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Post by Tiger on Sept 1, 2009 14:58:50 GMT -5
Why is the repetition necessary? If the drive is full of random binary, there's nothing there but random binary. Any files that used to be there are gone and unrecoverable. Rumor has it that it might be possible to recover single-overwritten data because either the bits aren't quite 100% magnetized each pass, leaving some trace of what was there before, or because the tracking could be off just enough to leave some of the old data on the edge. In either case, it has never been demonstrated as usable in practice. It's not too far fetched to think just maybe the g-men can do that kind of thing, but there's no way it gets used routinely. I'm sure it would be extremely time consuming and expensive. I see. I suppose running a few extra passes just to be sure doesn't hurt. Anyway, I use a (Mac only) freeware program called, creatively enough, Permanent Eraser. I haven't tested it for myself, since I wouldn't even know how, but I've read several independent reviews saying that it really does make data unrecoverable.
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Post by RavynousHunter on Sept 1, 2009 15:02:22 GMT -5
Well, overwriting the data can help prevention, but sometimes just looking at the file allocation table entries can be enough to glean their original contents.
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Lazuline
Full Member
Subarashii!
Posts: 140
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Post by Lazuline on Sept 1, 2009 17:14:08 GMT -5
Recovering overwritten data on a modern hard disk is highly impractical if not outright impossible, but there remains the issue of bad sectors. Once the drive marks a sector as bad, it simply won't overwrite it, so there's nothing you can do in software to get rid of whatever data is already there.
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Post by Napoleon the Clown on Sept 1, 2009 21:48:49 GMT -5
Hence my idea of "Don't need the drive anymore? Physically destroy it."
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Post by RavynousHunter on Sept 1, 2009 21:52:56 GMT -5
Eeh, I always save the drives, even it they're dead. You can always sell the aluminum for a few bucks if you need some extra cash for gas or somethin.
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Post by Napoleon the Clown on Sept 2, 2009 5:37:08 GMT -5
See, that's the nice part about the electromagnet treatment. Aluminum isn't ferrous, so it won't be damaged in the least by three or four passes by something designed to pull out dental fillings at ten paces.
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Post by RavynousHunter on Sept 2, 2009 14:59:20 GMT -5
True, but I may be able to switch out controller boards and get the thing to work again long enough to salvage the data off it.
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Post by Tiger on Sept 2, 2009 15:31:58 GMT -5
True, but I may be able to switch out controller boards and get the thing to work again long enough to salvage the data off it. So 7-pass wipe, magnet, shoot it full of holes, then coat it in thermite. Let's see them get some data off of that.
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Post by RavynousHunter on Sept 2, 2009 18:30:04 GMT -5
...You're missing the point, bro. I don't destroy the data on the off-chance I might need it.
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Post by Tiger on Sept 2, 2009 20:32:19 GMT -5
Isn't not destroying data the complete opposite of this thread's subject?
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Post by RavynousHunter on Sept 2, 2009 20:36:22 GMT -5
Very astute observation. (at this point...I'm just being a dick, so don't take this post seriously.)
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Post by Napoleon the Clown on Sept 3, 2009 4:44:17 GMT -5
Need I remind you of the Guidelines? Don't Be a Dick, good sir. Nah, you're just having your fun without causing a ruckus. Have at.
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Post by malendras on Sept 3, 2009 16:48:26 GMT -5
Or just make some thermite and set that off on the drive. Whatever's left will be indistinguishable from the rest of the molten metal. It's easy to make and you can find the recipe online. Thermite's just Fe 2O 3 Iron Oxide mixed with Aluminium powder. You need something to set it off though, but once it gets going, it's just a plain old simple reduction reaction. Mind you, a very exothermic reduction reaction, but nonetheless, basic chemistry here. The reason the drive won't survive that is because the reaction produces molten iron. That would melt right through the plastic and the ceramic plates that form the drive platters. So there you have it... some rust and aluminium powder. IIRC Magnesium strips will set it off, as well as sparklers with some form of Iron Oxide/Aluminum mixture as the active ingredient. Normal flame won't work as you need a lot of energy to get it started. Past that, it's unstoppable.
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Post by RavynousHunter on Sept 4, 2009 4:19:09 GMT -5
You could paint the harddrive with picric acid, so the next time someone touches it: BOOM!
Of course...if you wanted to blow the HDD up (for teh lulz), I would suggest astrolyte. Its fairly easy to make, very stable, and very, very ... eh... explody. To put it bluntly, I think a thimble-full would be enough to obliterate a normal HDD.
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Post by The Lazy One on Sept 12, 2009 15:36:45 GMT -5
You could paint the harddrive with picric acid, so the next time someone touches it: BOOM! Of course...if you wanted to blow the HDD up (for teh lulz), I would suggest astrolyte. Its fairly easy to make, very stable, and very, very ... eh... explody. To put it bluntly, I think a thimble-full would be enough to obliterate a normal HDD. Oooh... 'splody. Good idea.
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