If the drive isn't physically unusable, ontrack's disk manager software can do a pretty good job at recovering things. I was impressed by how much it managed to retrieve from a severely damaged raid-0 array.
If the drive isn't physically unusable, ontrack's disk manager software can do a pretty good job at recovering things. I was impressed by how much it managed to retrieve from a severely damaged raid-0 array.
What if I ran over my hard drive with a HONDA CIVIC ?! Then, would all my IDENTITIEZ be ERASED FROM EARTH?!
- Sep 28, 2005
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- 3,637
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uhhh... cant u just do a low level format? and i dont mean a normal format, but a REAL lower level format.
Another solution. Put the drive next to a REALLY REALLY STRONG MAGNET. And circle it in there a few times. But they have special devices like that which emite a high magnetic field for you to wipe data completely.
Low Level Format
Another solution. Put the drive next to a REALLY REALLY STRONG MAGNET. And circle it in there a few times. But they have special devices like that which emite a high magnetic field for you to wipe data completely.
Low Level Format
Do you think that's the best reference when it doesn't even mention DoD.5200.28-STD?
You mean a degausser, which has been mentioned several times in this thread?
I was just linking one site that stated the DOD standards for top secret data. We (as in a 25,000 person health organization) researched the best practices of deletion/destruction of data for three months before we came up with an organizational white paper. When it's all said and done, best practice is degauss or destroy the drive. I don't care how many times you do zero writes, most likely, some of the data can be retrieved.
Yeah, because writing them on a piece of paper or in a notebook is more secure? What the hell is a computer good for then?
Hi, A normal format will not delete the data. Get a free download called something like "Write Zeros to the drive. Sometimes erroneously call a Low Level Format. The program is contained on a free download called "MadBoot". Luck, Jim
Trying to provide some sanity:
'Formatting' the drive (wiping out the file tables, usually) does, essentially, nothing. Data recovery software can generally pull your files back up unharmed, unless the drive has already been completely refilled with new data.
Doing a zero-fill (or writing random data over the entire drive sector-by-sector) will prevent data recovery software from working. It will just read back all zeroes, or random junk. HOWEVER, drives processed like this can still often be salvaged by taking apart the drive in a cleanroom and scanning the platters with a much more sensitive magnetic scanner than is present in the drive itself. This is because data that was stored statically on the drive for a long time slightly changes the 'baseline' magnetic field strength of the media.
Writing random data over the drive multiple times (as recommended by the DoD) will make this sort of process much more difficult, since any traces of old magnetic fields will largely be obliterated when the sectors are repeatedly overwritten. HOWEVER, there are other methods that can still be used -- for instance, a drive's calibration may change slightly over time (or with changing temperature). This means data that was written a year ago may not be completely erased when you zero-fill the drive today. Again, sensitive scanners can be used to try to pick up the unerased edges of the tracks.
EXTREMELY powerful degaussing (nothing you have access to in your home will do, though very strong magnets might if you took the drive apart) will destroy the low-level formatting on the platters. This *will* render them essentially unreadable, since there will no longer be any indication of where the invididual data tracks start and end. However, it may still be possible to recover some data if the degaussing was not complete.
External physical damage to the drive will often barely damage the platters. Unless you physically disassemble the drive and destroy the platter surface (such as by grinding them down), often the drive can be carefully disassembled and at least some of the data recovered.
Complete physical destruction of the drive (usually by melting it down, or grinding down the platters) guarantees nothing will ever read that data again.
That said, a zero-fill or writing the whole drive with random data (once) will keep any 'casual' snoopers from sifting through the contents of a used hard drive. Accessing any data once that has been done requires professional expertise and expensive equipment. Unless you have corporate trade secrets or some other extremely valuable/sensitive data on your drive (or you have reason to believe someone might specifically target you in an attempt to get your data), more extreme measures are a little silly.
'Formatting' the drive (wiping out the file tables, usually) does, essentially, nothing. Data recovery software can generally pull your files back up unharmed, unless the drive has already been completely refilled with new data.
