My Crucial SSD is locked after an erase attempt and can't seem unlock even with correct password. Is there such a thing as a master password?

Question

My Crucial BX100 SSD is locked. I can’t unlock it with the correct (!) user password.

So I’ve searched all over google, and read in a thread that I should try to unlock it with the master password.

Unfortunately I haven’t found the master ATA password for Crucial drives on the internet.

Does someone know the ATA master password for Crucial drives?

I want to use the command:

hdparm --user-master m --security-unlock PASS /dev/sda

Or maybe someone knows another solution that could unlock my SSD.

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Background: I wanted to secure erase my SSD drive. I've booted from a Knoppix Live CD and used the command:

hdparm --user-master u --security-set-pass PASS /dev/sda

After that I wanted to actually secure erase it with:

hdparm --user-master u --security-erase PASS /dev/sda

But it said the following with some and some more 00’s) at the end:

Bad/missing sense data, sb[]: 70 00 05 00 00 00 00 0a 51 e0 00 21 04 …

Maybe important to know: Before that my drive has been frozen. I solved that by putting the system in Sleep Mode. After that the frozen-state has gone.

Maybe that led to the locked-state? I don’t know.

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I’m a little bit desperate right here, hope you can help.

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EDIT Mar 1-st:

I've found this thread today where someone has the exact same problem. In his case - they assume - there are controller-problems. Maybe i'll confront Crucial with that info in the next days.

And for further information: I've tried the following commands, too:

hdparm --user-master m -- security-disable NULL /dev/sda

and

hdparm --user-master m --security-erase-enhanced NULL /dev/sda

Results:

Bad/missing sense data, sb[ ]: 70 00 05 00 00 00 00 0a 51 e0 00 21 04 

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fdisk -l

Results:

i/o (input/output) Error

Solution 1

If by "locked" you mean at the ATA Secure Erase level, you should be able to initiate a new erase with a new master password, regardless of what the old password was:

hdparm --user-master m --security-set-pass NEWPASS /dev/sda

This is the only action permitted for a drive that has been locked in preparation for erasure, or for a drive that was in the process of being erased.

This is because the purpose of the lock is to prevent someone from interrupting an erase, and then accessing any remaining data.

But if all someone wants to do is to repurpose the drive and discard any previous data, then initiating a new erase should work (as long as the drive is in good working order).

Solution 2

Ok guys, the replacement WORKED! I encourage everyone who runs into the same problem to send Crucial a warranty replacement request.

My experience: - Crucial tries to get rid of you (at least on telephone) when you say you use this drive with Linux and then the problem occured. They said something like: "we don't support Linux" (which is - in my opinion - idiocy and not to heard to). And actually one guy told me something like "the drive is not beeing replaced if the drive got bricked whilst using Linux". This is to be ignored. I got the impression that they tried to blame me, instead of listening to my statement that i did nothing wrong and it has to be a hardware failure.

SO - my tip: if you send it back just don't mention something about using it with Linux (at least in the actual replacement request*). Just say it doesn't work with Windows 10, and you are good to go. Then you shouldn't run into problems.

*In a general service mail that i sent before the staff was very helpful, even by mentioning Linux.

Regards!

Comments

[Royce Williams]

Have you tried skipping the unlock, and instead simply set a new master password?

[Giacomo1968]

FYI, just so you know why I edited the title: Basically if your drive were locked with data that you wanted to access, that is one problem. But if the erase process failed and that is causing the lock, that is an entirely different thing. I doubt data recovery in a case like this would be possible, but figuring out how to wipe it again should definitely be doable.

[Dellicious]

Thank you very much. Just tried it: but didn't work... It says the same as above: >! Bad/missing sense data, sb[ ]: 70 00 05 00 00 00 00 0a 51 e0 00 21 00. Do you know another solution?

[Royce Williams]

You wouldn't happen to be attaching the drive via USB-to-SATA, would you? If so, can you try with a direct SATA connection?