After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Ta

On Friday, 7 September 2018 07:14:18 UTC+1, WeeBob wrote:
After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Ta
I took a sledgehammer to the last HDDs I took down the tip. I'm sure using this on your unwanted media would deliver the same outcome.

WeeBob wrote

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Summary execution for you, boy.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty
nasty smells which could draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

You used to be able to get bulk erasers intended
for spools of magnetic audio tape, but it isnt clear
how well they work on digital media if its your
terrorist plotting you are trying to wipe now.

Even cutting up the media wont save your
bacon if the feds really want to **** you over.

Kevin H wrote
WeeBob wrote

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty
nasty smells which could draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

I took a sledgehammer to the last HDDs I took down the tip. I'm sure
using this on your unwanted media would deliver the same outcome.

No it doesnt with backup tapes and floppys.

On 07/09/2018 07:14, WeeBob wrote:
After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Ta


The tapes - pull them out of the cassettes, tangle them all up, and cut
them a few times.

The discs - take them out of their plastic housings and cut them in half.

That will thwart any casual nosiness.

WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

Floppies: if you still have a drive you could use a secure
overwrite utility. In reality, simply open the case and chop them
in half, which would defeat any casual reading attempt.

I had a batch of tapes which I unwound and looped between a
couple of door handles, gave a tug to stretch them, and cut them
into short sections. I don't think anybody would be sufficiently
interested to expend the necessary resource to reconstruct them.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Plant amazing Acers.

In article ,
Chris J Dixon wrote:
WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

Floppies: if you still have a drive you could use a secure
overwrite utility. In reality, simply open the case and chop them
in half, which would defeat any casual reading attempt.

I had a batch of tapes which I unwound and looped between a
couple of door handles, gave a tug to stretch them, and cut them
into short sections. I don't think anybody would be sufficiently
interested to expend the necessary resource to reconstruct them.

I've dismanted hard drives - removed the disc and bent it with a vice and
hammer. Not6 much cance of it being read.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

On 07/09/18 07:14, WeeBob wrote:
After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Ta

Do you honestly think anyone gives a ****?

Take em to the council tip and throw them in the landfill hopper.


--
No Apple devices were knowingly used in the preparation of this post.

"charles" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Chris J Dixon wrote:
WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

Floppies: if you still have a drive you could use a secure
overwrite utility. In reality, simply open the case and chop them
in half, which would defeat any casual reading attempt.

I had a batch of tapes which I unwound and looped between a
couple of door handles, gave a tug to stretch them, and cut them
into short sections. I don't think anybody would be sufficiently
interested to expend the necessary resource to reconstruct them.

I've dismanted hard drives - removed the disc and bent it with a vice and
hammer. Not6 much cance of it being read.

Pointless given that a full wipe will work just as well.
And that’s just as true of backup tapes and floppies
if they still work.

On 07/09/2018 07:14, WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

5.25" floppies will go through a paper shredder...

Tapes in a cartridge, cut through them with a jigsaw. You could probably
do the same with open real tapes as well.

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Or grab a magnetic bulk eraser from ebay if you have lots to do.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 07/09/18 10:39, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/09/2018 07:14, WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

5.25" floppies will go through a paper shredder...

Tapes in a cartridge, cut through them with a jigsaw. You could probably
do the same with open real tapes as well.

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Or grab a magnetic bulk eraser from ebay if you have lots to do.



Indeed. I think you can make one out of old bits of transformer too.





--
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on
its shoes.

On Fri, 7 Sep 2018 16:55:06 +1000, cantankerous senile geezer Rot Speed
blabbered, again:

FUSH yet more of the usual senile ****

--
Richard addressing Rot Speed:
"**** you're thick/pathetic excuse for a troll."
MID:

On Fri, 7 Sep 2018 16:57:07 +1000, cantankerous senile geezer Rot Speed
blabbered, again:


Any ideas?

I took a sledgehammer to the last HDDs I took down the tip. I'm sure
using this on your unwanted media would deliver the same outcome.

No

LOL Mr Know-it-all knows it all better! ALWAYS!

--
Richard addressing Rot Speed:
"**** you're thick/pathetic excuse for a troll."
MID:

In article , Rod Speed
wrote:


"charles" wrote in message
...
In article , Chris J Dixon
wrote:
WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes
and floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered
unreadable?

