IBM thinkpad bios moves the password around the hdd each time the system reboots. This makes it impossible to get to the password. There are companies like ontrack that do data recovery and they copy the data bit by bit and rearrange it - this is a very expensive process (if used in a court of law the recovered data is not considered legal as it has been manipulated). For this to be done Ontrack has to receive written confirmation from the legal owner of the thinkpad /hdd (with a photocopy of the purchase document).A replacemnet HDD will usually costs lots less to install. FBI uses IBM laptops for this specific reason
- from an IBM presales