Each hard drive has different security states that can change during startup and runtime. The current security statuses will be provided to you within toolstar®testLX, toolstar®shredderLX, toolstar®testWIN and toolstar®shredderWIN is displayed in the hard drive information.
Background
A hard drive can be in a frozen (SECURITY_FROZEN) state. In this case it is not possible to set a hard drive password. This is the default state of a hard drive after normal booting. In most cases, the BIOS/UEFI or the operating system (including Windows) automatically sets the hard drive to this frozen state when it starts. This is a security function of the hardware and is intended that way. This process prevents, for example, viruses and other malware from setting a hard drive password during operation and thus making your data and the entire medium inaccessible.
Problems running firmware-based sanitization methods
If the hard drive is in a frozen security state (SECURITY_FROZEN), it is not possible to set a hard drive password. However, this is necessary to start the (Enhanced) Secure Erase procedure. Further information on the repeal can be found in the two blocks below.
Within Windows
The two programs toolstar®testWIN und toolstar®shredderWIN do not attempt to resolve a hard drive that is in a frozen security state (SECURITY_FROZEN). Resolution is not possible due to Windows. The operating system always resets the hard drive to the frozen security state (SECURITY_FROZEN). This means that (Enhanced) Secure Erase cannot be executed under Windows.
Within Linux
The two programs toolstar®testLX and toolstar®shredderLX automatically suspend a hard drive that is in a frozen security state (SECURITY_FROZEN). -To-Ram command and thus resolve the security state. A password can then be set and the (Enhanced) Secure Erase procedure can be carried out. This operation is completely automatic and requires no interaction from you. However, you can deactivate the automatic behavior at any time. Once deactivated, the hard drives will no longer be automatically placed in a thawed security state. As a result, setting a password fails and the (Enhanced) Secure Erase procedure cannot be carried out. You can find the standard password set by toolstar® in this Article.
