On Thin Ice Chapter 3 Walkthrough: Complete Puzzle Solutions & Guide

Master every puzzle in Kate Gray's investigation with our On Thin Ice Chapter 3 walkthrough. Find locker codes, PINs, and step-by-step solutions.

A sudden blizzard has locked down the police precinct, a vicious ransomware attack is crippling city systems, and trusted allies suddenly look like prime suspects. If you are stuck trying to decipher complex department codes or reboot faulty hardware, this complete on thin ice chapter 3 walkthrough delivers every solution you need to advance Detective Kate Gray's high-stakes investigation. Navigating the mounting tension and hidden clues in this chapter can test your observation skills to the limit. That is why our on thin ice chapter 3 walkthrough breaks down every sequence, code conversion, and inventory combination step by step.

Whether you need quick access to Dan's office PIN or need to clear out colleagues from the detention area, follow this guide to solve every mystery without burning through your hint stars.

Chapter 3 Overview and Essential Objectives

Chapter 3 shifts the action back to the precinct as the winter storm traps the team inside. Kate Gray and Murphy must determine the source of the ransomware attack while keeping critical departmental hardware from failing.

In this chapter, the gameplay revolves around three distinct phases:

Accessing encrypted data from the external hard drive.
Restoring Dan's high-powered workstation and cracking his login credentials.
Infiltrating the holding cell area to confront Dan about his suspicious actions.

The table below outlines the primary locations, mandatory tools, and central goals in this chapter.

Location	Key Items Collected	Primary Objective
Police Station Main Floor	Hard Drive, Electrical Tape	Decrypt hard drive using Murphy's suspect board
Dan's Tech Office	Fan Bays, Coolant, Tubes, Remote, Grabber	Assemble PC cooling loop and revive Dan
Dan's Workstation	Graphics Card, Microfiber Cloth	Unlock monitor with 4-digit PIN & organize drive
Precinct Holding Cells	Wire, Sanitizer, Police Tape, Arrest Papers	Dismiss colleagues and unlock evidence locker
Dan's Interrogation Cell	Tin Mug, Glasses, Belt Key	Interrogate Dan and unlock storage closet

Police Station Tech Room: Cracking the Hard Drive Code

After securing the suspect drive, Kate needs to inspect its contents without compromising the main network. Looking at the device reveals an input panel demanding a 6-digit access code arranged across three color pairs: Blue, Red, and Green.

Below the colored dials, a specific waveform matches Murphy’s suspect board on the wall. However, the display board shorts out as soon as you interact with it.

Step-by-Step Drive Solution

Peel the police sticker away from the board's lower frame.
Use the electrical tape to patch the exposed, sparking wire.
Examine the three highlighted suspect mugshots corresponding to the waveform on the hard drive.
Note the specific street names associated with the suspects: Dimebag, Nooner, and Blackjack.
Translate each street alias into numerical values:
- Dimebag represents the number 10 (a ten-dollar bag).
- Nooner represents midday, or 12.
- Blackjack represents the classic card game target score of 21.

Many players experience confusion when arranging the final sequence. The hard drive does not read left-to-right based on the board's layout; it reads by colored indicator lights.

Color Indicator	Associated Mugshot Alias	Numerical Value
Blue (First Pair)	Blackjack	21
Red (Middle Pair)	Dimebag	10
Green (Last Pair)	Nooner	12

Enter 21 10 12 into the hard drive interface to release the digital lock. With the drive open, Kate must take it down to Dan’s isolated station to prevent network cross-contamination.

Dan's Office: Waking the Tech and Rebuilding the PC

Upon arriving in Dan's cluttered basement office, you find him dead asleep at his desk while his rig sits disassembled. Before you can extract any intelligence, you must wake Dan and reconstruct the computer's custom water-cooling loop.

Consult this section of our on thin ice chapter 3 walkthrough to ensure you do not miss hidden components tucked into the scenery.

First, clear the empty takeout boxes and trash littering the floor, then yank the blanket out from underneath Dan. Collect the reachable supplies around the room:

The Reaching Grabber standing near the cabinets.
Two separate Fan Bays sitting across the shelving.
The Remote Control on the desk.
A detached Cabinet Handle from the floor.

Attach the handle to the locked upper drawer to collect Plastic Tubes, then inspect the lower drawer to retrieve the bottle of Coolant. Dan is sleeping too heavily to be shaken awake, so use the reaching grabber to grab the Zap Cola perched atop the tall metal locker.

Hand the energy drink to Dan. Once he sits up, grab the Graphics Card and Microfiber Cloth that were hidden beneath his seat cushion.

Component	Found Location	Installation Target
Cabinet Handle	Office Floor	Top filing cabinet drawer
Plastic Tubes	Inside Filing Cabinet	PC Liquid Cooling Loop
Coolant Bottle	Lower Desk Drawer	PC Reservoir
Zap Cola	Top of Storage Locker	Inventory -> Hand to Dan
Fan Bays (x2)	Office Shelving & Desk	PC Chassis Intake/Exhaust
Graphics Card	Underneath Dan's Blanket	Mainboard PCIe Slot

Mount the two fan bays, click the graphics card into the motherboard, install the plastic tubing, pour in the coolant, and plug in the hard drive. The PC powers on, but Dan immediately forgets his login PIN.

Digital Picture Frame & Desktop PIN Puzzle

To retrieve Dan's workstation PIN, you must consult the digital picture frame resting near the keyboard. The screen is smeared with grime; use the Microfiber Cloth to wipe it clean. The frame will then freeze halfway between two slide transitions. Use the Remote Control on the frame to restore normal cycling.

