Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 28 of 28
  1. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    469

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by FenceFurniture View Post
    But surely overwriting all available space with music files (or whatever) will mean no previous data can be retrieved? My intention is to delete the music files anyway (even though they won't really be deleted).

    I mean, if the previous data was still available underneath the music then I would have found a way to increase the storage capacity of the disk.....
    I think that the issue is that how the disk overwrites the data. If you've defragged a drive you would have seen that your files are spread all over the drive.

    Writing music onto the disk might not overwrite it all, unless you fill it to capacity.

    As confidential data is involved i wouldn't risk it.

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    SE Melb
    Age
    64
    Posts
    1,277

    Default

    While it's almost impossible to retrieve the file intact if the space is overwritten. It might still be possible to retrieve some data. Also the windows file systems does not give you the option of writing to a particular physical space. In fact it purposely try to avoid physical spaces that had been used.

  4. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    South Australia
    Posts
    4,470

    Default

    The only 100% fail safe method is to physically destroy the drive/disc

  5. #19
    FenceFurniture's Avatar
    FenceFurniture is offline The prize lies beneath - hidden in full view
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    1017m up in Katoomba, NSW
    Posts
    10,648

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by taz01 View Post
    I think that the issue is that how the disk overwrites the data. If you've defragged a drive you would have seen that your files are spread all over the drive.

    Writing music onto the disk might not overwrite it all, unless you fill it to capacity.
    Quote Originally Posted by FenceFurniture View Post
    I could copy my MP3 music folder onto it (it's 32Gb) and it's only a 32Gb disk.
    In fact there was only ~10Gb of free space what with Windows etc, so I copied a 12Gb folder to it....should be running out of space any time now....

    Yes, I used to defrag this drive, although I read somewhere that SSDs don't need defragging, and it is actually bad for them?
    Regards, FenceFurniture

    COLT DRILLS GROUP BUY
    Jan-Feb 2019 Click to send me an email

  6. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    To be sure you need to rewrite scrambled data over it multiple times.
    Getting at the previous layer is apparently not that hard but the success rate varies, and not all of the data can be reclaimed.
    This is why its not considered a viable way of getting more storage
    Recovering subsequent layers gets harder and more expensive to recover and progressively less of the files are recoverable.
    Previous layers cannot currently be recovered unless the crims have the physical device in their hand ie not network retrievable.
    A 3 times overwrite will be secure to everyone except orgs like a national security agency or similar IT crooks.
    IT security companies do it up to 7 times and by then the any remaining fragments of the original are too small to make sense.

    eg see https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/th...e-think-again/

  7. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    1,166

    Default

    most overwrite-multiple-times guidelines were based on the fact that those-who-wanted-it would be able to read "layers" of older magnetic data from the spinning platter hard disk. In most SSDs, there's no chance of being able to recover after an overwrite.

    But like many have said, the real answer is physical damage if you're ultra nervous. Take it out, destroy it, and be comfortable - or just reinstall the OS and people will be happy they have a working (2007 era) PC

    Perhaps you should save a copy of this thread on the drive, written so many times over to fill it up, so if anyone finds it and resurrects it, they can at least see you've gone to pretty reasonable measures

  8. #22
    FenceFurniture's Avatar
    FenceFurniture is offline The prize lies beneath - hidden in full view
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    1017m up in Katoomba, NSW
    Posts
    10,648

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by poundy View Post
    people will be happy they have a working (2007 era) PC
    That's why I'm worried about Russia. Latest thing over there apparently.

    Quote Originally Posted by poundy View Post
    Perhaps you should save a copy of this thread on the drive, written so many times over to fill it up, so if anyone finds it and resurrects it, they can at least see you've gone to pretty reasonable measures


    Actually what I copied (and then deleted) was my "ROCK UK-EU" music folder, which, if they can recover it, should give them a fine education of English rock music from 1964 until reasonably present. Unfortunately for them though, it was the MP3 files, not the FLAC files, so they'll be missing some bottom end. Beatles, King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull, Sting, Supertramp, Alan Parsons Project, Mike Oldfield, Peter Gabriel, Police, Steve Winwood, Phil Collins, Genesis, Enigma, Black Sabbath, Bowie, The Corrs, Deep Purple, Roxy Music, Floyd, Bryan Ferry, Zep, Sade, Slade, Simply Red, Robert Plant, Elton, Tears for Fears, U2, Wakeman, and all sorts. Beats the hell outta whatever might pass for computer written crap they might be more familiar with.
    Regards, FenceFurniture

    COLT DRILLS GROUP BUY
    Jan-Feb 2019 Click to send me an email

  9. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    469

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by FenceFurniture View Post
    That's why I'm worried about Russia. Latest thing over there apparently.



