Unsolved
1 Rookie
•
1 Message
•
2 Points
0
45
April 14th, 2026 13:31
Request for HDD Password Unlock Assistance
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am the owner of a Dell Latitude 5480 laptop.
Recently, my laptop is asking for a hard drive password at startup, but I have never set any password.
The screen shows the following code: ***77AQTXC6T-2A7B
I kindly request your assistance to unlock the hard drive.
I can provide any ownership proof if required.
Thank you.
No Events found!
ejn63
12 Elder
•
31.4K Posts
•
154.9K Points
0
April 14th, 2026 13:57
If you know you've never set a drive password, it's likely the drive has failed (or there's an issue with the system board itself).
The hard drive password is in two parts - one stored in EEPROM on the mainboard (which Dell can clear for you if you call support with verification of ownership). The other piece is stored on the drive, which Dell cannot clear. If there is no data on the drive you need access to, the less expensive option is to replace the drive once the CMOS password is cleared. If you do need access to the drive, you will need to contact a data recovery service (Gillware, Ontrack, Drive Savers, etc.) to have that done.