Want to utterly destroy the data on your HDD? Use UPS! - Page 3

Adrian Wong · 4th Feb 2006, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olle P

I just go by the article:So far everything should still be readable, once the electronics and mechanics have been fixed, but...So too many individual bits had been scrambled beyond recognition.
As they sum it up:
Thus, the data is gone!

/Olle

I suspect it could also be due to the scanning that packages go through when they are delivered by mail.

That's why I would never check it any hard drives when I fly. I could be wrong, but it's likely that x-ray and other scanners used on cargo could potentially erase data stored in magnetic media.

The thing about magnetic data is that you actually need a magnetic field to change the polarity of the data. Unless the drive is subjected to some kind of energy emission, I don't see how the polarity of each bit can change.

zy · 4th Feb 2006, 11:49 PM

my hard disk went through those small scanner couple of times.. no problem so far

nvr check in my hard disk before

Adrian Wong · 4th Feb 2006, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zy

my hard disk went through those small scanner couple of times.. no problem so far

nvr check in my hard disk before

You mean the scanners you pass before you board the plane? Those are okay. I think the ones we should worry about are those used to scan cargo.

PsYkHoTiK · 5th Feb 2006, 12:48 AM

Hmm, but that wouldnt make too much sense. Homeland scans all packages in and out of the country... Why haven't those hdds died then?

Adrian Wong · 5th Feb 2006, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PsYkHoTiK

Hmm, but that wouldnt make too much sense. Homeland scans all packages in and out of the country... Why haven't those hdds died then?

Well, most hard drives shipped are empty of data. Not only unformatted, they are also unpartitioned.

I don't think anyone would have sent a hard drive filled with data via cargo.

AAY · 5th Feb 2006, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Wong

I suspect it could also be due to the scanning that packages go through when they are delivered by mail.

That's why I would never check it any hard drives when I fly. I could be wrong, but it's likely that x-ray and other scanners used on cargo could potentially erase data stored in magnetic media.

The thing about magnetic data is that you actually need a magnetic field to change the polarity of the data. Unless the drive is subjected to some kind of energy emission, I don't see how the polarity of each bit can change.

I dunno about that. Magnets can be jarred hard enough to demagnetise them (that's why you're not supposed to drop or strike permanent magnets), and heating some materials can alter their magnetic properties as well. Besides, those of us who have had to suffer UPS shipments know very well just how destructive they can be

.

My idea for completely trashing a drive involves a pile of thermite

. Believe me, unless you have access to a time machine you're not gonna recover a drive that's been cooked that way!

Adrian Wong · 5th Feb 2006, 03:06 PM

LOL!! Thermite will kill EVERYTHING.

zy · 5th Feb 2006, 06:23 PM

thermites ? hmmm ... my friend said his hard disk got invaded by some ants

but i he didnt show me or whatever.. i guess it is fine now

PsYkHoTiK · 6th Feb 2006, 12:15 AM

Thermite... NOT termites... LOL!

Thermite is used in incendiary bombs/nades. used to completely destroy hardware/armor/anything...

Olle P · 6th Feb 2006, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAY

Magnets can be jarred hard enough to demagnetise them ... and heating some materials can alter their magnetic properties as well.

Very true. Been there, done that...

/Olle

4th Feb 2006, 11:49 PM	#22 (permalink)
zy Dead Join Date: 16 Dec 2002 Location: Penang,Malaysia - Buffalo,New York Posts: 12,884 Reputation: 2064 Rep Power: 39	my hard disk went through those small scanner couple of times.. no problem so far nvr check in my hard disk before __________________ current: P4-3.2\|P4P800-Deluxe\|512x4-DDR\|NV6600 WD2500KS\|WD5000AAKS\|AD-7191A\|1860NX\|Z2300\|MP470 home (malaysia): P4C-2.6@3.1-StockHSF\|AI7\|256x2-BT-D43\|512x2-DT-D43\|A9600XT-VIVO WD1200JB\|2xWD2500KS\|DRU-800A\|DVD-E616P\|LTR-52327S\|152x\|V.S.4121\|iP1500 laptop: M1210\|T7200\|2GBDDR667\|160GB5K160\|GO7400

