Wiping a drive

Can anyone comment on whether the software from a drive mfgr. that writes
zeros to the drive is sufficient and secure when transfering the drive ?
TIA.

Personally, I'd recommend that if it worries you enough to wipe the drive,
you should remove and physically destroy the drive. Even "wiped" drives can
have data recovered from them, if anyone cares enough to spend the time and
money to do it.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] rgharper@gmail.com
* NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"Wonderman" <nospamidainc@cox.net> wrote in message
news:uGTHdBGDIHA.5208@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Can anyone comment on whether the software from a drive mfgr. that writes
> zeros to the drive is sufficient and secure when transfering the drive ?
> TIA.

-Some machines can recover data that's been written over only one or two
times, however. That's where secure delete standards, such as the
Department of Defense 5220.22-M, come in. According to this
specification, overwriting the drive sectors three times with specific,
different characters constitutes one pass. Many experts recommend seven
such passes to render the data completely unrecoverable. But reading
data that has been overwritten by even the simplest shredders requires
expensive hardware, so unless you're worried about professional sleuths,
such thorough overwriting probably isn't necessary.-


--
sosrandom

I just want to make it really hard and expensive for the casual pair of
prying eyes to take a look. Thank you both.


"sosrandom" <sosrandom.2ybkp6@no-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:sosrandom.2ybkp6@no-mx.forums.net...
>
> -Some machines can recover data that's been written over only one or two
> times, however. That's where secure delete standards, such as the
> Department of Defense 5220.22-M, come in. According to this
> specification, overwriting the drive sectors three times with specific,
> different characters constitutes one pass. Many experts recommend seven
> such passes to render the data completely unrecoverable. But reading
> data that has been overwritten by even the simplest shredders requires
> expensive hardware, so unless you're worried about professional sleuths,
> such thorough overwriting probably isn't necessary.-
>
>
> --
> sosrandom

If every bit on the drive has been written to zero's! How is any data
recoverable?
Please explain to me. Maybe I missed something.


"Wonderman" <nospamidainc@cox.net> wrote in message
news:uGTHdBGDIHA.5208@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Can anyone comment on whether the software from a drive mfgr. that writes
> zeros to the drive is sufficient and secure when transfering the drive ?
> TIA.

While it may be possible to get smidgeons of data enough perhaps to nail a
member of the criminal element, the chances of resurrecting enough to be of
use is marginal at best unless one pays $$$ to get it done. People 'flighty
of thought' seem to imagine that it is possible to get a complete system up
and running again. Running zeros a few times will prevent most from ever
recovering anything meaningful.


"jrb1164" <jimburmeister@msn.com> wrote in message
news:59620E54-16E6-495E-8394-4464D3F07259@microsoft.com...
>
> If every bit on the drive has been written to zero's! How is any data
> recoverable?
> Please explain to me. Maybe I missed something.
>
>
> "Wonderman" <nospamidainc@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:uGTHdBGDIHA.5208@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Can anyone comment on whether the software from a drive mfgr. that writes
>> zeros to the drive is sufficient and secure when transfering the drive ?
>> TIA.
>
>

Google the subject and you'll find out how. The FBI does it every day.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] rgharper@gmail.com
* NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"jrb1164" <jimburmeister@msn.com> wrote in message
news:59620E54-16E6-495E-8394-4464D3F07259@microsoft.com...
>
> If every bit on the drive has been written to zero's! How is any data
> recoverable?
> Please explain to me. Maybe I missed something.
>
>
> "Wonderman" <nospamidainc@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:uGTHdBGDIHA.5208@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Can anyone comment on whether the software from a drive mfgr. that writes
>> zeros to the drive is sufficient and secure when transfering the drive ?
>> TIA.
>
>

Try dban disk wipe.
"DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of
preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer,..."

http://dban.sourceforge.net/



"Wonderman" wrote:

> I just want to make it really hard and expensive for the casual pair of
> prying eyes to take a look. Thank you both.
>
>
> "sosrandom" <sosrandom.2ybkp6@no-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
> news:sosrandom.2ybkp6@no-mx.forums.net...
> >
> > -Some machines can recover data that's been written over only one or two
> > times, however. That's where secure delete standards, such as the
> > Department of Defense 5220.22-M, come in. According to this
> > specification, overwriting the drive sectors three times with specific,
> > different characters constitutes one pass. Many experts recommend seven
> > such passes to render the data completely unrecoverable. But reading
> > data that has been overwritten by even the simplest shredders requires
> > expensive hardware, so unless you're worried about professional sleuths,
> > such thorough overwriting probably isn't necessary.-
> >
> >
> > --
> > sosrandom
>
>