Securely Wiping Internal Drives using the Lenovo UEFI BIOS
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- The Lenovo UEFI BIOS has the ability to natively perform a NVMe Secure Erase on an Internal NVMe SSD, or Sanitization on a SATA SSD or a Secure Erase on a HDD.
The wipe procedure will be quick for a NVMe SSD or SATA SSD but may take several hours for a HDD.
Unfortunately this wipe routine requires setting a temporary Drive Password. Lenovo state it is impossible to use the drive if a Drive Password is set and the Password is forgotten. i.e. the only fix is physical drive replacement so be careful when doing this.
Doing this will require OS reinstallation from Bootable USB. For more details for Windows see:
• Video
• A Clean Install of Win... (Dell will update for a Lenovo if there is interest)
For Ubuntu see:
• Video
#Lenovo #SSD #Wipe
![[2023] How to Format SSD from BIOS | Secure Erase SSD](/img/n.gif)
my security menu doesn’t have the hard disk password option. any idea why that could be?
Can you show how to do it on an ideapad s340? I have a disk password option but not disk erease option.
Thanks so much for this video. I was trying for hours to erase the internal SSD of my ThinkCentre and tried several different tools with no success when the answer was right there all the time in the BIOS....
Thank you for posting this video .
Any tips how to erase an SSD on Lenovo T470 .
Thanks, that worked also on the the Lenovo Ideapad vom 2022. Before I found your video, I was looking into using DBAN (not safe to use with SSDs!) or ssd-specific supplier software (which is a pain sometimes too to run with primary access on boot). So thanks a lot! 🙂
Samsung ssd-specific supplier software could identify the SSD as being a Samsing NVME but did not support the Secure Erase option... bios was only option for me before returning the laptop
My i7 8th generation Lenovo T480 doesn't have this option. Does anyone know if there's a way to erase drives on it?
I have a Lenovo buy says my password is incorrect,
So i can't, wipe the password in BIOS
I have an nvme m.2 ssd and it’s got a dodgy windows install on it. If I was to format that from bios and reinstall windows would that fix my blue screen loop?
I can’t change anything in my setup menu. What do I do?
sir after doing that procedure can i still use hdd and make it external hdd ?
I think you just need to take the hdd out, connect it to some usb dongle, format the drive, and you should be able to use it as an external hdd.
Does not work for Thinkpad T440.
Whybi don't have this
Can I still use or install operating system in our ssd after doing this? I mean, after wiping ssd data?
Yes you need to install the OS from a bootable USB.
@philipyip1988
Can you please confirm this Hard Disk password is erased alongside all the data? I’ll be selling the laptop and don’t want buyer to have issues if the password still remains
🥰 Finally found a solution that works!! Thanks so much.
hi , ive a user password on my nvme drive but i forgot it(the password).
So what can i do or is it lost ?
I tried to secure erase it with partedmagic but didnt work.
you have to replace the hard drive its self sadly not much can be done when a user password is set
its not to hard you can watch a youtube video on how to change it. it will cost you from 30-60$cad for a normal hard drive or 80-160cad for a sdd hard drive.
I'm returning a laptop to Lenovo. Should I do this before returning the laptop, for data protection reasons?
Yeah you might as well.
@@philipyip1988 Thanks for the speedy reply. Great video btw. Will the fact Windows isn't on there get me in trouble with the return?
@@TheKingDies it's doubtful. Lenovo would probably wipe and reinstall Windows in any case and sell it on refurbished.
@@philipyip1988 Thanks man!
I have a thinkpad t570.
The BIOS menu generally has a different setup and doesn't have the options you display on your video.
Is there a way to remedy this?
On my T15 the solution was:
'Enter' to go to Boot Menu on startup
'Tab' to switch to Apps Menu
Select Thinshield Secure Wipe
@@redyau_ Thinshield Secure Wipe ? i don't find that on Apps Menu
Do you know if this will work on old Lenova Ideacenter with AMD configuration? The bios looks the same and I can't change boot order to anything else but Legacy or Auto. Want to wipe clean before I recycling and been scratching my head over this one.