Floppies: if you still have a drive you could use a secure overwrite
utility. In reality, simply open the case and chop them in half, which
would defeat any casual reading attempt.

I had a batch of tapes which I unwound and looped between a couple of
door handles, gave a tug to stretch them, and cut them into short
sections. I don't think anybody would be sufficiently interested to
expend the necessary resource to reconstruct them.

I've dismanted hard drives - removed the disc and bent it with a vice
and hammer. Not6 much cance of it being read.

Pointless given that a full wipe will work just as well. And that’s just
as true of backup tapes and floppies if they still work.

but when the computer has dies, a full wipe isn't possible.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

On Fri, 7 Sep 2018 07:14:18 +0100, WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

With the floppies it should be no problem to remove them from their cases
and either cut them with a scissor or, better, put them in a standard
shredder. Afterwards I'd just mix the bits and dispose of them by and by
(not in one batch, if it's REALLY important stuff).

On Friday, 7 September 2018 07:14:18 UTC+1, WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Ta

Floppies: cut, melt or burn. Overwriting is far too slow, erasing doesn't erase the data, just marks it as empty. I've not tried mcirowaving floppies.
CD: seconds in the microwave, or break them up (more work).
Cassette: erase & re-use. Or melt, burn or saw them. Not tried microwave.
HDD: physically break the platter, bend, shatter or badly damage the surface eg by driving over it on hard paving.
Paper tape: burn
Open reel: erase (slow) or bulk erase (fast) & re-use. A saw is slow & messy. Melting is another slow option.


I've little doubt that spooks either will or already have produced something that can read any surviving segments on broken media. But in 99.999% of cases no-one has any interest in your data but you. OTOH I can iamgine a future scenario that might change that, and the media will likely survive your entire life if not destroyed.


NT

On Fri, 07 Sep 2018 11:31:27 +0100, charles wrote:

I've dismanted hard drives - removed the disc and bent it with a vice
and hammer. Not6 much cance of it being read.

Pointless given that a full wipe will work just as well. And that’s just
as true of backup tapes and floppies if they still work.

but when the computer has dies, a full wipe isn't possible.

I wonder with what kind of contradictory ****, the senile oaf will come up
with this time. LOL

wrote in message
...
On Friday, 7 September 2018 07:14:18 UTC+1, WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Ta

Floppies: cut, melt or burn. Overwriting is far too slow, erasing doesn't
erase the data, just marks it as empty. I've not tried mcirowaving
floppies.
CD: seconds in the microwave, or break them up (more work).
Cassette: erase & re-use. Or melt, burn or saw them. Not tried microwave.
HDD: physically break the platter, bend, shatter or badly damage the
surface eg by driving over it on hard paving.
Paper tape: burn
Open reel: erase (slow) or bulk erase (fast) & re-use. A saw is slow &
messy. Melting is another slow option.


I've little doubt that spooks either will or already have produced
something that can read any surviving segments on broken media. But in
99.999% of cases no-one has any interest in your data but you. OTOH I can
iamgine a future scenario that might change that, and the media will
likely survive your entire life if not destroyed.


I remember reading somewhere that the MOD standard for destruction of HDDs
is to shave the oxide off the platters. Not only that, but the MOD want the
oxide back in a plastic bag, which conjures up the mental image of them
being afraid of someone laboriously re-assembling the individual specks of
oxide dust in the correct place on the platter :-)


For destruction of data on an HDD, even creation of a new replacement
partition and reformatting will probably deter casual thieves, though I
wonder how many of them nowadays have developed forensic level skills to get
round quick fixes like that.

You can't beat a six-inch nail driven through the casing and the platters
into a block of wood on the other side. Would a vehicle with normal inflated
tyres being driven over the disk on a hard surface be enough to damage the
platters or bearings enough. Maybe you need something with solid tyres - a
tank or a railway locomotive :-)

On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:26:15 UTC+1, NY wrote:


For destruction of data on an HDD,

Install windows ;-)

On 07/09/2018 07:14, WeeBob wrote:
After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Ta


The fact that few people under 30 will even know what they are and
most computers now won't even read them, renders them artifacts.

Just chuck them in the general waste.