5th Feb 2006, 12:48 AM	#24 (permalink)
PsYkHoTiK "Little" Devil Join Date: 8 Apr 2004 Location: On the "throne" Posts: 14,385 Reputation: 4069 Rep Power: 59	Hmm, but that wouldnt make too much sense. Homeland scans all packages in and out of the country... Why haven't those hdds died then? __________________ Intel SLAPL 4.3GHz @ 1.35v : 2x2GB OCZ Platinum DDR2 1066 : Asus P5K Premium : WD RE3 250GB x2 RAID 0 : 3ware 9650SE-2LP : G92 8800GTS 512mb 820MHz Core : XFi Platinum : Silverstone OP650 : Silverstone TJ-07 : Dtek FuZion CPU : Swiftech MCW60 : MCP655 : Thermochill PA120.3 w Scythe Ultra Kaze CPU-Z: SLAPL : SLA9U : FX-55 : DDR 600 : VX www.techarp.com PsYkHoTiK's Meanderings

5th Feb 2006, 03:06 PM	#27 (permalink)
Adrian Wong Da Boss Join Date: 10 Oct 2002 Location: In front of my ASUS F8V notebook! Posts: 30,382 Reputation: 3147 Rep Power: 68	LOL!! Thermite will kill EVERYTHING. __________________ Dr. Adrian Wong Tech ARP \| Blog @ Tech ARP \| The Free Trade Zone DYKT : The only offshore account I have is at the sand bank? We need PROGRAMMERS and TECHNICAL WRITERS! Contact us if you are a hot shot programmer or technical writer! My items for sale : 50x SD Card \| Memory Stick PRO \| Cyclone Energy Saver \| Seiko SS watch \| Tiger/Carlsberg beer jugs \| Travel Speakers \| Motorola V600 \| Nokia N90 SOLD! \| New Lowepro Mini Trekker AW Other items for sale @ the FTZ : Zalman CNPS9500 LED @ $20 \| Zalman CNPS7700 Cu @ $20 \| Zalman CNPS7000 Cu @ $20 \| Swarovski bracelet watches \| Dell 17" LCD \| Hi-Fi speakers \| English DIVX movies \| HP LaserJet toners! \| Office chairs

5th Feb 2006, 06:23 PM	#28 (permalink)
zy Dead Join Date: 16 Dec 2002 Location: Penang,Malaysia - Buffalo,New York Posts: 12,884 Reputation: 2064 Rep Power: 39	thermites ? hmmm ... my friend said his hard disk got invaded by some ants but i he didnt show me or whatever.. i guess it is fine now __________________ current: P4-3.2\|P4P800-Deluxe\|512x4-DDR\|NV6600 WD2500KS\|WD5000AAKS\|AD-7191A\|1860NX\|Z2300\|MP470 home (malaysia): P4C-2.6@3.1-StockHSF\|AI7\|256x2-BT-D43\|512x2-DT-D43\|A9600XT-VIVO WD1200JB\|2xWD2500KS\|DRU-800A\|DVD-E616P\|LTR-52327S\|152x\|V.S.4121\|iP1500 laptop: M1210\|T7200\|2GBDDR667\|160GB5K160\|GO7400

6th Feb 2006, 12:15 AM	#29 (permalink)
PsYkHoTiK "Little" Devil Join Date: 8 Apr 2004 Location: On the "throne" Posts: 14,385 Reputation: 4069 Rep Power: 59	Thermite... NOT termites... LOL! Thermite is used in incendiary bombs/nades. used to completely destroy hardware/armor/anything... __________________ Intel SLAPL 4.3GHz @ 1.35v : 2x2GB OCZ Platinum DDR2 1066 : Asus P5K Premium : WD RE3 250GB x2 RAID 0 : 3ware 9650SE-2LP : G92 8800GTS 512mb 820MHz Core : XFi Platinum : Silverstone OP650 : Silverstone TJ-07 : Dtek FuZion CPU : Swiftech MCW60 : MCP655 : Thermochill PA120.3 w Scythe Ultra Kaze CPU-Z: SLAPL : SLA9U : FX-55 : DDR 600 : VX www.techarp.com PsYkHoTiK's Meanderings