Brand: Lenovo
Category: External Hard Drive
Document Type: Manual
Language: EN
Available Languages: EN , ES
Manual for USB 3.0 Secure Hard Drive
Uploaded: Nov. 21, 2025, 9:14 p.m.
Manual Publish Date: 2012-01-01
Warranty Information
Lenovo warrants the hardware product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use during the warranty period.
Operating the Secure Hard Drive
The ThinkPad USB 3.0 Secure Hard Drive offers three working modes: standby, administrator, and user. In standby mode, the drive is locked and not recognized by the OS. This mode is used to switch between administrator and user modes.
Administrator mode allows you to manage passwords (administrator and user), set auto-lock, and perform other administrative tasks. Access this mode by holding the "0" button and the "+" button together for five seconds, then inputting the default administrator password "12345678".
User mode allows you to access the drive for data transfer. Access this mode by inputting the user password or administrator password and pressing the "OK" button.
Locking the drive can be done manually by holding the "X" button until the status LED turns red, or automatically using the auto-lock function. A reset to factory settings is possible if passwords are forgotten, but this will erase all data.
Troubleshooting and error codes
| Q: | A: |
| Why could I not enter user mode after I connect the secure hard drive to the computer and input the correct user password? | The secure hard drive needs several seconds to be ready for password input. To solve the problem, wait for several seconds after you connect the secure hard drive to the computer, and then input your user password. |
| What can I do if I forget the user password? | You can create a user password. To create a user password, do the following: 1. Enter administrator mode. 2. Delete all user passwords. 3. Create your new user password. |
| What can I do if I forget the administrator password? | There is no other way to retrieve the administrator password except a complete reset of the secure hard drive. After a complete reset, all data will be lost and you need to manually initialize and format the secure hard drive. Then you will be able to use the default administrator password 12345678. |
| Why does the operating system not recognize the secure hard drive after I completely reset it and enter user mode? | You need to manually initialize and format the secure hard drive before you can use it. |
| Can I initialize and format the secure hard drive with a Windows user account? | No, this is a limitation of the Windows operating systems. You should use the Windows administrator account to initialize and format the secure hard drive. |
| How do I use the secure hard drive without a password? | As a full disk encryption product, the secure hard drive can never be used without a password. |
| What encryption algorithm is used in this product? | The secure hard drive uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit algorithm. |
| Why could I not initialize, partition, or format the secure hard drive? | Ensure that you have administrator privileges. You can use only the Windows administrator account to initialize, partition, or format the secure hard drive in administrator mode. |
| Why could the operating system not be started from the secure hard drive? | As this is a secure hard drive, before you use it, you will need several seconds to input a password and unlock the secure hard drive. When the secure hard drive is unlocked, the operating system has already finished the startup process. |