| Author |
Message |
Greysky
Guest
|
 Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:58 am Post subject:
Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was still
under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to turn it into
a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I finally managed to
get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner platters. Someone told me a
Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on the cover plate - they were wrong.
I had to drill them off. Now, I need to know a sure fire way of wiping data
off the platters for good. The machine died before I could erase it inside
the computer, so far I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped
directly onto the platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you think
this is enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for the
kids. Thanks.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Ian Stirling
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 4:04 am Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
Greysky <greyskynospam@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
| Quote: | I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was still
under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to turn it into
a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I finally managed to
get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner platters. Someone told me a
Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on the cover plate - they were wrong.
|
Security torx probably.
| Quote: | I had to drill them off. Now, I need to know a sure fire way of wiping data
off the platters for good. The machine died before I could erase it inside
the computer, so far I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped
directly onto the platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you think
this is enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for the
|
Super magnets (AIUI) will not do a bulk erase od the disk.
Thermite works for me. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Adrian Jansen
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 4:31 am Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
Greysky wrote:
| Quote: | I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was still
under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to turn it into
a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I finally managed to
get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner platters. Someone told me a
Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on the cover plate - they were wrong.
I had to drill them off. Now, I need to know a sure fire way of wiping data
off the platters for good. The machine died before I could erase it inside
the computer, so far I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped
directly onto the platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you think
this is enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for the
kids. Thanks.
Surely the chances of it ever working again after being opened and |
having a few dirty fingers on the platters are negligible ? Who is ever
going to try ? After you finish the show and tell, just remove or break
a few chips on the controller board. This will ensure its pretty
inoperable.
--
Regards,
Adrian Jansen adrianjansen at internode dot on dot net
Design Engineer J & K Micro Systems
Microcomputer solutions for industrial control
Note reply address is invalid, convert address above to machine form.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jim Thompson
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 4:53 am Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 08:31:51 +1000, Adrian Jansen <adrian@qq.vv.net>
wrote:
| Quote: | Greysky wrote:
I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was still
under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to turn it into
a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I finally managed to
get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner platters. Someone told me a
Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on the cover plate - they were wrong.
I had to drill them off. Now, I need to know a sure fire way of wiping data
off the platters for good. The machine died before I could erase it inside
the computer, so far I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped
directly onto the platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you think
this is enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for the
kids. Thanks.
Surely the chances of it ever working again after being opened and
having a few dirty fingers on the platters are negligible ? Who is ever
going to try ? After you finish the show and tell, just remove or break
a few chips on the controller board. This will ensure its pretty
inoperable.
|
Maxtor's data recovery service routinely changes out the controller
board. To remove data just use an AC electromagnet.
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
John Larkin
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 6:11 am Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 20:58:03 GMT, "Greysky"
<greyskynospam@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
| Quote: | I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was still
under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to turn it into
a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I finally managed to
get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner platters. Someone told me a
Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on the cover plate - they were wrong.
I had to drill them off. Now, I need to know a sure fire way of wiping data
off the platters for good. The machine died before I could erase it inside
the computer, so far I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped
directly onto the platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you think
this is enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for the
kids. Thanks.
|
Just bend the platters a tiny bit.
What's on them, anyhow?
John |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DaveC
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 6:11 am Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
"Greysky" <greyskynospam@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
news:vVPOd.2918$lz5.94@newssvr24.news.prodigy.net:
| Quote: | I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was
still under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to
turn it into a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I
finally managed to get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner
platters. Someone told me a Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on
the cover plate - they were wrong. I had to drill them off. Now, I
need to know a sure fire way of wiping data off the platters for good.
The machine died before I could erase it inside the computer, so far
I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped directly onto the
platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you think this is
enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for
the kids. Thanks.
|
You must work for some sort of top-secret government agency. But spy's
are everywhere in elementary school. Can't be too careful.
DaveC
----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guy Macon
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 6:11 am Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
Jim Thompson wrote:
| Quote: | To remove data just use an AC electromagnet.
|
Radio shack sells a powerful one, cheap. Get the videotape
eraser, not the weaker audiontape eraser. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guy Macon
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 6:11 am Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
Adrian Jansen wrote:
| Quote: | Surely the chances of it ever working again after being opened and
having a few dirty fingers on the platters are negligible ?
Who is ever going to try ?
|
That would be me.
2ea 520MB western digital drives. Standard office environment,
drive cover removed, running DOS scandisk in a looping bat file.
First drive lasted 8 hours. Second drive lasted 4 hours.
I expect that even a simple dust cover would extend this time,
and that a newer, higher capacity drive would crash sooner. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mac
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:35 pm Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 20:58:03 +0000, Greysky wrote:
| Quote: | I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was still
under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to turn it into
a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I finally managed to
get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner platters. Someone told me a
Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on the cover plate - they were wrong.
I had to drill them off. Now, I need to know a sure fire way of wiping data
off the platters for good. The machine died before I could erase it inside
the computer, so far I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped
directly onto the platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you think
this is enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for the
kids. Thanks.
|
I don't have any practical experience with this, but IIRC, there is a
temperature above which magnetic materials become very free to realign
their magnetic polarity. This temperature is called the Curie temperature
or Curie point, I think.
So, if you heat the disk material above its Curie point in the presence
of a strong magnetic field (electro-magnet, maybe?) you should effectively
render the disk unreadable.