    Actually what I copied (and then deleted) was my "ROCK UK-EU" music folder, which, if they can recover it, should give them a fine education of English rock music from 1964 until reasonably present. Unfortunately for them though, it was the MP3 files, not the FLAC files, so they'll be missing some bottom end. Beatles, King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull, Sting, Supertramp, Alan Parsons Project, Mike Oldfield, Peter Gabriel, Police, Steve Winwood, Phil Collins, Genesis, Enigma, Black Sabbath, Bowie, The Corrs, Deep Purple, Roxy Music, Floyd, Bryan Ferry, Zep, Sade, Slade, Simply Red, Robert Plant, Elton, Tears for Fears, U2, Wakeman, and all sorts. Beats the hell outta whatever might pass for computer written crap they might be more familiar with.
    The Corrsc and simply red? They don't do justice to the rest of the list... [emoji3]

  10. #24
    FenceFurniture's Avatar
    FenceFurniture is offline The prize lies beneath - hidden in full view
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    1017m up in Katoomba, NSW
    Posts
    10,648

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by taz01 View Post
    The Corrsc and simply red? They don't do justice to the rest of the list... [emoji3]
    Maaaate, The Corrs first album was a cracker! Yes there's (very good) pop on it, but a very varied album indeed. Gorgeous harmonies.
    Regards, FenceFurniture

    COLT DRILLS GROUP BUY
    Jan-Feb 2019 Click to send me an email

  11. #25
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Berwick, VIC
    Age
    53
    Posts
    97

    Default

    Hope this helps.




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  12. #26
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    1,166

    Default

    yup, post#7 said that

  13. #27
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Conder, ACT
    Age
    77
    Posts
    6,051

    Default

    The last time I had to get rid of some old drives with unknown data on them I took out the framer, loaded 75mm nails and placed about 6 shots through the disks.
    Good luck to anyone wanting the data off them.

  14. #28
    themage21 is offline So that's how you change this field...
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Emu Plains, NSW
    Age
    40
    Posts
    136

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidG View Post
    The last time I had to get rid of some old drives with unknown data on them I took out the framer, loaded 75mm nails and placed about 6 shots through the disks.
    Good luck to anyone wanting the data off them.
    It's not as hard as you think. Remove the nails in a clean room and there are techniques for recovering that data.

    Repeated over-writing is still at risk of attack from statistical reconstruction after multiple reads.

    The only way to truly destroy the data is physical destruction. Dismembering is one way, but the data can be reconstructed if the leftovers are read individually and the data is pieced back together.

    The most effective way to destroy magnetic media is heat. Lots of it and for a long time. Once the magnetic domains are de-magnetised (by taking them above their Curie temp), there's no getting the information back. Just to be safe, I'd then dismember the drive and throw out the bits over a broad geographical area. That assumes that you don't have a heat source that can melt the platters themselves so that they can be re-cast into a funny shape like an elephant or a hand giving a rude gesture.

    SSDs are way easier. The storage components melt and/or oxidise to ash in a fire. Can't get the data back if the memory elements are no longer even capable of holding themselves together, let alone data. So fire, lots of it (again).

    Yes, this is the paranoid way of doing things, but if you want the most secure way....

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Similar Threads

  1. Wiping Off a Wipe-On Poly
    By Luke Maddux in forum FINISHING
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 10th June 2017, 12:17 PM
  2. Scandinavian oil wiping application
    By TomH in forum FINISHING
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 11th February 2015, 09:09 AM
  3. DIY wiping varnish
    By old_picker in forum FINISHING
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 11th January 2012, 12:58 AM
  4. Wiping stain supplier
    By Arch Stanton in forum FINISHING
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 12th April 2007, 10:46 AM
  5. Wiping polyurethane
    By Kevin2003 in forum FINISHING
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 3rd May 2004, 01:58 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •