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Some hard drive manufacturers have a low level format utility. Here are some links for you to try:Quote:
i'm gonna bug you one last time and ask, how difficuly is a low-level format and plz tell me i can mess around with it for free =P
Maxtor: http://asia.cnet.com/downloads/pc/sw...077366s,00.htm
Western Digital: http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp
and they are free. Regarding the old hard drives, it's amazing what you can find on old HDD's :)
regards
albn
mmmm, zero byte rewrites and a magnet can be your friend :)
I usually just make an electromagnet that I stick on the drive for a while before I get rid of it. There is no way to recover it, we have even sent them off to a few different recovery places that have been unsuccessful.
El Diablo
This has happened plently of times before. When the dot.com's started going out, people were buying up all their computers in auctions and there were plenty of stories about people getting hard drives that were not even formatted. Some came with HR data including Social Security numbers and everything! That is scary, just imagine the potential for fraud!
Story http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/12612.html
Hm, what can we call it? If there is no new name for it, I propose paperless dumpster diving.Quote:
That is scary, just imagine the potential for fraud!
Seriously, it is indeed very scary stuff. When we enter data into a web site, or when somebody stores your critical data, companies and g'vt agencies promises to potect your data from intrusion, what they do with it, how they deal with it and all kinds of things, but maybe we should know what precautions they take to make sure your data is GONE when they upgrade or go defunct.
I have no idea if that will ever take place though.
I've thought of experimenting with a home built overwrite utitlity. I know the data is not gone completley until overwritten. I've thought of something to the effect of
//psedo code
open file(for write)
while (1)
{write (one char to file)
if write fail then exit
close file
open file(for write)
}
unlink file(the one open for write)
while (1)
{write (one different char to file)
if write fail then exit
close file
open file(for write)
}
unlink file(the one open for write)
It would over write every sector of the disk with new data -but it is a very expensive operation many read/writes. The open close is done to ensure the data is written to file and not stored in a buffer (had problems w/that in the past but there is probaly a better solution). I would do it in C but its not a challenge and I have better solutions -ie evidence elimanator.
Cheers,
-D
Interesting freeware eraser
http://www.tolvanen.com/eraser/
Lets you select files or do all free space, has a choice of 4 overwrite modes, including two that meet different DoD standards. Development on this program has stopped with the current version, so I don't know how much longer it will be available at the above address.
The SuperGee software from 12Ghosts is pretty cool too. I have used that to good success also.
Still a big ole magnet can be your friend.
Ibaedoc
Commercial data recovery specialists are very good these days. I ran across this "Hall of Fame" of damaged drives for a company called DriveSavers:
http://www.drivesavers.com/museum/museuma.html
Edit:
Just sent an email to the data recovery engineers at DriveSavers in the hopes of getting some real information about today's capabilities. Didn't get much out of him, but here's the whole transaction:
Quote:
>>Hello!
>>
>> A friend and I are having a debate, and it would be great if I
>>could have your input. He wants to sell several old harddrives he
>>has around on Ebay, and he insists that formatting each drive as
>>"ext3" will effectively destroy any possibility of recovery for the
>>previously saved data. I insist that there is very little you can
>>do to a hard drive these days that would successfully protect your
>>data short of destroying it. He's confident, but a little worried
>>since we read the news the other day:
>>
>>http://news.com.com/2100-1040-980824.html
>>
>> Would you mind shedding some light on the capabilities of
>>modern data recovery?
>>
>> --Roswell
Roswell,
You need to low level format the drive if it is SCSI (using the BIOS
util from your SCSI host bus adapter) or if the drive is ATA, then
you need to run a program that will absolutely overwrite every
physical sector, (not cluster or allocation block) with an ASCII/Hex
pattern that overwrites all previous data on all sectors. Wipe Info
and other programs can do that for you.
I am not sure if an ext3 file system format will satisfy these needs
in its default. The BEST thing to do would be to degauss the drive
magnetically, which is a service that we provide here or you may find
elsewhere. Hope that helps!
Thank you,
xxxxx
Data Recovery Engineer
I just wrap a big-ol wopping load of isulated wire around it and stick it (and a big resistor) in the mains...nice alternating currents....]
althoug my parents have often wonderd why the lights flicker on and off when ever I'm about to build a box for sale. (he he)...
That really is scary though......why don't people delete the files and remove everyhting on the HD, at least the common public wont get theyr grubby hands on it, fraud, ID theft and all that is getting rather out of hand with computers in place.... <schudder>
ok..I'm off to bed....
- Noia