If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Any better way to wipe data from a HDD?
I was advised that in addition to fdisking and formating a hard disk
drive I should do the following, then fdisk and format again. Are the following instructions a sure-fire way of erasing data? Many thanks. ----- Enter the following lines at the debug prompt (-) followed by the enter key. Note: this completely erases the MBR and your whole drive. F 200 L200 0 a 100 mov ax,301 [note from here on you may see a number like fff:1234 [type all commands next to this number [do _not_ press enter when this number appears. mov bx,200 mov cx,1 mov dx,0080 [note: use 0081 for second fixed disk int 13 int 3 (enter a blank line here) G=100 q |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Danny Jenkins wrote:
I was advised that in addition to fdisking and formating a hard disk drive I should do the following, then fdisk and format again. Are the following instructions a sure-fire way of erasing data? Many thanks. ----- US Gov. uses sledgehammer + incineration. Seems to work pretty well and doesn't require skilled labor. -- Jason |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 15:07:34 -0500, Jason Mather
wrote: Danny Jenkins wrote: I was advised that in addition to fdisking and formating a hard disk drive I should do the following, then fdisk and format again. Are the following instructions a sure-fire way of erasing data? Many thanks. ----- US Gov. uses sledgehammer + incineration. Seems to work pretty well and doesn't require skilled labor. But not all of us can engage in deficit spending to replace the drives. Depending on how sensitive the data is will depend on what level of 'destruction' you need to go through. For most data, format / fdisk / format is sufficient. If you need to ensure that the data is not recoverable by standard low level utilities, then there are programs around that will overwrite all the data sectors on the disk. If you are paranoid about the disk being examined by a data recovery firm, there are standard pattern sequences for wiping disks completely. Programs such as Norton's WipeInfo, Cybercide, and other freeware programs are capable of doing this. Look for references to Schneier's Algorithm. Ultimately, if you think that there are people with electron microscopes waiting to look at your disks the industrial degausser, followed by the sledgehammer and incinerator is the way to go. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Robert Klute wrote:
If you are paranoid about the disk being examined by a data recovery firm, there are standard pattern sequences for wiping disks completely. Programs such as Norton's WipeInfo, Cybercide, and other freeware programs are capable of doing this. Look for references to Schneier's Algorithm. dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/hda can work fine as well if you boot Linux. Ultimately, if you think that there are people with electron microscopes waiting to look at your disks the industrial degausser, followed by the sledgehammer and incinerator is the way to go. It indeed depends on the value of the data. Someone brought a used PC here - with barely working drive - but working enough to boot and read. It was a lawyer's, and I think they should have been more careful. Thomas |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
The original sectors become invisible and might be recoverable by low
level programming (electron microscopes not needed). You will need to patch the drive's firmware and download the new one, usually using vendor specific ATA commands. There are people capable of this. Usually in data recovery companies. -- Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP StorageCraft Corporation http://www.storagecraft.com |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Please Help me choose momory for AMD64 | Synapse Syndrome | Asus Motherboards | 11 | August 26th 04 02:43 PM |
my new mobo o/c's great | rockerrock | Overclocking AMD Processors | 9 | June 30th 04 08:17 PM |
Sata and Data Corruption | Robert Neville | General | 7 | April 25th 04 11:02 AM |
Sata and Data Corruption | Robert Neville | Homebuilt PC's | 7 | April 25th 04 11:02 AM |
Creating RAID 1 Array: Will it wipe out existing data? | Randy | Asus Motherboards | 10 | November 20th 03 06:14 AM |