Hard drives and personal data

VibroAxe

VibroAxe

Junior Administrator
NOT using a magnet...

Best way is to completly write over the existing data. A milspec write is 20(?) loops of writing 1's then 0's to the drive.

You can usually find data erasers around.

Other important note is that formatting the drive usually DOES NOT remove the data. For speed it merely removes the filetable and block information throughout the drive, leaving the underlying data intact.
 
Iron_fist

Iron_fist

Super Moderator
Staff member
i seem to remember both the WD and Samsung disk tools have a "secure erase" function of 10 alternating 1/0 writes
 
waterproofbob

waterproofbob

Junior Administrator
On a mac you have a zero erase option in disk utility. You can choose how many loops of that nonsense you want to do as well.
 
Spicypixel

Spicypixel

New Member
Traxata said:
All of those compromising images gone for good eh spicypixel?
Click to expand...

All but the ones of you.

tumblr_m0fbqsfV3j1qbfdtto4_250.gif
 
Ki!ler-Mk1

Ki!ler-Mk1

Active Member
VibroAxe said:
NOT using a magnet...

Best way is to completly write over the existing data. A milspec write is 20(?) loops of writing 1's then 0's to the drive.

You can usually find data erasers around.

Other important note is that formatting the drive usually DOES NOT remove the data. For speed it merely removes the filetable and block information throughout the drive, leaving the underlying data intact.
Click to expand...


So, ive just ran a non quick format on a hard drive i have been using on and off for 7 years, does it still need some kind of additional erasing before disposal?
 
Ronin Storm

Ronin Storm

Administrator
Staff member
Ki!ler-Mk1 said:
So, ive just ran a non quick format on a hard drive i have been using on and off for 7 years, does it still need some kind of additional erasing before disposal?
Click to expand...

Depends on how secure you want your data. Just a straight format is pretty easy to recover if you've got the right tools.
 
Wol

Wol

In Cryo Sleep
Depends how you dispose of it :p If you take it apart and use the platters for coasters, then thats probably fine!

If youre selling it on ebay however....
 
Ki!ler-Mk1

Ki!ler-Mk1

Active Member
I dont intend to ever use the drives, though they are both in full working order. Ultimately i think they will end up in the recycling bin, so ye, i think they need secure erasing. Im a little sceptical at why the internet presents so many tools for this job, surely there only needs to be one tool for this.
 
Wol

Wol

In Cryo Sleep
Ki!ler-Mk1 said:
why the internet presents so many tools for this job
Click to expand...

As in why there are so many tools to do the same thing?

In the same way that there are lots of different phone manufacturers, or lots of different service providers, or why there are several main brand supermarkets, why you have word as well as google docs and openoffice... etc
 
Ki!ler-Mk1

Ki!ler-Mk1

Active Member
Wol said:
As in why there are so many tools to do the same thing?

In the same way that there are lots of different phone manufacturers, or lots of different service providers, or why there are several main brand supermarkets, why you have word as well as google docs and openoffice... etc
Click to expand...

Not exactly, as in why is there so much choice, when downloading a tool off the internet whose function is potentially damaging, i want a brand i can trust, and i am not seeing that when i go a'searchin.
 
Wol

Wol

In Cryo Sleep
Panda with issues... said:
all.
Click to expand...

"Just last week, General Mills explained why it couldn't cut any more sugar out of its kids' cereals.

Now it's defending how it labels Fruit Roll-Ups and Gushers."

Who and whatnow? Is it bad I've never heard of either of those?

GNU is a good brand and pretty much trusted worldwide. l2dd.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top