen appears. This will load the BIOS. You'll only have a second or two to press this key before Windows begins to boot. If you're not fast enough and the Windows screen comes up, simply restart and try again.
Step 2
Use the right-arrow key to highlight the 'Security' tab. This is the third tab from the right.
Step 3
Press the down-arrow to enter the Security Settings menu. Scroll down to 'User Password,' listed beneath the 'HDD/SSD Password Select.' This will open a pop-up window with three text fields.
Step 4
Type your current password into the 'Current Password' field. Press 'Enter.' Type your new password into the 'New Password' field and press 'Enter.' Type the same password again into the 'Confirm New Password' field and press 'Enter.' The 'Password' window will close.
Step 5
Press the 'F10' key to save your new settings and exit the BIOS. Your laptop will now boot normally.
Tip
- An HDD password can be changed as many times as necessary. However, once you enable password protection, you can never delete it.
References
About the Author
Marie Cartwright began writing in 2010. Her work has appeared on various websites. Having held office jobs in copywriting and editing, Cartwright now works from her home in Northern California. She also maintains an events website geared toward the science and technology community.