I'm selling a used hard drive to someone. What can I do to make sure no data is recovered?

[steppinthrax]

Simply put it. It's a 250 GB IDE Seagate hard drive. I did a format (low-level) to NTFS. What can I do to make it difficult to recover any data. Is there any utilities you know that don't damage the drive.

 

[ForumMaster]

DBAN. run it on several cycles. it will take time as it does multiple cycles of low level formats but it will deter anybody from trying to recover your data unless they are really really really really desperate.

 

[fredhe12]

Not trying to thread jack as this is a related question, I'm concerned about the same thing except that rather than selling my drives, I'm taking them to a recycling center. In my case, the reason I'm recycling and not reselling is that these are older drives that I wasn't able to get to work in the first place to do any formatting.

So in my case, other than actually connecting the drive and formatting, should I be concerned about data being recovered? If so, what can be done?

 

[ForumMaster]

well use DBAN on them if you can. another good idea is to take them to a shooting range and practice on them. seriously. it is scary what professionals can recover. I've heard stories of data being recovered of a hard drive that was dumped in a lake for 3 month. a roasted hard drive was recovered as well. if there ever was sensitive data on those drives, drive a stake through them and destroy the platters.

 

[tungtung]

Originally posted by: ForumMaster
well use DBAN on them if you can. another good idea is to take them to a shooting range and practice on them. seriously. it is scary what professionals can recover. I've heard stories of data being recovered of a hard drive that was dumped in a lake for 3 month. a roasted hard drive was recovered as well. if there ever was sensitive data on those drives, drive a stake through them and destroy the platters.

He's trying to re-sell the drive ...
By the way doesn't writing all zeros help as well ? Or maybe that's like the old day of erasing drives.

 

[blackangst1]

8 passes of DBAN followed by one pass of zeros...99% of forensic software wont be able to recover anything.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: ForumMaster
well use DBAN on them if you can. another good idea is to take them to a shooting range and practice on them. seriously. it is scary what professionals can recover. I've heard stories of data being recovered of a hard drive that was dumped in a lake for 3 month. a roasted hard drive was recovered as well. if there ever was sensitive data on those drives, drive a stake through them and destroy the platters.

I've heard worse. I remember watching medical detectives and someone cut a floppy disk platter into a couple of sections with scissors and crumpled it up. I saw them repair it. they use a special tool the shape of an iron that's curved to flattened it and they put each section in a machine that very carfully scans each and every sector individually. They got his Hit man list and diary of how he was going to kill his wife!!!!!!!

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: fredhe12
Not trying to thread jack as this is a related question, I'm concerned about the same thing except that rather than selling my drives, I'm taking them to a recycling center. In my case, the reason I'm recycling and not reselling is that these are older drives that I wasn't able to get to work in the first place to do any formatting.

So in my case, other than actually connecting the drive and formatting, should I be concerned about data being recovered? If so, what can be done?

In your case you can zap them in a microwave. Take the platters out and zap them in the microwave.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

Originally posted by: fredhe12
Not trying to thread jack as this is a related question, I'm concerned about the same thing except that rather than selling my drives, I'm taking them to a recycling center. In my case, the reason I'm recycling and not reselling is that these are older drives that I wasn't able to get to work in the first place to do any formatting.

So in my case, other than actually connecting the drive and formatting, should I be concerned about data being recovered? If so, what can be done?

In your case you can zap them in a microwave. Take the platters out and zap them in the microwave.

Are you kidding? Tell me that was sarcasm.

 

[Blain]

Are you selling the drive to a Federal Agent?

 

[0roo0roo]

dban or eraser

 

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

Originally posted by: fredhe12
Not trying to thread jack as this is a related question, I'm concerned about the same thing except that rather than selling my drives, I'm taking them to a recycling center. In my case, the reason I'm recycling and not reselling is that these are older drives that I wasn't able to get to work in the first place to do any formatting.

So in my case, other than actually connecting the drive and formatting, should I be concerned about data being recovered? If so, what can be done?

In your case you can zap them in a microwave. Take the platters out and zap them in the microwave.

Are you kidding? Tell me that was sarcasm.

Nah it'd work, just put some rubber underneath them, and roast them one platter at a time so they don't slide off and touch the side of the thing. Or he could just take the platters out and smash them with a sledge hammer repeatedly. Or both, both should definately do it.

 

[Pirotech]

Use KillDisk, Eraser or Drive Cleanser.