Good luck!
--Mac |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Paul Burke
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:51 pm Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
Mac wrote:
| Quote: |
there is a
temperature above which magnetic materials become very free to realign
their magnetic polarity. This temperature is called the Curie temperature
or Curie point, I think.
|
There are various Curie points, graded from korma to vindaloo.
Paul Burke |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Paul ( Skiing8 )
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:22 pm Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
"John Larkin" <jjlarkin@highSNIPlandTHIStechPLEASEnology.com> wrote in
message news:1i2o01ldnhn3e5d2pu30hno7rpdkvep2ks@4ax.com...
| Quote: | On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 20:58:03 GMT, "Greysky"
greyskynospam@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was still
under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to turn it
into
a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I finally managed
to
get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner platters. Someone told me
a
Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on the cover plate - they were
wrong.
I had to drill them off. Now, I need to know a sure fire way of wiping
data
off the platters for good. The machine died before I could erase it
inside
the computer, so far I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped
directly onto the platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you
think
this is enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for
the
kids. Thanks.
Just bend the platters a tiny bit.
What's on them, anyhow?
John
|
be carefull, we had a drive and when we removed the cover and was in the
process of messing around with it the platter just shattered into a load of
shards, it was like glass. Sonds strange I know but thats exactly what it
was like
Paul |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
doreme
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:49 pm Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
"Paul Burke" <paul@scazon.com> wrote in message
news:373afuF59il66U3@individual.net...
| Quote: | Mac wrote:
there is a
temperature above which magnetic materials become very free to realign
their magnetic polarity. This temperature is called the Curie
temperature
or Curie point, I think.
There are various Curie points, graded from korma to vindaloo.
Paul Burke
|
Think the Magdras point is what you need. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Alan Turner
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 7:56 pm Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
Hello,
On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 09:22:32 +0000, Paul ( Skiing8 ) wrote:
| Quote: |
be carefull, we had a drive and when we removed the cover and was in the
process of messing around with it the platter just shattered into a load of
shards, it was like glass. Sonds strange I know but thats exactly what it
was like
Paul
|
The platters on some newer hard disks are made of glass. I believe the
later IBM DeskStar* (tm) series were among the first to have glass
platters. I'm not sure what the advantage is to glass, but I'd certainly
like to take one apart and have a look!
* Sometimes referred to as "DeathStar" due to reliability issues. I've not
had any trouble with the DeskStar disks I've used. Lucky me!
Regards,
Alan
--
Alan R. Turner | Live never to be ashamed of anything you do or say.
To reply by email, remove Mr Blobby. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Keith Williams
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 8:07 pm Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
In article <cuhtl3$k7p$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk>, "Paul \( Skiing8
\)" <skiing@dodgit.com> says...
| Quote: | "John Larkin" <jjlarkin@highSNIPlandTHIStechPLEASEnology.com> wrote in
message news:1i2o01ldnhn3e5d2pu30hno7rpdkvep2ks@4ax.com...
On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 20:58:03 GMT, "Greysky"
greyskynospam@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was still
under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to turn it
into
a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I finally managed
to
get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner platters. Someone told me
a
Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on the cover plate - they were
wrong.
I had to drill them off. Now, I need to know a sure fire way of wiping
data
off the platters for good. The machine died before I could erase it
inside
the computer, so far I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped
directly onto the platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you
think
this is enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for
the
kids. Thanks.
Just bend the platters a tiny bit.
What's on them, anyhow?
John
be carefull, we had a drive and when we removed the cover and was in the
process of messing around with it the platter just shattered into a load of
shards, it was like glass. Sonds strange I know but thats exactly what it
was like
Probably because that what it was. |
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/library/whitepap/glassdisk/whiteglass.htm
--
Keith |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Al
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Feb 11, 2005 8:20 pm Post subject:
Re: Ways to *REALLY* erase a hard drive? |
|
|
In article <vVPOd.2918$lz5.94@newssvr24.news.prodigy.net>,
"Greysky" <greyskynospam@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
| Quote: | I recently had a 80 gig Maxtor hard drive die on me. Though it was still
under warranty (just) I decided a much better use for it was to turn it into
a show-and-tell for the local elementary school kids. I finally managed to
get the cover off the thing, exposing the inner platters. Someone told me a
Torx 10 would fit those crazy screws on the cover plate - they were wrong.
I had to drill them off. Now, I need to know a sure fire way of wiping data
off the platters for good. The machine died before I could erase it inside
the computer, so far I have a bunch of 'super magnets' which I dropped
directly onto the platters and let them stay there overnight. Do you think
this is enough? I would like to get them as deleted as I can possibly get
them, but still be able to use the drive as a demonstration device for the
kids. Thanks.
|
Years ago, when reel-to-reel tape recorders were popular, there was a
gadget called a bulk reel eraser. It completely wiped any information on
the tapes. In essence it was just a giant electromagent that ran on AC.
The fluctuating magnet field was suffiecient to totally erase the
information and not leave a magnetic bias on the magnetic medium. If you
can find one, you might be able to build one easily from a discarded
tranformer.
Yes, and most of the screws are Torx. But they are also held in with a
drop of some sort of glue to prevent their backing out. I've extracted
platters from dozens of drives which I got at our town's recycling
center. I do it mainly for the magnets. And the platters make neat
coasters for your drinks ;-)
Al |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Memberlist
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in