Computer geeks, help wiping laptop SSD please (1 Viewer)

[Bri]

I am working on a Dell XPS12 with a "LiteOnIt" SSD drive.

I suppose this pretext first- This person shut down their computer before Win10 finished installing, twice. It came with Win8pro. Booting it up does nothing but have a Windows logo with a circle of dots like it's "working." They simply want windows on it and a working PC.

*******I assume if I can wipe it, then I can reinstall windows. I have tried windows restore, powershell and command line commands to try and just revert back to a previous version of windows and they all fail. I did this for such a long time, so many ways, I've had this PC a while now. Everything fails so I'm onto "skip that just start anew and wipe it."

To wipe an SSD, I've only ever used whatever utility matches the manufacturer. LiteOnIt doesn't have such a tool on their site. Physically holding the SSD, it has a sticker that reads Toshiba on it, so I tried Toshiba's SSD but that doesn't work either.

Parted Magic and GParted give me errors that it can't wipe the SSD due to various permission errors. I googled and I"m turning the machine off, unplugging the battery, unplugging the SSD, and then booting. Once powered up, I plug everything back in. This is supposed to unfreeze or unlock the SSD, but it doesn't do squat. I've done it at least 40-50 times since I constantly read that this is an easy fix.

Hiren's HDD Erase doesn't find the drive

Active Kill Disk claims to delete it, but upon restart it's still there.

I tried some Linux live USB tricks I googled about and same locked or blocked out results.

In the BIOS, I have changed it 50 different ways because everyone supposedly has a trick. Not UEFI, disable secure boot....ugh

SOOOOOOOOO I'm at my wit's end and looking for help from the FFA. 

 

[3C's]

Is it a SED (self encrypting drive) type? Liteon has a SED reverter. http://www.liteonssd.com/service-support/download/cat_view/118-FIRMWARE.html

 

[Bri]

I don't know. I got nothing but the physical drive/pc to look at. I could probably answer if the serial number tells ya somehow.

It's out of a Dell XPS12 Ultrabook with an I5

I can try changing that exe to an iso and doing that

 

[Bri]

When I try to restore and when I try to rebuild the MBR it tells me a partition is missing.

I think Windows 8 has one less partition than windows 10 and the PE environment causes this

 

[tonydead]

Have you tired booting from a windows bootable USB flash drive?

 

[Bri]

Have you tired booting from a windows bootable USB flash drive?

yep windows 10(new OS) and windows 8(old OS)

 

[3C's]

I don't know. I got nothing but the physical drive/pc to look at. I could probably answer if the serial number tells ya somehow.

It's out of a Dell XPS12 Ultrabook with an I5

I can try changing that exe to an iso and doing that

What model is the disk?

 

[Bri]

What model is the disk?

LMN256m6m

 

[3C's]

LMN256m6m

Yep, it's SED. http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=6WFJH

 

[Bri]

I see that thank you.

I've been trying to make that exe bootable and am struggling. I used IMGBurn, Lili, and the bootable no emulation trick.

I'm at a stressful not thinking well point. I'm gonna make dinner, take a break, and check in later. 

How would you use that exe? Just put it in the root directory of a windows install USB and then go to commandline and run it?

Again, thank you very much

 

[3C's]

There's this thread on Dell talking about similar issues. One of the last one might be exactly what you're seeing. Wonder if the Dell person who had responded is still there and could help? http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19597437

Easiest way to get that file from Liteon executed would be to do it in another PC. Move the drive to another PC, boot up and run it. That's not always doable though. If you make a bootable Windows usb, like ultimatebootcd, I would think you could copy the exe to the usb stick, boot it up, then run it from there.

Unfortunately that's about all I got. I don't mess with Windows too much these days.

 

[3C's]

Good luck, hope you get somewhere. Guess I need to read some about these self encrypting drives...sounds interesting.

 

[Bri]

3Cs, the LITEONIT program when unzipped has a yellow locked file icon on it.

I changed the permissions on my PC by right clicking and it runs fine. I cancel of course.