I guess this feature was initially only available for models in the business sector. We normally only use ThinkPads, ThinkCenters and ThinkStations at work. I'm not too sure about the home sector models.
@@philipyip1988 interesting! I’ll try it out and see. The worst that can happen is it won’t work and I’ll have to pay a professional to do it or just get the hard drives shredded. I appreciate your response and expertise; have a great day! 😊
@@lisaboglioli1573 if it doesn't have the option in the BIOS, you can try to use Parted Magic.
I wrote a guide on making a Parted Magic Bootable USB and using it to Securely Wipe the internal drives which became pretty popular. I left a suggestion that OEMs include an equivalent utility in their BIOS Boot Menu/BIOS Setup which Dell and Lenovo eventually did.
ua-cam.com/video/kqHp500g0tw/v-deo.html
@@philipyip1988 GREAT!! I’m fortunate that my google search led to your first video. I feel well armed to tackle this now. it means a lot when someone takes the time to help an amateur; so again, THANK YOU!
ThinkPad Drive Erase Utility for Resetting the Cryptographic Key and Erasing the Solid State Drive.
This (USB Stick) Drive Erase Utility for the Resetting the Cryptographic Key and the Erasing the Solid State Drive resets the Cryptographic Key of Full Disk Encryption(FDE) supported hard drives(HDD) and erases the Solid State Drive(SSD)
Note: Any hard drive (HD) password will be deleted by this process.
or
Please use “ThinkShield Secure Wipe” feature for ThinkPad 2019 or later models by following below steps;
Reboot the system
Press F12 key to load BIOS boot menu
Press tab to switch to App Menu
Select "ThinkShield Secure Wipe" from the list
Follow on-screen instructions to wipe the disk
How do i do this on MSI motherboard bios...
In my lonovo yoga 730 there is no hard disk password ....I want to wipe my windows and install new SSD.....how can I clean wipe it before selling
I've only used Lenovo Business Models. I'm not sure if the models they have for the Home Sector have the same capabilities regarding Data Wipe. You can use Parted Magic instead, which is a Linux Live USB that has Data Wipe routines. I have another video on doing this: ua-cam.com/video/kqHp500g0tw/v-deo.html
@@philipyip1988 tnx
I followed these steps and ended up with a full working windows10 with no network adaptor drivers? does anyone know what I did wrong?
Windows 10 hasn't kept up to date with new hardware developments (particularly 8th Gen systems and newer which are designed to run Windows 11) and lacks the network drivers required. They need to be downloaded on another computer to USB and installed in order to access the internet, or slipstreamed into the install.wim.
Very helpful tutorial
Once I do this I have to reinstall windows?
The system drives will be blank so yes you will need to install an Operating system.
Thank you! Can this be used for a drive pulled from a laptop sitting in a USB NVME enclosure? I didn't remove the password and know it but with the newer ThinkPads, removing the bottom casing is such a delicate operation I don't want to put it back in to delete the password.
I don't think so, I think it only works with "internal" drives not "external" USB drives (via USB to NVMe enclosures).
Can you please help to secure erase the HDD using insydeh20 BIOS utility for lenovo flex4
I don't have the hardware to hand but I think Lenovo only incorporated this feature into its business lines of products. It has been available in all 6th Generation Thinkcentre and Thinkstation desktops. The business Thinkpad desktops didn't have the utility natively included in the UEFI BIOS... and there was a third party utility that I could never get to work when I tested it on a Yoga 460...
support.lenovo.com/ec/en/downloads/ds019026-thinkpad-drive-erase-utility-for-resetting-the-cryptographic-key-and-erasing-the-solid-state-drive-thinkpad
For home products such as the Ideapad my guess would be there is no Lenovo utility for this. Not sure if they have introduced it recently on newer hardware.
You could however try to use Parted Magic to wipe the drive. I cover an older version of it in this video here. Instructions should be similar for the latest version of Parted Magic:
ua-cam.com/video/kqHp500g0tw/v-deo.html&ab_channel=PhilipYip
Thanks
Thx mate!
Cool, thank you
you da man
YOU DA MAN
he da man
Thanks