Patent ID: 11972118
Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 19:
20. A data storage device (DSD) comprising:
a non-volatile storage medium configured to store user data;
means for transmitting data between a host computer system and the data storage device;
a housing covering the non-volatile storage medium and having a machine readable optical code visible on an external surface of the housing;
means for storing an internal security passcode;
means for receiving, from the means for transmitting data between the host computer system and the data storage device, a request to restore the DSD to factory settings;
means for receiving, from the means for transmitting data between the host computer system and the data storage device, a unique access passcode derived by:
reading, by a computing device that does not include the DSD, the machine readable optical code from the housing;
determining, responsive to reading the machine readable optical code, the unique access passcode; and
sending, by the host computer system, the unique access passcode to the DSD;

means for validating, based on the internal security passcode, the unique access passcode; and
means for restoring, in response to determining that the unique access passcode is valid, the DSD to factory settings.