If in doubt just cut or scratch them all.

On 07/09/2018 08:30, Chris J Dixon wrote:
Floppies: if you still have a drive you could use a secure
overwrite utility. In reality, simply open the case and chop them
in half, which would defeat any casual reading attempt.

Stack them like pancakes and drill through the (w)hole lot.

On 07/09/2018 11:28, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 7 Sep 2018 11:03:53 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

On 07/09/18 10:39, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/09/2018 07:14, WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

5.25" floppies will go through a paper shredder...

Tapes in a cartridge, cut through them with a jigsaw. You could probably
do the same with open real tapes as well.

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Or grab a magnetic bulk eraser from ebay if you have lots to do.



Indeed. I think you can make one out of old bits of transformer too.

Isn't a strong magnet sufficient, like one extracted from an old HDD?
Just rub it around over the outside of the tape cassette or CD.


Isn't there a powerful magnet inside every microwave ?.

On 07/09/18 07:14, WeeBob wrote:
After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?


Will it blend?

--
Adrian C

On 07/09/2018 12:09, wrote:

But in 99.999% of cases no-one has any interest in your data but you.

All you really need consider, is is it likely that there will be any
data recorded that would enable someone to commit identity theft, or
carry out a resonable impersonation of you? (e.g. to gain access to your
email account etc)

(even if it meant working through several levels of "low value"
information to trade it up to something of more value).

If the answer is "yes", then the value is equal to whatever you have in
the bank, plus whatever your credit rating allows you to borrow.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"charles" wrote in message
...
In article , Rod Speed
wrote:


"charles" wrote in message
...
In article , Chris J Dixon
wrote:
WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes
and floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered
unreadable?

Floppies: if you still have a drive you could use a secure overwrite
utility. In reality, simply open the case and chop them in half, which
would defeat any casual reading attempt.

I had a batch of tapes which I unwound and looped between a couple of
door handles, gave a tug to stretch them, and cut them into short
sections. I don't think anybody would be sufficiently interested to
expend the necessary resource to reconstruct them.

I've dismanted hard drives - removed the disc and bent it with a vice
and hammer. Not6 much cance of it being read.

Pointless given that a full wipe will work just as well. And that's just
as true of backup tapes and floppies if they still work.

but when the computer has dies, a full wipe isn't possible.

All you need is a working computer or drive docking station with hard
drives.

"Andrew" wrote in message
news
On 07/09/2018 11:28, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 7 Sep 2018 11:03:53 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

On 07/09/18 10:39, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/09/2018 07:14, WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered
unreadable?

5.25" floppies will go through a paper shredder...

Tapes in a cartridge, cut through them with a jigsaw. You could
probably
do the same with open real tapes as well.

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Or grab a magnetic bulk eraser from ebay if you have lots to do.



Indeed. I think you can make one out of old bits of transformer too.

Isn't a strong magnet sufficient, like one extracted from an old HDD?
Just rub it around over the outside of the tape cassette or CD.


Isn't there a powerful magnet inside every microwave ?.

Not in the sense that putting a floppy in one makes it unreadable.

On Sat, 8 Sep 2018 03:51:30 +1000, cantankerous senile geezer Rot Speed
blabbered, again:


but when the computer has dies, a full wipe isn't possible.

All you need is a working computer or drive docking station with hard
drives.

He talked about a computer that HAS died, senile wisenheimer!

--
Sqwertz to Rot Speed:
"This is just a hunch, but I'm betting you're kinda an argumentative
asshole.
MID:

Is the data, if that old of any value?
I'd tend to dissassemble the flopies and make them unusable the tapes
though often have a metal back plate but without the devices to play
them....
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"WeeBob" wrote in message
news
After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Ta

On 07/09/2018 07:14, WeeBob wrote:
After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered unreadable?

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Ta

Do you mean *real* floppies? Just put them through a shredder. If you
*really* need to destroy VHS type tapes, smash the box to free up the
spools and then cook them with a hot air gun or propane torch.

On 07/09/2018 13:46, Andrew wrote:
On 07/09/2018 11:28, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 7 Sep 2018 11:03:53 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

On 07/09/18 10:39, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/09/2018 07:14, WeeBob wrote:

After a major clearout I've got a box of old computer backup tapes and
floppy disks. Any suggestions as to how they may be rendered
unreadable?

