Hard disk keys
A while back, my desktop's 60G hard disk died. I didn't have an immediate replacement at the time; the only disk that I could put in the machine was a 13G one with data. Yesterday, however, an 80G hard disk that I bought on eBay arrived, so I shut down my desktop and prepared to put the new disk in. The machine has a removeable hard disk bay, so I put the disk in a casing and wanted to slide it in the bay. To activate it then, I need to use a key to unlock and then re-lock the bay.
I appear to have lost the fucking key.
I think I'll try to break the hardware lock mechanism and to short-circuit the cables that tell whether the bay is locked tomorrow. That lock doesn't serve any useful real-world purpose anyway.
If it is one of those round key locks then the old Bic pen may do the trick. http://www.engadget.com/2004/09/14/kryptonite-evolution-2000-u-lock-hacked-by-a-bic-pen/
If the lock is the barrel type usually found on HD sleds, you can cut a slot on the front of the lock with a Dremmel tool and open it with a flat blade screwdriver. Most HD sleds will disengage the drive when unlocked, so breaking and removing the lock completely is not an option.
Good Luck...