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We actually just physically destroy our hard drives, and then we know that the data can't be accessed.
Using a hammer to destroy hard drives is fun and a great way to burn off some stress. Nothing better than taking something bright and shiny and making it into nice little bits!
I like using my splitting maul. Put the drive on a chopping block and a 15 lb maul does a wonderful job of relieving past stress.
We do too. Don't mind the rest of the chassis going to a good cause, but the HDD gets shredded, and I get a certificate - and a little bag of the chipped drive - to prove it's been done.
Some programs might ruin only on that old computer.In the future you'll need that one.Put them in plastic bags and store them away.It might be the same for replaced parts.That box is filled with CD writers that went bad.I'm not too sure that hard drive erasing is enough.I suspect that the CPU might hold a recording of everything that was ever done in the computer.
The CPU doesn't hold a recording. Not sure what the rest of your response means. I don't think that it is in response to the actual article.
Just have a vm for any old programs that don't run - or find a newer alternative that will probably do more too (not always applicable). As for the CPU holding a recording, it doesn't so there's no need to worry. Wiping the drive to the relevent government standard will be fine, possibly even overkill.
Good article and very necessary too.
Something on similar lines that I wrote on my blog few days back. http://www.vishalvasu.com/how-to-completely-erase-a-hard-disk/. Sharing it here for everyone.
Something on similar lines that I wrote on my blog few days back. http://www.vishalvasu.com/how-to-completely-erase-a-hard-disk/. Sharing it here for everyone.
You make no mention of HPA
When the police raid suspected criminals (for any type of crime), they are always seen carrying out the residents PCs and hard drives.
When the police raid suspected criminals (for any type of crime), they are always seen carrying out the residents PCs and hard drives.
Toshiba doesn't provides any utilities.
Don't forget to look in the copier's tray for last copied pages.
On the old computers remember to check the DVD and CD drives for the last run media. All the clean up may cost but if your company is not careful on the disposal end they may have wasted all the money spent on security end.
On the old computers remember to check the DVD and CD drives for the last run media. All the clean up may cost but if your company is not careful on the disposal end they may have wasted all the money spent on security end.
and the disk as nice little round mirror for feng shui. So no problem about retrieving old datas.
Not just pretty shiny discs, they also "ting" sweetly. You have to be a bit creative about how to hang them without making an awful ugly contraption that your wife / GF won't have around the house tho' 
DBAN stands for "DARIK'S Boot And Nuke", not "DISK Boot and Nuke". (http://www.dban.org/download)
I have been using it over one decade.... If I were Darik, I would not be too happy about being left out of the title, especially after all the hard work he has put into such an awesome disk wiping software....
I have been using it over one decade.... If I were Darik, I would not be too happy about being left out of the title, especially after all the hard work he has put into such an awesome disk wiping software....
We have a VHS tape degausser that works fine.
Shaped like a small iron, 2-5 seconds near a drive, all done.
Of course the drive needs a deep level format to use again.
Shaped like a small iron, 2-5 seconds near a drive, all done.
Of course the drive needs a deep level format to use again.
Make sure to get to those copiers before they take them out of the building.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC38D5am7go&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC38D5am7go&feature=player_embedded
HDDErase by the Center for Magnetic Recording Research (CMRR) utilizes the secure erase command which has been built in to the firmwware of every ATA drive for the last 10 years.
An interesting PDF file available on the site reviews the various methods of erasing hard drives, and states that using the ATA firmware's built-in secure erase command is much more secure than programs that use DoD 5220 Block Erase (which would include most secure erase programs out there). It also runs much faster than block erase programs.
It requires you to make a bootable DOS floppy or CD and run the HDDErase program under DOS.
CMRR is located at the University of California - San Diego, and apparantly received funding from the National Security Agency to research this issue and deveop the program. The Readme file states that NSA support has ended, so I don't know if the program will be further updated (latest version is from 2008).
http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml
-Michael
An interesting PDF file available on the site reviews the various methods of erasing hard drives, and states that using the ATA firmware's built-in secure erase command is much more secure than programs that use DoD 5220 Block Erase (which would include most secure erase programs out there). It also runs much faster than block erase programs.
