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8580/8590 Vehicle-Mount Computer User Manual E-27
Appendix E: BIOS
Hard Disk Security Features
The BIOS provides the ability to ‘lock’ and ‘unlock’ drives using the security
password. A ‘locked’ drive will be detected by the system, but no data can be
accessed. Accessing data on a ‘locked’ drive requires the proper password to
‘unlock’ the disk.
The BIOS enables users to enable/disable hard disk security for each hard drive in
setup. A master password is available if the user can not remember the user
password. Both passwords can be set independently however the drive will only
lock if a user password is installed. The max length of the passwords is 32 bytes.
During POST each hard drive is checked for security mode feature support. In case
the drive supports the feature and it is locked, the BIOS prompts the user for the user
password. If the user does not enter the correct user password within five attempts,
the user is notified that the drive is locked and POST continues as normal. If the user
enters the correct password, the drive is unlocked until the next reboot.
In order to ensure that the ATA security features are not compromised by viruses or
malicious programs when the drive is typically unlocked, the BIOS disables the
ATA security features at the end of POST to prevent their misuse. Without this
protection it would be possible for viruses or malicious programs to set a password
on a drive thereby blocking the user from accessing the data.