Compaq Armada 1700 Reference Manual page 127

The user password is the password primarily used when turning
on the computer. It prevents unauthorized users from gaining
access to your removable hard drive. The owner of the user
password should be the day-to-day user of the hard drive, not a
system administrator.
After you establish the user password, you must enter it each
time you want to access your removable hard drive. This password
will be required even if the hard drive is inserted into another
computer. If the correct password is not entered, the hard drive
will remain locked and inaccessible.
The master password is used instead of the user password to
remove DriveLock protection and to gain access to the hard drive.
The owner of the master password may be the system
administrator.
If you forget your user or master password, contact Compaq
customer support for further instructions before proceeding.