On the laptop SSD I'm trying to fix, I use command prompt and it tells me the program doesn't exist. I open notepad by command prompt and I see the darn file there.

The language is chinese the copyright is...idk. I put the jumpdrive back in my PC and removed those two things, which were all I could find. Put it back in laptop...same problem.

****************

Earlier you said try mounting to my regular PC. This is what the liteonit looks like http://www.partschase.com/image/cache/data/Dell/XXM30-500x500.JPG 

I took it out, took the cover off my pc and thought wait a minute, how? Sooo I opened up a external hard drive and put the card in that. That didn't work, It'll only mount it as a USB virtual disk with two pins not matching up. Yeah I had to try.

****************

I downloaded the firmware patch from dell and installed it. On that is an email to some guy that wrote the patch. I emailed him asking how to wipe it and install windows. His reply was something in chinese. I highlighted it and did google translate but that didn't work. The sentence is roughly- no sorry I can't help, not allowed.

****************

I tried some dual boot install programs. I figured as long as I can get an OS on the SSD I guess I can work. They error every single time. 

I tried a DOS environment(unsure if right word) and ...I don't know what I'm doing.

I tried Ubuntu I created with "Reconstructor" off a USB and I can't mount the drive.

**********************

So I still got nothing but wanted to follow up here

 

[captain_amazing]

I may have missed this, but when you boot up windows 10 from a USB and go through the install prompts, have you tried a custom install?  Does it lost the SSD partitions in the following window?  If so, can you select and delete them all, then select the one empty partition and clicked next to install? 

 

[3C's]

I'd try that dell thread http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19597437 and/or the guy who might have an answer. http://en.community.dell.com/members/dell_2d00_justin-c

 

[SWC]

maybe just try turning it on and off after that i am out of ideas but you are welcome if it works take that to the bank brohan 

 

[Bri]

I may have missed this, but when you boot up windows 10 from a USB and go through the install prompts, have you tried a custom install?  Does it lost the SSD partitions in the following window?  If so, can you select and delete them all, then select the one empty partition and clicked next to install? 

It won't write to it. It appears to be doing the process of installing then fails with an error like 000000xj27 (made that up) which I googled and it's an SSD locked error code.

That's the gist of my problem. "Telling it" hey this is OK to be installed on you, there's no need for security.

While am it...in the bios I turned OFF password protection and enabled the ability to change PW. I saw this on Dell's site MB. It was to be done and left that way, not to change the PW.

 

[ydoc]

call hillary clinton...

 

[captain_amazing]

It won't write to it. It appears to be doing the process of installing then fails with an error like 000000xj27 (made that up) which I googled and it's an SSD locked error code.

That's the gist of my problem. "Telling it" hey this is OK to be installed on you, there's no need for security.

While am it...in the bios I turned OFF password protection and enabled the ability to change PW. I saw this on Dell's site MB. It was to be done and left that way, not to change the PW.

As someone else pointed out, some SSDs have firmware that provide an array of tools for managing the drive, whether it's through some gui or cli.  In this case, the SSD has one of it's security features enabled.  You need to get in touch with the manufacturer of the SSD and find out what the commands are for turning off that feature through command line.  I'd call the manufacturer's support line and get someone on the phone.

I've had this happen to one of the SSDs I purchased and I was able to resolve it by contacting the manufacturer.

 

[omahawildcat25]

Have you tried a cloth? I mean, uggh, I've heard something called bleachbit works pretty good. 

 

[top dog]

For $75 - $100 you can just buy a new 256 GB SSD and be done with it.  You will spend more than that in your time.

 

[cstu]

For $75 - $100 you can just buy a new 256 GB SSD and be done with it.  You will spend more than that in your time.

This is the one I bought - $60.

 

[top dog]

This is the one I bought - $60.

On a side note, if you plan on drilling a couple holes in the old drive when disposing of it,  make sure to clamp it down before trying to run your awesome cordless drill in it.  You are not going to be able to hold onto that drive and keep it from spinning out of your hand causing you to drop your drill and quickly look around to see if anyone is watching...