5.25" floppies will go through a paper shredder...

Tapes in a cartridge, cut through them with a jigsaw. You could
probably
do the same with open real tapes as well.

I don't have an angle grinder.

Burning them would probably cause some pretty nasty smells which could
draw unwanted attention.

Any ideas?

Or grab a magnetic bulk eraser from ebay if you have lots to do.



Indeed. I think you can make one out of old bits of transformer too.

Isn't a strong magnet sufficient, like one extracted from an old HDD?
Just rub it around over the outside of the tape cassette or CD.


Isn't there a powerful magnet inside every microwave ?.

You could just microwave them until the tape goes soggy.

On 07/09/2018 18:51, Rod Speed wrote:
"charles" wrote in message
...
In article , Rod Speed
wrote:

Pointless given that a full wipe will work just as well. And that's just
as true of backup tapes and floppies if they still work.

but when the computer has dies, a full wipe isn't possible.

All you need is a working computer or drive docking station with hard
drives.

....compatible (PATA/SATA); right plugs/sockets for data and power; *and*
the HDD has to be working. Maybe it was removed as it was buggered.

--
Max Demian

On 07/09/18 18:28, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/09/2018 12:09, wrote:

But in 99.999% of cases no-one has any interest in your data but you.

All you really need consider, is is it likely that there will be any
data recorded that would enable someone to commit identity theft, or
carry out a resonable impersonation of you? (e.g. to gain access to your
email account etc)

Or blackmail you.

(even if it meant working through several levels of "low value"
information to trade it up to something of more value).

If the answer is "yes", then the value is equal to whatever you have in
the bank, plus whatever your credit rating allows you to borrow.




--
"A point of view can be a dangerous luxury when substituted for insight
and understanding".

Marshall McLuhan

On 2018-09-07 13:00, whisky-dave wrote:
On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:26:15 UTC+1, NY wrote:


For destruction of data on an HDD,

Install windows ;-)


Lol!

On 08/09/18 08:08, WeeBob wrote:
On 2018-09-07 13:00, whisky-dave wrote:
On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:26:15 UTC+1, NYÂ* wrote:

For destruction of data on an HDD,

Install windows ;-)


Lol!
actually for computers whose disk drives still function a live Linux
DVD/CD boot followed by a 'dd' command will, after an hour or so, have
erased the entire drive.



--
€œit should be clear by now to everyone that activist environmentalism
(or environmental activism) is becoming a general ideology about humans,
about their freedom, about the relationship between the individual and
the state, and about the manipulation of people under the guise of a
'noble' idea. It is not an honest pursuit of 'sustainable development,'
a matter of elementary environmental protection, or a search for
rational mechanisms designed to achieve a healthy environment. Yet
things do occur that make you shake your head and remind yourself that
you live neither in Joseph Stalins Communist era, nor in the Orwellian
utopia of 1984.€�

Vaclav Klaus

On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 10:56:51 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 08:08, WeeBob wrote:
On 2018-09-07 13:00, whisky-dave wrote:
On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:26:15 UTC+1, NYÂ* wrote:

For destruction of data on an HDD,

Install windows ;-)


Lol!
actually for computers whose disk drives still function a live Linux
DVD/CD boot followed by a 'dd' command will, after an hour or so, have
erased the entire drive.

Well, sort of. It has been shown that a determined forensic expert can
often still recover data.

--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 08/09/18 11:12, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 10:56:51 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 08:08, WeeBob wrote:
On 2018-09-07 13:00, whisky-dave wrote:
On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:26:15 UTC+1, NYÂ* wrote:

For destruction of data on an HDD,

Install windows ;-)


Lol!
actually for computers whose disk drives still function a live Linux
DVD/CD boot followed by a 'dd' command will, after an hour or so, have
erased the entire drive.

Well, sort of. It has been shown that a determined forensic expert can
often still recover data.


Well make it two hours and overwrite with another random pattern then.


The fact of the matter is that in practice that is MORE than good
enough. Only by - say - overwiting all 1s or all 0s can you preserve a
LITTLE information.

But if you are really worried about your data falling into the hands of
the NSA, you will alreday know this and be keeping it all on microfilm
anyway.






