Lenovo Secure Desktop Drive User manual

Brand: Lenovo

Model: Secure Desktop Drive

Type: User manual

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Lenovo Secure Desktop Drive

User Guide

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Note:Before using this product, ensure that you read and understand the safety information in the warranty poster that comes with

the product.

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First Edition (October 2016)

Lenovo and the Lenovo logo are trademarks of Lenovo in the United States, other countries, or both.

Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies.

Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

LIMITED AND RESTRICTED RIGHTS NOTICE: If data or software is delivered pursuant to a General Services Administration

“GSA” contract, use, reproduction, or disclosure is subject to restrictions set forth in Contract No. GS-35F-05925.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. About the Lenovo Secure Desktop Drive ................................................................... 1

Chapter 2. Before using the secure drive ...................................................................................... 2

2.1 Installing the secure drive ......................................................................................................... 2

2.2 Setting an admin password ...................................................................................................... 2

2.3 Accessing the secure drive ....................................................................................................... 2

Chapter 3. Using the secure drive .................................................................................................. 3

3.1 Getting familiar with the working modes ................................................................................... 3

3.2 Managing your passwords ........................................................................................................ 3

Chapter 4. Protecting the secure drive .......................................................................................... 5

4.1 Locking the secure drive ........................................................................................................... 5

4.2 Brute-force attack protection ..................................................................................................... 5

4.3 Safely removing the secure drive ............................................................................................. 5

Chapter 5. Resetting the secure drive ........................................................................................... 7

Chapter 6. Frequently asked questions ......................................................................................... 8 

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1

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Chapter 1. About the Lenovo Secure Desktop Drive

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Lenovo Secure Desktop Drive (hereinafter called secure drive) has the following features:

 Easy-to-use keypad design

 Software-free setup

 High-level data security: Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit algorithm hardware encryption

 High-speed data transfer with Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0 connection

 Three working modes: standby mode, admin mode, and user mode

Your option package includes the following:

 Lenovo Secure Desktop Drive

 ac power adapter and power cord

 USB 3.0 data cable (USB 2.0 compatible)

 Quick start guide

 Warranty poster

The following illustration shows the secure drive.

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USB 3.0 connector

Power connector

Power switch

Security-lock slot

Cancel button*

Unlock button*

Status indicators*

* Cancel button: Press this button to cancel the current operation or exit the user or admin mode.

* Unlock button: Press this button to confirm the password you have entered.

* Status indicators: The LED panel on the secure drive has three status indicators:

 Solid red: standby mode

 Solid green: user mode

 Solid blue: admin mode

For other button combination and indicator behavior, refer to the later parts of this document.

2

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Chapter 2. Before using the secure drive

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Before you use the secure drive, install it first, set an admin password, and then unlock it for access.

2.1 Installing the secure drive

To install the secure drive, do the following:

1. Ensure that the power switch is in the off position.

2. Connect the USB 3.0 cable to the secure drive and your computer. Connect the secure drive to a power outlet with the ac

power adapter and power cord.

3. Press the power switch to turn on the secure drive. The indicators display solid blue and solid green for the first time use.

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2.2 Setting an admin password

To set an admin password, do the following:

1. After you install the secure drive, press +9.

Indicators: green blinking and blue solid on

2. Enter an admin password and press . Ensure that the password consists of 8 to 16 digits. Do not use a series of

consecutive numbers (such as 12345678) or repeating numbers (such as 111111111).

Indicators: green blinking and blue solid on

3. Enter the same admin password again and press .

Indicators: green solid on for three seconds and then blue solid on for 30 seconds

Note: If the red indicator blinks, it indicates that you have entered a wrong password. Try again.

Now you have set an admin password for the secure drive.

2.3 Accessing the secure drive

After you install the secure drive and set an admin password, press to exit the admin mode. Then enter the admin password

and press to unlock the drive. Now your computer can access the drive.

Note: After you finish setting the admin password, the blue indicator stays on for 30 seconds and then the red indicator turns on. This

behavior indicates that the drive automatically exits the admin mode after 30 seconds.

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3

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Chapter 3. Using the secure drive

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This chapter provides information about the working modes of the secure drive and password management. 

3.1 Getting familiar with the working modes

The secure drive has three working modes: standby mode, user mode, and admin mode.

Standby mode (default)

red indicator solid on

After the first-time setup, each time you turn on the secure drive, wait for four to five seconds. The drive is ready and enters the

standby mode. In this mode, the secure drive is locked and your computer cannot recognize it.

You can enter either the admin mode or user mode from the standby mode.

User mode

green indicator solid on

In this mode, the secure drive is unlocked and recognizable. You can change the user password or use the drive to transfer data.

Enter the user mode:

From the standby mode, enter the user password or admin password and press until the green indicator is solid on.