It requires you to make a bootable DOS floppy or CD and run the HDDErase program under DOS.
CMRR is located at the University of California - San Diego, and apparantly received funding from the National Security Agency to research this issue and deveop the program. The Readme file states that NSA support has ended, so I don't know if the program will be further updated (latest version is from 2008).
http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml
-Michael
If you have sensitive stuff on a unit, pull the drives and physically destroy them. They just don't cost that much even with today's temporarily elevated prices.
Otherwise, remember the old song, 'Fdisk, Format, Reinstall'? Still good advice - but one step further, reinstall with UBUNTU Linux. The receiver will get a top OS complete with a full set of programs & utilities that are NOT your licensed versions. All this at virtually no cost. Best wishes.
Otherwise, remember the old song, 'Fdisk, Format, Reinstall'? Still good advice - but one step further, reinstall with UBUNTU Linux. The receiver will get a top OS complete with a full set of programs & utilities that are NOT your licensed versions. All this at virtually no cost. Best wishes.
Of course there will be companies that insist on donating computers. Years ago (around 2000) a guy at our church got a "generous" donation of 10 out-of-service computers from a local company.
We found out it was far from generosity. For accounting purposes the computers had been fully depreciated, which meant they had $0 value on the books. Of course, they had wiped the disks, which meant no operating system. Plus, the equipment was more than 3 years old and hence anemic by the standards of the day. (Granted, today even a 5-year old computer can handle most users' needs.) It would have cost us about $200 PER MACHINE to install Windows. The church wound up simply junking the machines.
What we realized was that rather than paying someone to come and take the computers, they just put them in a storage room, knowing that (as a fairly big company) sooner or later someone would ask for a charity donation. They could "generously" donate TEN computers rather than pay ANY money. The recipient would put in the necessary time and expense to cart off the computers. Either some volunteer would (illegally) install one copy of Windows on all 10 computers or the computers would end up junked. Either way, the company would get rid of the computers, look like "a good corporate citizen" and it wouldn't cost them ANYTHING.
(Back then, using Linux really wasn't an option. Aside from the fact that it "wasn't ready for prime time", equipment (among other things) at churches and many charities is often installed and maintained by volunteers with very limited tech knowledge.)
We found out it was far from generosity. For accounting purposes the computers had been fully depreciated, which meant they had $0 value on the books. Of course, they had wiped the disks, which meant no operating system. Plus, the equipment was more than 3 years old and hence anemic by the standards of the day. (Granted, today even a 5-year old computer can handle most users' needs.) It would have cost us about $200 PER MACHINE to install Windows. The church wound up simply junking the machines.
What we realized was that rather than paying someone to come and take the computers, they just put them in a storage room, knowing that (as a fairly big company) sooner or later someone would ask for a charity donation. They could "generously" donate TEN computers rather than pay ANY money. The recipient would put in the necessary time and expense to cart off the computers. Either some volunteer would (illegally) install one copy of Windows on all 10 computers or the computers would end up junked. Either way, the company would get rid of the computers, look like "a good corporate citizen" and it wouldn't cost them ANYTHING.
(Back then, using Linux really wasn't an option. Aside from the fact that it "wasn't ready for prime time", equipment (among other things) at churches and many charities is often installed and maintained by volunteers with very limited tech knowledge.)
With today's cost for hard drives (specially before the floods in Thailand), physically destroying the old ones and getting new ones is like buying cheap insurance.
How do we do it? We melt the plates with a torch; of course we use safety masks to avoid the fumes. Overkill? Sure, but completely secure also.
How do we do it? We melt the plates with a torch; of course we use safety masks to avoid the fumes. Overkill? Sure, but completely secure also.
http://dougvitale.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/dariks-boot-and-nuke/
Explains the differences between the different wipe methods.
Explains the differences between the different wipe methods.
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