Skeletons on your hard drive

CNet.News.com ^ | 4/20/2005 | Matt Hines

[Mike Bates]

Tax records, resumes, photo albums--the modern hard drive can keep increasingly larger volumes of information at the ready. But that can turn into a problem when it comes to effectively erasing the devices.

There are a number of options for cleansing the drives of unwanted computers, from special wiping software to destruction services to manufacturers' recycling programs. But what many PC owners don't realize, experts say, is that these methods are often not enough.

[Mike Bates]

I was hoping to find something else to worry about today. . .

[mewzilla]

Personally, I prefer the low tech solution: a magnet and a sledge hammer.

[Mike Bates]

I use the latter for when I'm fixing my computer.

[NautiNurse]

Wouldn't a sledge hammer be the simple, inexpensive method to
permanently lose the hard drive?

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Just great, and the ONE file that I accidentally deleted last night, I had to type all over again.

[facedown]

You guys forgot the acetylene torch.

[Mike Bates]

Wouldn't a sledge hammer be the simple, inexpensive method to permanently lose the hard drive?

Please. The correct spelling around here for that word is "loose," or haven't you noticed?

[mewzilla]

You guys forgot the acetylene torch.

Heh heh heh. I'm a trog at heart. And a Luddite. I'm not fond of my FRED (aka my computer). Don't tempt me :)

[theFIRMbss]

>Just great, and the ONE file that I accidentally deleted last night, I had to type all over again

Unless you used a
"security erase" thing,
you can recover

deleted files. Check
your documention for
"file, recovery."

[LurkedLongEnough]

A reliable friend told me that the only sure way to erase data from a hard drive is the physical way. He said that the most painless way was to rub sand onto the surface of the drive, hopelessly scratching it to prevent recovery.

But I'm kind of in favor of the torch idea.

[Preachin']

Be series!

[The_Victor]

If you're worried about it use this debug script to erase your harddrive. I'm told this resets the magnetic media.

debug
-F 200 L1000 0
-A CS:100
xxxx:0100 MOV AX,301
xxxx:0103 MOV BX,200
xxxx:0106 MOV CX,1
xxxx:0109 MOV DX,80
xxxx:010C INT 13
xxxx:010E INT 20
xxxx:0110
-G

[edcoil]

We have a programmer here that used to work at TRW and he says they can actually go back and recover data that has been written-over or deleted more then 7 times.

Pretty high tech stuff.

If you have that much of a secret, stay with smoke-signals and off your computer.

[TXBSAFH]

Take out the hard drive when you are done with the computer and are ready to dispose of it, hit hard drive with a sledge hammer. Repeat as often as necessary.

Problem solved.

[IamConservative]

They make excellent targets a well.

[mewzilla]

[Mike Bates]

If you're worried about it use this debug script to erase your harddrive. I'm told this resets the magnetic media.

Oh, OK. let me try tha

[TEXASPROUD]

PULL!

[mewzilla]

They make excellent targets a well.

Hmmm, haven't tried that. Although I have used one for batting practice :)

[TXBSAFH]

I work in systems. We had a old server that just crashed. Nothing we could do to get it up. We took it to a secluded gun range. 5 of us with our assault rifles, about 500 rounds went into it. No data retrievable.