Note: If the red indicator blinks, the password is incorrect. Enter the correct password.

Exit the user mode:

Close and save all files on the secure drive first. Press to return to the standby mode or turn off the drive directly.

Admin mode

blue indicator solid on

In this mode, the secure drive is locked and your computer cannot recognize it. You can change the admin password, create or

delete user passwords, and set the automatic lock function.

For more information, see “Managing your passwords” on page 3 and “Automatic lock” on page 5.

Enter the admin mode:

1. From the standby mode, press and hold +0 for five seconds until the red indicator blinks slowly.

2. Enter the admin password and press until the blue indicator is solid on. The drive enters the admin mode.

Note: If the red indicator is solid on, you either enter a wrong password or take no actions within 30 seconds. The drive

returns to the standby mode. Repeat steps 1 and 2.

Exit the admin mode:

Press

. The red indicator turns on and the secure drive returns to the standby mode.

If there is no activity within 30 seconds after you enter the admin mode, the secure drive automatically returns to the standby mode.

3.2 Managing your passwords

As a full disk encryption product, the secure drive can never be used without passwords.

Attention: Record your passwords and store them in a safe place. If you forget your user passwords, create a new one. See

“Creating a user password” on page 4. If you forget both your user and admin passwords, you must completely reset the secure

drive and will lose all your data. See “Chapter 5. Resetting the secure drive” on page 7.

Password requirements

Ensure that the password consists of 8 to 16 digits and do not use a series of consecutive numbers (such as 12345678) or

repeating numbers (such as 111111111).

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Changing the admin password

To change the admin password, do the following:

1. Enter the admin mode. See “Admin mode” on page 3.

2. Press +9.

Indicators: green blinking and blue solid on

3. Enter a new admin password within 30 seconds and press .

Indicators: green blinking and blue solid on

4. Enter the new admin password again within 30 seconds and press .

Indicators: green solid on for three seconds and then blue solid on for 30 seconds

Note: If the red indicator blinks, it indicates that you have entered a wrong password. Try again.

Now you have set a new admin password for the secure drive.

Creating a user password

You can create up to four user passwords. To create a user password, do the following:

1. Enter the admin mode. See “Admin mode” on page 3.

2. Press +1.

Indicators: green blinking and blue solid on

3. Enter a user password and press .

Indicators: green blinking and blue solid on

4. Enter the same user password again and press .

Indicators: green solid on for three seconds and then blue solid on for 30 seconds

Note: If the red indicator blinks, it indicates that you have entered a wrong password. Try again.

Now you have created a user password for the secure drive.

Changing a user password

To change a user password, do the following:

1. Enter the user mode. See “User mode” on page 3.

2. Press and hold +1 until the red indicator blinks.

3. Enter your current user password and press .

Indicators: green blinking and blue solid on

4. Enter a new user password and press .

Indicators: green blinking and blue solid on

5. Enter the new user password again and press .

Indicators: green solid on

Note: If the red indicator blinks after you enter and confirm a password, it indicates that the password is wrong. Repeat steps 2

through 5. Now you have changed the user password for the secure drive.

Deleting the user passwords

Attention: This procedure deletes all user passwords at a time.

To delete all user passwords, do the following:

1. Enter the admin mode. See “Admin mode” on page 3.

2. Press and hold 7+8 for five seconds until the red and blue indicators blink alternately.

3. Press and hold 7+8 again for five seconds until the green indicator is solid on for two seconds and then the blue indicator

is solid on.

You have deleted all user passwords for the secure drive.

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Chapter 4. Protecting the secure drive

In addition to hardware encryption and passwords, use the following security features to protect your secure drive.

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4.1 Locking the secure drive

When you are away from your computer or when you are sharing your computer with others, lock your unattended secure drive to

protect against unauthorized access.

Cable lock

To protect your secure drive from theft, you can purchase a security cable lock (the type that mostly used to lock a notebook

computer). Install the cable lock into the security-lock slot on the secure drive and lock the drive to a stationary object.

Note: You are responsible for evaluating, selecting, and implementing the locking device and security feature. Lenovo makes no

comments, judgments, or warranties about the function, quality, or performance of the locking device and security feature.

Manual lock

Before you leave the secure drive unattended, put it into the standby mode. In this mode, the secure drive is locked and the

computer cannot recognize it.

Press . The red indicator turns on and the secure drive enters the standby mode.

Automatic lock

You can make the secure drive automatically lock itself after a pre-determined amount of time if no drive activity is detected.

The automatic lock function is off by default. To use this function, do the following:

1. Enter the admin mode. See “Admin mode” on page 3.

2. Press +6 until the red and blue indicators blink alternately.

3. Press the appropriate numeric key to set your preferred time-out.

1 = 5 minutes; 2 = 10 minutes; 3 = 20 minutes; 0 = disable

When the green indicator blinks for three times, you have completed the setting.

