A new use for Linux

[Arthur Pemberton]

On 7/23/07, Robin Laing <Robin.Laing at drdc-rddc.gc.ca> wrote:
> Les Mikesell wrote:
> > 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.
> >
>
> The newer platters are much harder as we found out when we tried to cut
> some drives up with a metal saw.  To hard.
>
> I read an article of using "Coke" (I prefer Pepsi) and drill a few holes
> in the top of the case.  Fill with Coke and let sit.  Soon the surface
> of the platters are now etched.
>
> I was going through some old drives and destroying them.  I ended up
> just drilling holes and soaking them in water.  Destroyed the circuit
> boards with a hammer as well.
>
> It would be interesting what size of magnetic field is necessary to
> fully erase a drive still in it's case.
>
> I did find this.


Can you guys fork the thread if the topic is dead? Very early on it
was established that the OP did not find a new use for Linux.


-- 
Fedora Core 6 and proud