Doing a zero-fill (or writing random data over the entire drive sector-by-sector) will prevent data recovery software from working. It will just read back all zeroes, or random junk. HOWEVER, drives processed like this can still often be salvaged by taking apart the drive in a cleanroom and scanning the platters with a much more sensitive magnetic scanner than is present in the drive itself. This is because data that was stored statically on the drive for a long time slightly changes the 'baseline' magnetic field strength of the media.
Writing random data over the drive multiple times (as recommended by the DoD) will make this sort of process much more difficult, since any traces of old magnetic fields will largely be obliterated when the sectors are repeatedly overwritten. HOWEVER, there are other methods that can still be used -- for instance, a drive's calibration may change slightly over time (or with changing temperature). This means data that was written a year ago may not be completely erased when you zero-fill the drive today. Again, sensitive scanners can be used to try to pick up the unerased edges of the tracks.
EXTREMELY powerful degaussing (nothing you have access to in your home will do, though very strong magnets might if you took the drive apart) will destroy the low-level formatting on the platters. This *will* render them essentially unreadable, since there will no longer be any indication of where the invididual data tracks start and end. However, it may still be possible to recover some data if the degaussing was not complete.
External physical damage to the drive will often barely damage the platters. Unless you physically disassemble the drive and destroy the platter surface (such as by grinding them down), often the drive can be carefully disassembled and at least some of the data recovered.
Complete physical destruction of the drive (usually by melting it down, or grinding down the platters) guarantees nothing will ever read that data again.
That said, a zero-fill or writing the whole drive with random data (once) will keep any 'casual' snoopers from sifting through the contents of a used hard drive. Accessing any data once that has been done requires professional expertise and expensive equipment. Unless you have corporate trade secrets or some other extremely valuable/sensitive data on your drive (or you have reason to believe someone might specifically target you in an attempt to get your data), more extreme measures are a little silly.
OMG thisis so true..I had a HDD go belly up a yr ago..I found only one prgoram that would retrieve any data and tried ..all the recommended crap
ACR data recovery absolutely the best
Uh
that's why you use darrik's boot and nuke for Gutmann wiping
32 passes ftw with verify after each round GL DoD
that's why you use darrik's boot and nuke for Gutmann wiping
32 passes ftw with verify after each round GL DoD
SonicIce
Diamond Member
- Apr 12, 2004
- 4,771
- 0
- 76
A full format writes zeroes to the whole partition. A quick format just wipes out the MFT I think.
1) Write a paper, or other important document. Pictures from a vacation also work.
2) Ensure that the only copy of said document resides on the hard drive in question.
3) Wait ~1 week.
2) Ensure that the only copy of said document resides on the hard drive in question.
3) Wait ~1 week.
Unless you're doing something highly illegal with your PC and it's possible that the FBI might get your hard drive, I think it's crazy to smash a hard drive. Any of the wipe programs should be sufficient for most of us. At least I know it would be for me. For example on the Eraser support forums, such as this thread, someone says I have never met a forensics program that could recover any data after one pass of overwriting. Some people *believe* that such programs or technology exist, but they have not been demonstrated effectively on modern drives, at least publicly.
Rubycon
Madame President
- Aug 10, 2005
- 17,768
- 485
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You can shock them to kill the electronics. The IBM drives with glass platters had an integrated security feature that was easy to activate. Just give it a good slapping, shake to verify the "feature" has been activated. For best security crush the remnants.
(exiting paranoia mode)
(exiting paranoia mode)
two solutions:
1. don't look at porn and sell the hard drive to your mother
2. reuse the hard drive
1. don't look at porn and sell the hard drive to your mother
2. reuse the hard drive
- Aug 23, 2003
- 25,375
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- 116
If you have anything sensitive enough that you need to DoD wipe your drive to clean it up, I would hope its stored in a double-encrypted secret partition on your hard drive.
That way, *should* anyone recover the data from your drive, they would have one hell of a time reading it.
That way, *should* anyone recover the data from your drive, they would have one hell of a time reading it.
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