Posted on 09/03/2006 8:58:26 PM PDT by canuck_conservative
For data removal, just call me, I manage to wreak havoc on hard drives without any special know how. I've got several that are beyond the point where data can be retrieved, or so I'm told, since they won't spin. Or I can pay somebody giga-bucks to try and retrieve the info. And I would really like to get the stuff off of them; projects I did, etc. Yes, I use a separate hard drive now to back up everything...
C:\ Format C
That's a lot of trouble someone would have gone through just to see a bunch of pictures of my animals running around :~)
My wife handles data distruction for me.... I kept asking her not to reach across the desk and over my external harddrive.... She did it anyway....and eventually exceded even my darkest expectations...
A campfire sounded a whole lot easier
Thermite is recommended if it's really important, as in this movie. "It's really hard to get the data back once you've melted the platters."
But your idea is certainly less trouble, as long as you can be sure the trash man isn't slowly reassembling your drive back at headquarters.
Another thing that's easier on a Mac: the Secure Empty Trash feature does the job of wiping files up to DOD specs. It can take a while for large files, but I just use it as a matter of course when 'emptying the trash'.
Here's a story about a murder suspect who attempted to destroy evidence by cutting up a pair of 5.25 inch floppies with scissors. Unsuccessfully.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov1999/n11021999_9911023.html
Contact the hard drive mfr. If it has stopped spinning then the motor is bad. The mfr can replace the motor.
If the motor spins but the solenoid is bad then the mfr can replace the solenoid.
If the electronics is bad they can replace the electronics.....BUT
You're going to have to pay through the nose.
If the mfr won't do it, go to http://www.ontrack.com
My choice as well.
Oh joy.
'Tis free.
bump for later
I probably will never sell a computer. Too much credit card/info on there to ever be sure it's totally wiped.
There's a lot more to it than that. Randomizing after zeroing, then much stronger encryption (as and where allowable) are advised. Everything must be encrypted for the method to be effective, including the swap partitions. And don't use drive caching. ...works fast enough, if one has fast enough striping setups for the arrays.
None of the programs work. Some are worthless. Some may keep your boss from reading your files. None will keep a determined professional from doing so.
Only reliable method is as follows:
take out the hard drive
put it on a sturdy surface.
hit repeatedly with a ball pine hammer until flat and parts are flying
place it where you see used coffee grounds
Now that that is taken care of, what are you going to do about the several components that have buffers?
Did you know that your printer buffer may have hundreds of pages stored? Or the video card? Etc.
Here's a little insight into the problem:
http://www.justice.gov/criminal/cybercrime/s&smanual2002.htm
> Thermite is recommended if it's really important
I remember a story a friend told me about one of his duties at an Air Force base in the early 70's. They loaded up the hard drives to be decommissioned into a Jeep and accompanied by an armed guard drove to a fenced in area of the base where a series of holes had been made in the ground. Each hole got a hard drive and a thermite charge. Nothing left but a glob of molten metal.
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