»BitLocker » HDD Password VS Bitlocker Pros & Cons
There are several methods available to protect and encrypt the data on your drive, making the selection of the most suitable option challenging. If you are uncertain about whether to choose an HDD password or BitLocker for securing your drive data, this guide will provide you with the difference between HDD password and BitLocker as well as the pros and cons to help you make an informed decision.
HDD passwords, also referred to as ATA passwords, offer a method of drive security that restricts unauthorized access to your drive by locking it with a password. This feature is part of the ATA specification, which encompasses user and master passwords along with high and maximum security levels. Both the user password and master password can unlock the drive in high security mode; however, only the user password is capable of unlocking it in maximum security mode. Additionally, the master password can be utilized to erase all data on the drive, leaving it unlocked and empty should the user password be lost.
You may be interested to deeply understand about HDD password.
Microsoft BitLocker is a software-based encryption solution that transforms the information on your drive into a protected format using advanced algorithms to obscure its contents and safeguard it from unauthorized access. BitLocker employs the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption algorithm with either a 128-bit or 256-bit key, allowing for the encryption of both system and data drives. Once BitLocker is activated, you are required to authenticate yourself with a password to gain access to the drive. In addition, a BitLocker recovery key is provided to help recover access in the event that the password is forgotten.
Question: Do all Windows Computers have HDD password/ BitLocker?
While HDD password is a built-in feature that can be set in BIOS, it is not universally supported across all computer brands. To determine whether the HDD password option is available on your computer, you must access the BIOS Setup Utility screen. If the option is not present, then you will not be able to secure your hard drive using the HDD password feature.
On the other hand, BitLocker is a native Windows function supported by professional editions of Windows. It is available on Windows Vista/Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions, Windows 8/8.1 Pro and Enterprise editions, Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions, as well as Windows Server 2008 and later versions. However, BitLocker is not included in the Windows 10/11 Home edition.
Here you can find out what Windows operating you are running.
Question: Can you encrypt an entire hard drive of data with HDD/BitLocker?
HDD password can lock the entire disk with a password, but it does not encrypt the data stored within it. To access or modify the data in the drive, or create new partitions on the disk, you must first unlock the drive. With the HDD password enabled, your hard drive remains locked even if it is removed and connected to another computer.
In contrast, BitLocker offers full-disk encryption (FDE), allowing you to encrypt the system partition or other data partitions on your drive. It provides the option to encrypt either the used disk space only or the entire drive. With BitLocker, your data remains encrypted even if the drive is wiped and then later recovered.
Question: How to enable HDD password or Bitlocker?
To enable HDD password, different brands of Computer may have different entries in BIOS. In ThinkPad, restart your Computer and hold F1/ F2 button to enter BIOS Setup Utility screen. Then enter Security > Password > Hard Disk Password. Then you can set User Password or User + Master Password. After setting, press F10 button to save the HDD password setting and your Computer will automatically reboot. Then you will be asked to enter the password you have set by motherboard.
To enable
BitLocker encryption, press Win + W and right-click the drive you want to
encrypt. Then choose Turn on Bitlocker. Next, choose Use a
password/a smart card to unlock the
drive and choose a safe place to keep Bitlocker recovery password. Then select Encrypt used disk
space only/Encrypt Entire disk and click Start encrypting. Usually
the encryption takes about 30m ~ 3h, which depends on disk volume you encrypt.
Note: To check BitLocker encryption status of your drive, open command prompt as Administrator and
execute manage-bde -status Command.
Question: Does HDD password/bitlocker affect disk performance?
Does HDD password decrease disk performance? After deeply understanding HDD password, either on SSD or HDD, HDD password reduces the read and write speed less than 1%, which is not so obvious and can be ignored.
Does BitLocker drive affect disk performance? On SDD, BitLocker encryption algorithms reduce the write speed less than 1% and reduce the read speed less than 5%. On HDD, BitLocker encryption algorithms has no obvious affects on read performance, but reduce the write speed about 50% -62%.
Question: Can you bypass a HDD password/bitLocker?
The HDD password is securely stored in the firmware of the hard drive and is not backed up anywhere else. In comparison to passwords for operating systems or BIOS, the HDD password offers more robust protection for the files stored on the device. According to various manufacturers' websites (including Dell, Asus, HP, Huawei, Samsung, Lenovo, etc.), there is no method to recover the HDD password if it is forgotten or lost. However, for certain HDD models, third-party software may provide a means to remove the HDD password.
To access a BitLocker encrypted drive, you typically need to enter the password you set. However, if Windows detects potential unauthorized access, such as modifications to the motherboard hardware, you will be prompted to enter a BitLocker Recovery Key. Without the password, it is impossible to bypass this recovery key to access the data on the encrypted drive. If both the password and recovery key are lost, the only option is to unlock the encrypted drive by resetting the device, which entails fully formatting the drive and erasing all data it contains.
Learn safely back up BitLocker recovery key
Pros:
1. fast to set
2. No obvious loss in disk performance
3. doesn't need extra software to enable
Cons:
1. need to enter BIOS to check if the HDD password option is available
2. can not selectively lock the files and partitions
3. unable to create any new partitions in the disk without password
4. no easy way to unlock the drive once the password is forgotten
Pros:
1. easy to set
2. Compatible with basically all storage devices
3. offers full-disk encryption (system & data partition)
4. various encryption option
5. can be unlocked by resetting device (the encrypted data will be erased)
Cons:
1. cost relatively long time to encrypt or decrypt
2. obvious loss in write performance on HDD
3. no way to decrypt the data in drive if the password and recovery key are lost
That’s all about difference between HDD password and BitLocker, and both of them have their pros and cons. Generally speaking, HDD password has less affects on your Computer performance, while BitLocker is more secure on data encryption.