Inspect Dan's desktop monitors. You will observe four distinct colored badge icons beneath the password prompt:

Red Stopwatch
Blue Snowflake
Orange Fish
Green Gear

Flip through the restored photographs on the digital frame to locate objects matching these colored themes. Each matching photo contains a prominent digit hidden within the frame.

Target Icon	Matching Photograph Scene	Embedded Number
Red Stopwatch	Escape Room Challenge	5
Blue Snowflake	Mountain Snowboarding Trip	3
Orange Fish	Sushi Restaurant Platter	9
Green Gear	Robotics Competition Display	7

Combine these numbers in the exact sequence shown on the monitor prompt to get 5397. Type 5397 into the terminal to unlock the workstation.

Once logged in, Dan falls asleep again, leaving Kate to handle the data reorganization minigame. In this puzzle, you must sort the fragmented disk clusters by shifting data packets across three rows:

Top Row: Yellow Data Blocks
Middle Row: White Data Blocks
Bottom Row: Green Data Blocks

Aligning the blocks reveals the shocking truth: Dan himself uploaded the ransomware into the police database.

Detention Area: Clearing Witnesses & Solving the Locker Code

Following the discovery of Dan's betrayal, internal affairs detains him in the precinct holding cells. To question him without interference, Kate needs Murphy, Keiko, and Jacob to clear the detention floor. Continuing through this on thin ice chapter 3 walkthrough, follow these steps to clear the room methodically.

Clearing the Guards and Colleagues

Pick up the bottle of Hand Sanitizer sitting on the front reception counter.
Knock down the framed visitor regulations poster on the wall to discover a piece of Stiff Wire.
Use the wire to snag the Keyring dangling from Jacob’s belt loop while his back is turned.
Unlock the equipment locker cage using the retrieved keys.
Open the unlocked equipment locker to acquire a roll of Police Tape.

Give the police tape to Murphy; he will leave the area immediately to cordon off the exterior perimeter.

Cracking the 5-Digit Locker Code

The second supply locker is secured by a digital keypad coated in thick dirt. Apply the hand sanitizer to clean the keys. To decipher the passcode, refer to the framed rules poster you knocked down earlier.

According to community reports from puzzle enthusiasts, this is one of the most clever riddles in the game developer Haiku Games' catalog. The sign states: "Strictly 1 visitor per prisoner." Therefore, any calculation must be based on a visiting scenario containing exactly two individuals (one prisoner and one visitor).

Examine the capitalized keywords on the regulation sheet and count the totals for two people:

Rule Directive	Item / Trait Counted	Math (Two People)	Code Digit
Keep HANDS visible	Total hands present	2 people × 2 hands	4
NO ITEMS allowed	Permitted contraband	Strictly zero items	0
Wear clean SHIRTS	Shirts required	2 people × 1 shirt	2
Secure your SHOES	Shoes worn	2 people × 2 shoes	4
Keep MOUTHS closed	Mouths counted	2 people × 1 mouth	2

Enter 40242 into the locker keypad. Inside, you will find Dan’s confiscated personal property and official Arrest Papers.

Hand Dan's personal items to Keiko to send her back to the forensics lab, then hand the arrest paperwork to Jacob to dismiss him from his post. With the holding room finally empty, Kate can interrogate Dan privately.

Interrogating Dan and Securing the Secret Laptop

With the room cleared, you will notice Dan sitting despondently inside the locked holding cell without his prescription glasses. He cannot read or communicate clearly until you assist him.

Use your hooked Stiff Wire through the cell bars to retrieve Dan’s Glasses and the Tin Mug from the floor. Move over to the leaking overhead pipe and place the tin mug underneath to collect fresh water.

Splash the mug of water onto Dan to revive his focus, then pass him his glasses through the security partition.

During the interrogation, Dan reveals his true motive: the cybercriminal syndicate kidnapped his young daughter and blackmailed him into planting the ransomware. Dan intentionally used his own department credentials hoping Kate would uncover his trail before his daughter was harmed.

Dan unbuckles his leather belt and hands it over to Kate. Inspect the buckle in your inventory to reveal a hidden compartment containing a Mysterious Key.

Use the key to unlock the heavy utility closet in the corner of the holding room. Inside rests a secure laptop, though it is missing vital components. Gather the Antenna and the heavy Battery Pack from the upper shelving to power on the system, completing the chapter and setting up your next lead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hard drive code in Chapter 3?

The 6-digit hard drive code is 21 10 12. This is derived from Murphy's suspect board by matching the waveform pattern to the aliases Blackjack (21), Dimebag (10), and Nooner (12), arranged according to the drive's blue, red, and green lights.

What is Dan's computer PIN in On Thin Ice?

Dan's computer PIN is 5397. You determine this code by matching the monitor's icons (stopwatch, snowflake, fish, gear) with the numbers hidden inside the corresponding photos on his digital picture frame.

How do you get the 5-digit code for the locker in the holding cell?

The locker code is 40242. It is calculated from the visitor rules poster based on a scenario of two people (one prisoner, one visitor): 4 hands, 0 items, 2 shirts, 4 shoes, and 2 mouths.

Where do I find the key for the detention room closet?

As detailed in this on thin ice chapter 3 walkthrough, Dan hands you his belt after you revive him with water and give him his glasses. Inspect the belt in your inventory screen and tap the buckle to open a secret latch containing the closet key.