Re: How do you erase deleted files ?

On Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:29:08 -0800, El Castor <No_One@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:55:33 -0800, Islander <nospam@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

mg wrote:
On Feb 7, 5:06 am, Gary <n...@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
I'm thinking about giving an old computer to a young great-niece (12).
Trouble is that over the years I may have had files on it that I would
not want her to see. Bank accounts, stock accounts, passwords, etc.
(posts to usenet:) All that stuff has been deleted but I understand
that deleted files can be recovered. Is there a program -- or any
way to permanently erase deleted files ?

I, personally, don't put anything on my computer that I don't want
others to see because I figure there is probably malware out there
that could read your hard drive(s) off the internet anyway.

However, the question depends on how paranoid you are. If you're just
a little bit worried, I would use the Windows (non-quick) format
option -- maybe do it a couple of times. I'll bet it would costs
thousands, if not tens of thousands, to recover data from a hard drive
that has been reformatted this way.

If you want more security than that there's a free program called
Active@ Kill Disk that's probably pretty safe for erasing your hard
drive data. I would guess the free version would be very safe,
especially if you had the patience to run it a dozen times.

For even more security, get the US Department of Defense 5220.22 M
compliant version. It costs $39.95 to $59.95 depending on what version
you buy.
http://www.killdisk.com/orderform.htm

Then finally, if you are totally paranoid, you can physically destroy
the disk and then maybe put the parts in different garbage cans. Or,
you could cut it into a couple dozen parts and then take the parts to
an airport and try to get people to take them to foreign countries and
then throw them away :-) Or, if you are really into the physical
destruction thing, there's some tips at the following website:
http://www.boydcreative.net/1/5-ways-to-destroy-your-hard-drive/

Reminds me of the time of the Pueblo capture by the North Koreans.
There was a lot of interest at the time in quick destruct techniques for
classified hardware. One project attempted to package classified chips
with a thermite armed lid. They had a very difficult time finding a
contractor who would agree to package chips for them!

I applied for a patent back then which was a data safe. Pull the handle
and it would automatically destroy any data within. Completely tamper
proof. As it turned out a very similar approach was already patented
for the safeguard of nuclear warhead arming circuitry. Nice to know
that they are protecting that stuff!

For all practical purposes, it is sufficient to use any of the software
that overwrites the disk with random data several times. Seven seems to
be a popular recommendation.

Why destroy a perfectly good disk?

The DOD requirement to "sanitize" a magnetic disk is three passes,
"first time with a character, second time with its complement, and the
third time with a random character." Admittedly, disks which have been
cleared are required to remain at their previous level of
classification, but that appears to be out of concern that some truly
diabolical method of data recovery might be invented in the future --
or for the reason mentioned in the following paragraph.
http://www.qsgi.com/usdod_standard_dod_522022m.htm

Here is a blogger who discusses the issue at length and concludes that
one pass is quite sufficient, with the proviso that data in bad
sectors would be retained in any overwrite since the drives own
mechanism would be incapable of writing to those areas.
http://xytron.co.uk/blog/2008/07/03/peter-guttmann-overwrites-and-dod-security/

With regard to destroying a "perfectly good disk", I can think of a
very good reason. Any drive old enough to be retired to a 12 year old
kid is probably 4 or 5 years old. Despite what manufacturers claim, it
has probably reached the end of it's reliable life span, and it's time
for the axe -- or my favorite, a hardened steel nail set and a ball
peen hammer.



To clear magnetic disks, overwrite all locations three (3) times
(first time with a character, second time with its complement, and the
third time with a random character). Items which have been cleared
must remain at the previous level of classification and remain in a
secure, controlled environment.

3. Sanitizing Media. Sanitization removes information from media such
that data recovery using any known technique or analysis is prevented.
Sanitizing is a two-step process that includes removing data from the
media in accordance with Table 3 and removing all classified labels,
markings, and activity logs.
Were I giving a computer to someone important to me, especially
knowing their computer literacy is very low; I'd just buy a new hard
drive. it is not just data integrity, it is also life of their
computer. Of all the things I've had go on computers, hard drives
lead the list. Especially in a very old computer, that disk has been
worked like a dog.

I lost a 500GB disk a while back. One I used to download movies and
such and know the frustration of losing it all. I was very luck and
had backed up everything important. I did lose a couple dozen or so
movies, but they are regularly reposted in binary groups anyway. Were
that disk on a computer a gave a niece or nephew and it died with all
their homework and such, they would be screwed.

I can replace it for 50-80 bucks.
.

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