--
"Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They
always run out of other people's money. It's quite a characteristic of them"

Margaret Thatcher

On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 11:16:49 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 11:12, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 10:56:51 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 08:08, WeeBob wrote:
On 2018-09-07 13:00, whisky-dave wrote:
On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:26:15 UTC+1, NYÂ* wrote:

For destruction of data on an HDD,

Install windows ;-)


Lol!
actually for computers whose disk drives still function a live Linux
DVD/CD boot followed by a 'dd' command will, after an hour or so, have
erased the entire drive.

Well, sort of. It has been shown that a determined forensic expert can
often still recover data.


Well make it two hours and overwrite with another random pattern then.


The fact of the matter is that in practice that is MORE than good
enough. Only by - say - overwiting all 1s or all 0s can you preserve a
LITTLE information.

But if you are really worried about your data falling into the hands of
the NSA, you will alreday know this and be keeping it all on microfilm
anyway.

The edges of the tracks remain.



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

Bob Eager wrote:

On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 11:16:49 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 11:12, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 10:56:51 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 08:08, WeeBob wrote:
On 2018-09-07 13:00, whisky-dave wrote:
On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:26:15 UTC+1, NY wrote:

For destruction of data on an HDD,

Install windows ;-)


Lol!
actually for computers whose disk drives still function a live Linux
DVD/CD boot followed by a 'dd' command will, after an hour or so, have
erased the entire drive.

Well, sort of. It has been shown that a determined forensic expert can
often still recover data.


Well make it two hours and overwrite with another random pattern then.


The fact of the matter is that in practice that is MORE than good
enough. Only by - say - overwiting all 1s or all 0s can you preserve a
LITTLE information.

But if you are really worried about your data falling into the hands of
the NSA, you will alreday know this and be keeping it all on microfilm
anyway.

The edges of the tracks remain.

I'm not sure that is true with modern platter densities. I believe it
is much harder than it used to be.



--

Roger Hayter

On 08/09/2018 12:21, Roger Hayter wrote:
Bob Eager wrote:

On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 11:16:49 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 11:12, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 10:56:51 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 08:08, WeeBob wrote:
On 2018-09-07 13:00, whisky-dave wrote:
On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:26:15 UTC+1, NY wrote:

For destruction of data on an HDD,

Install windows ;-)


Lol!
actually for computers whose disk drives still function a live Linux
DVD/CD boot followed by a 'dd' command will, after an hour or so, have
erased the entire drive.

Well, sort of. It has been shown that a determined forensic expert can
often still recover data.


Well make it two hours and overwrite with another random pattern then.


The fact of the matter is that in practice that is MORE than good
enough. Only by - say - overwiting all 1s or all 0s can you preserve a
LITTLE information.

But if you are really worried about your data falling into the hands of
the NSA, you will alreday know this and be keeping it all on microfilm
anyway.

The edges of the tracks remain.

I'm not sure that is true with modern platter densities. I believe it
is much harder than it used to be.

I'm not so sure. The depth of a write into the disk and degree remanence
is dependent on the written pattern.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutmann_method

One thing we seem to forget is that many disk technologies can cope with
bad sectors, and these are put to one side and un-eraseable and remain
potentially readable.

On 08/09/18 12:07, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 11:16:49 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 11:12, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 08 Sep 2018 10:56:51 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/09/18 08:08, WeeBob wrote:
On 2018-09-07 13:00, whisky-dave wrote:
On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:26:15 UTC+1, NYÂ* wrote:

For destruction of data on an HDD,

Install windows ;-)


Lol!
actually for computers whose disk drives still function a live Linux
DVD/CD boot followed by a 'dd' command will, after an hour or so, have
erased the entire drive.

Well, sort of. It has been shown that a determined forensic expert can
often still recover data.


Well make it two hours and overwrite with another random pattern then.


The fact of the matter is that in practice that is MORE than good
enough. Only by - say - overwiting all 1s or all 0s can you preserve a
LITTLE information.

But if you are really worried about your data falling into the hands of
the NSA, you will alreday know this and be keeping it all on microfilm
anyway.

The edges of the tracks remain.


So which PARTICULAR piece of data of the 10,000 written to that sector
do they preserve?

Get real.




--
"And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch".

Gospel of St. Mathew 15:14