Desktop Management Guide

Table Of Contents

Desktop Management Guide www.hp.com 35

password. Either the master or the user password may be used. Users

will have two attempts to enter a correct password. If neither attempt

succeeds, POST will continue but the drive will remain inaccessible.

DriveLock Applications

The most practical use of the DriveLock security feature is in a

corporate environment. The system administrator would be

responsible for configuring the hard drive which would involve,

among other things, setting the DriveLock master password. In the

event that the user forgets the user password or the equipment is

passed on to another employee, the master password can always be

used to reset the user password and regain access to the hard drive.

HP recommends that corporate system administrators who choose to

enable DriveLock also establish a corporate policy for setting and

maintaining master passwords. This should be done to prevent a

situation where an employee intentionally or unintentionally sets both

DriveLock passwords before leaving the company. In such a scenario,

the hard drive would be rendered unusable and require replacement.

Likewise, by not setting a master password, system administrators

may find themselves locked out of a hard drive and unable to perform

routine checks for unauthorized software, other asset control

functions, and support.

For users with less stringent security requirements, HP does not

recommend enabling DriveLock. Users in this category include

personal users or users who do not maintain sensitive data on their

hard drives as a common practice. For these users, the potential loss

of a hard drive resulting from forgetting both passwords is much

greater than the value of the data DriveLock has been designed to

protect. Access to Computer Setup and DriveLock can be restricted

through the Setup password. By specifying a Setup password and not

giving it to end users, system administrators are able to restrict users

from enabling DriveLock.

Smart Cover Sensor

CoverRemoval Sensor, available on some models, is a combination

of hardware and software technology that can alert you when the

computer cover or side panel has been removed. There are three

levels of protection, as described in the following table.