I can’t boot to Windows. Toshiba splash screen and the display console shows ‘HD1 password=’ I don’t know the password.

I have a Toshiba Satellite 5205-S703 and had it for 3yrs, warranty expired. I’m having a lot of problems recently. The latest one is I can’t seem to boot to Windows. I get the Toshiba splash screen and the display console shows ‘HD1 password=’ I don’t know the password. I think it is a hardware problem where can I find a reliable laptop repair center.

If you didn’t set up the hard drive password yourself, then most likely you have a problem with the hard drive. This model has a BIOS update in version 1.40 related to this issue. Check it out here. It says that you can get a message asking for the hard drive password if there is a problem with the hard drive. So, I think that your hard drive is bad and that’s why you see this message.
First of all, I would check what version of BIOS you have and if it’s an old one, I would update it. Try to press Esc key on the laptop start up to access the setup menu, you can find the BIOS version in there. The latest BIOS version for Satellite 5205 at this time is 1.50. It’s possible that after the BIOS update you would be able to get an access to the hard drive. If you have an important data on the hard drive and you are able to access it, back it up as soon as possible, because the hard drive might fail permanently any time.
You can run Hitachi Drive Fitness test to test the hard drive. If it fails the test, you’ll have to replace it. It’s not very difficult. You can access the hard drive from the bottom of the laptop if you remove the hatch. After you replace the hard drive, you’ll have to run a recovery DVD (you got it when you bought the laptop) to restore operating system and the factory software. To start the recovery process, place the DVD inside the laptop, restart it and press C key when the Toshiba splash screen appears. The laptop will start booting from the DVD and after that you’ll have to follow the instructions.
Toshiba installs 60GB 4200RPM hard drive into this model. You can install 60GB, 80GB, 100GB or 120GB hard drive; you should have any problem with the size. You can use 4200RPM or 5400RPM hard drives. Faster is better. I haven’t tried 7200RPM in this model yet, so not sure if there would be any heat related issues.
If you not sure if you can do it yourself, then any local computer repair shop can handle it.