A new use for Linux
Les Mikesell
lesmikesell at gmail.com
Sat Jul 21 18:59:17 UTC 2007
Les wrote:
> A straight magnet can mess it up a bit, but I don't know about total
> erasure. Generally degaussing takes an AC field, such as that from the
> degausing strip around a TV set or monitor (you degause tube type
> monitors and tv's to keep the color guns from being biased and giving
> fringes around the images). And a hard disk drive is "saturation" type
> recording, and some of the new ones use a very deep form of recording
> that is different from the surface recording done on magnetic tape. So
> if you wish to degauss a drive (remove all forms of data including
> formatting and bad sector stuff), then a very high strength degaussing
> platform is needed. Or a 5 lb or heavier hammer applied with gusto to
> the platters seems to do a pretty thorough job, unless you are
> discussing state secrets or the next advent of computing.
Or use that hammer to drive a small steel punch all the way through the
drive. It's quick and someone would have to be pretty determined to get
any data back after that.
--
Les Mikesell
lesmikesell at gmail.com
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