Note: Ensure that you save all documents on the secure drive before the drive locks itself. If any document is not saved, a

message box will be displayed informing you that the document directory cannot be found. You have to unlock the secure drive to

save the document.

4.2 Brute-force attack protection

Brute-force attack is a cryptanalytic attack that checks all possible passwords until the correct one is found.

The secure drive is designed to protect against a brute-force attack. After the user or admin password is incorrectly entered 10

consecutive times, the secure drive locks itself and the red indicator blinks.

To unlock the secure drive, do the following:

1. Ensure that you have eliminated the brute-force attack and the drive is in a safe environment.

2. Press and hold +5 until the red and green indicators blink alternately.

3. Enter 5278879 and press . The red indicator turns solid on. The secure drive is unlocked.

Attention: If the user or admin password is incorrectly entered for another 10 consecutive times (total 20 times), the secure drive

locks itself forever and the red indicator blinks. All data on the secure drive cannot be accessed and are unrecoverable. To use the

drive again, see “Resetting the secure drive” on page 7.

4.3 Safely removing the secure drive

Before you hibernate, suspend, or log off from the system, safely remove or eject the secure drive from the operating system first.

This habit helps protect the data integrity on the secure drive.

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To safely remove the secure drive from the operating system, do the following:

1. Save and close all the files on your secure drive.

2. Click the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media icon in the Windows

notification area on the taskbar. Then click

the secure drive to eject it from the operating system.

7

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Chapter 5. Resetting the secure drive

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If you forget all user passwords and the admin password, there are no ways to access the secure drive unless a complete reset.

Attention: A complete reset removes all the passwords but also erases all data on the secure drive.

To completely reset the secure drive, do the following:

1. Ensure that the power switch is in the off position. Connect the USB 3.0 cable to the secure drive and your computer.

Connect the secure drive to a power outlet with the ac power adapter and power cord.

2. Turn on the secure drive while pressing and holding . The green indicator blinks for three times and then the red

indicator turns solid on.

3. Press and hold + +2 for 10 seconds until the green and blue indicators stay solid on.

4. Set an admin password. See “Setting an admin password” on page 2.

5. Press to exit the admin mode. Then enter the admin password and press to unlock the secure drive.

6. Do the following:

 For Windows

7: Right-click Computer, and then click Manage. When the Computer Management window opens,

click Disk Management on the left pane.

 For Windows 8.1 and Windows10: Right-click the Start button and then click Disk Management.

7. Right-click the unknown disk, click Initialize Disk, and then click OK.

Notes:

 If the “Initialize and Convert Disk Wizard” window opens, click Cancel.

 Select GPT file system for the secure drive when displayed.

8. Right-click anywhere in the unallocated section, and then select New Simple Volume. The “Welcome to the New Simple

Volume Wizard” window opens.

9. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the initialization. Your computer will recognize the secure drive, and then

the secure drive is reset and ready for use.

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8

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Chapter 6. Frequently asked questions

Question: I enter the secure drive with the initial password but I cannot change this password. Why?

Answer: The initial password you have set is the admin password. You can change this password only in the admin mode. See

“Changing the admin password” on page 4.

Question: What can I do if I forget the user password or admin password?

Answer: Record your passwords and store them in a safe place at the beginning.

 If you forget your user passwords, create a new one. See “Creating a user password” on page 4.

 If you forget your admin password, you also can use the user password to access the drive. However, you cannot enter

the admin mode for management.

 If you forget both your user and admin passwords, there are no ways to retrieve them. You must completely reset the

secure drive and will lose all your data. See “Chapter 5. Resetting the secure drive” on page 7.

Question: How can I use the secure drive without a password?

Answer: As a full disk encryption product, the secure drive can never be used without a password.

Question: Could you explain why I cannot initialize, partition, or format the secure drive?

Answer: Ensure that you use the Windows administrator account and the secure drive is in the admin mode.

Question: Could you explain why I cannot unlock the secure drive and the red indicator blinks after I turn on the drive and enter the

correct password?

Answer: After you turn on the secure drive, wait for four to five minutes so that the drive is ready. Then enter the correct password

to unlock the drive.

Question: What can I do if I follow the instructions in this document but the operation failed?

Answer: Turn off the secure drive. Reconnect the USB 3.0 cable to the secure drive and your computer. Then turn on the secure

drive, wait for four to five seconds, and perform the operation again.

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Part Number: SP40M13586

Printed in China

1P) P/N: SP40M13586

Lenovo Secure Desktop Drive User manual

Lenovo Secure Desktop Drive User manual

Lenovo Secure Desktop Drive User manual

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