ScoobLou

iTrader: (21)

Is there anyway to completely wipe a hard drive to be sold on without the risk of any of your data being recovered by the average Joe?

Found this:

http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml


Anyone got any better recommendations?

Thanks.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

http://www.heidi.ie/eraser

There's deleting, there's erasing and there's destroying

Norman Dog

iTrader: (1)

This is very good.

http://www.cyberscrub.com/en/

This one also erases an entire drive and is free.

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Just be warned if its a big drive it can take a long time (i.e over 24hours) depedning on how many erase passes are performed.

ScoobLou

iTrader: (21)

Hiya

Thanks, although to be honest I'm not bothered about the time it takes, just that it does its job.

Dr.No

Home videos...

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

There is no secure way of erasing these, the closest you will get is over writing everything a few times with crap, ie video/music etc, and thats not 100% either.
Destroying them is the only way to go

Tony

Norman Dog

iTrader: (1)

I have never, ever been able to recover anything legible from a drive that's been overwritten 3 times, never mind more.

Yes, there are people out there with the means to do so, but unless you're a major criminal/terrorist/child pornographer I don't think they would be sufficiently interested.

I certainly doubt the average punter would have the tools or knowhow.

P1Fanatic

For the price you would get selling on a HDD (unless its some uber high capacity or SSD) is it worth the risk? Smash the crap out of it with a hammer = very therapeutic (sp?).

tarmac terror

iTrader: (2)

Most modern drives support 'secure erase' ATA commands - the software in the link in your post will allow you to access them.

The alternative is to license something like blanco, but one use is more than the cost of the drive you are trying to recycle. Bear in mind the government IA standard only lessens the classification by one GPMS marking when low level formatted, even with multiple passes as it leaves remnants of data at the track edges which are theoretically salvageable.

All my drives go through the grinder when I have a batch for disposal at work.

ScoobLou

iTrader: (21)

lol I wouldn't just be selling the hard drive as like you say, not worth it.

ScoobLou

iTrader: (21)

Yes exactly this is what I am talking about the average punter. I'm sure the MoD could recover anything they wanted but doubt they would buy my second hand laptop lol