Palindrome wrote in
news:YySBj.31251$FE.7874@fe05.news.easynews.com:
> bealoid wrote:
>> Palindrome wrote in news:F%NBj.18028$se7.16142
>> @fe11.news.easynews.com:
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>>> Depending on the value of the old hard disk, either stick it under
>>> the bench drill or wipe it using at least two different secure erase
>>> methods.
>>
>> One single overwrite of all zeros will render the disk unreadable to
>> anyone, including well funded law enforcement officials.
>>
>> Paranoid types, worried about government agencies or alien
>> technology, could do several over-writes using pseudo random data.
>>
>
> I well remember one utility provided by DEC, a mainstream company at
> the time, that reported "Completed -OK". But had, in fact, not
> over-written a single byte.
Okay, I should mention I'm talking about modern disks - anything since
about 1995.
> Plus very many other promises of functionality by software houses,
> that haven't proven to be justified.
>
> Since then I haven't trusted any software that I haven't written
> myself, in assembler..
>
> So the "two different secure erase methods" wasn't because one
> wouldn't do, it was lack of trust of other people's software. With any
> luck, they both won't fail - at least won't both fail in the same way
> and without warnings.
Fair enough, and a good point.
I should imagine that DBAN (open source) and something like "Data Erase"
in the ATA specs should suffice for anyone, no? |