Does zeroing out a hard drive guarantee total file elimination?

[CrazedNerd]

I would think that turning all binary digits to 0s would completely erase everything, but is there any chance of recovery? I ask this since normally a deletion ("rm" in linux or "empty recycle bin" in windows) just makes the space available for rewriting...and the data can still be recovered a month or so afterwards with certain tools...

 

[KGIII]

any chance of recovery

As I understand it, it depends on how much they want to spend to forensically examine the drive. The standard is multiple writes or physical destruction of the drive - with the latter being the norm for more modern flash storage.

So, logic dictates that yes it must still be recoverable or they wouldn't have the standard set to multiple wipe with random data being written to the drive. Visit/find a thread on Slashdot with regards to securely wiping drives and read the comments. There's still some smart people there who can describe it much better than I can, as well as explain the methods used in forensic examination or in data recovery shops.

For example, I recall that you could read after a zeroing out by using an electron microscope to check the position of the bit on the physical platters in ye olden spinning rust disk drives. Among the questions you'd probably ask yourself is 'Who am I hiding it from?' If you're really concerned, destroy the drive.

 

[CrazedNerd]

As I understand it, it depends on how much they want to spend to forensically examine the drive. The standard is multiple writes or physical destruction of the drive - with the latter being the norm for more modern flash storage.

So, logic dictates that yes it must still be recoverable or they wouldn't have the standard set to multiple wipe with random data being written to the drive. Visit/find a thread on Slashdot with regards to securely wiping drives and read the comments. There's still some smart people there who can describe it much better than I can, as well as explain the methods used in forensic examination or in data recovery shops.

For example, I recall that you could read after a zeroing out by using an electron microscope to check the position of the bit on the physical platters in ye olden spinning rust disk drives. Among the questions you'd probably ask yourself is 'Who am I hiding it from?' If you're really concerned, destroy the drive.

It's just hypothetical...but the FBI did put together a floppy disk that was smashed and found proof of a murder plot once. I suppose you can only guarantee erasure with a combination of data scrambling and zeroing.

 

[Condobloke]

Works every time.

 

[Deleted member 137406]

Remove the cover of the mechanical hard drive and take out the platter(s) and smash the crap out of them.

Scatter the smashed broken pieces of the platter(s) in different places.

 

[f33dm3bits]

Just microwave it.

 

[kc1di]

Does zeroing out a hard drive guarantee total file elimination?​

Short answer is NO! But it does make it hard and expensive to recover the data. So unless you are dealing with international banking or similar it's most likely enough to dissuade most from trying to recover it.
Of Course the big Hammer is almost 100% sure to work

 

[VP9KS]

almost 100%

Where there is a will, there is a way! nyuk, nyuk!

 

[CrazedNerd]

So basically...losing is better than destroying, and rewrites work but nobody knows how many times...Rewrite, smash, then landfill far away from where you live...or just a hole in the ground

 

[forester]

Dban used to have an option it claimed to be military grade. Never used it as it took almost overnight to finish. For my purposes, I simply wrote entire drive to zeroes and then formatted the entire drive as one partition to ext2 file system before doing the final partitioning and install. Getting every trace of the ntfs file system off the drive was the problem for me. This did it.

 

[Dart]

At work, when we recycle old computers, I remove the drives and send them to the weld department. They cut them info four pieces with a torch. That kinda heat pretty much scrambles the entirety of platters. Next time, I think I'll see what a laser can do to them. IT can be fun!!! LOL

 

[CrazedNerd]

Dban used to have an option it claimed to be military grade. Never used it as it took almost overnight to finish. For my purposes, I simply wrote entire drive to zeroes and then formatted the entire drive as one partition to ext2 file system before doing the final partitioning and install. Getting every trace of the ntfs file system off the drive was the problem for me. This did it.

while re-formatting [by creating a new file system] does restructure the data on the drive, i would think that going for max binary digits altered would have the best chance of making it impossible to recover your data. Theoretically, scrambling (writing jibberish to the drive) and zeroing out the data twice each would make it impossible to recover. It already take a lot of coding to make your files human visible, i would think significantly less to make them invisible...but i'm fine leaving this open for discussion since there's clearly still some mystery here for forum members.

 

[CrazedNerd]

It's just hypothetical...but the FBI did put together a floppy disk that was smashed and found proof of a murder plot once. I suppose you can only guarantee erasure with a combination of data scrambling and zeroing.

Plus, i was NOT making this up. I saw a forensic files episode where the FBI taped together a smashed floppy drive and was able to recover a murder plot. The plotter could have just melted the thing, and they would had to go for some different evidence since it was a murder for hire type scheme...

 

[Old Tom Bombadil]

nobody knows how many times...

There are standards for data sanitization: US Department of Defense (DoD), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and others. You should be able to Google up the currently accepted techniques. Just be sure to get current information. Standards have changed with changes in technology, from HDD to SSD, for example.

 

[KGIII]

If you live in a country with permissive laws, you can also just use your old drives as targets for plinking.

 

[CrazedNerd]

There are standards for data sanitization: US Department of Defense (DoD), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and others. You should be able to Google up the currently accepted techniques. Just be sure to get current information. Standards have changed with changes in technology, from HDD to SSD, for example.

Yes but one problem that Google makes abundantly clear to me is that I can never find the right word for anything. Given that I'm not on their hit list, or top ten wanted, I've got nothing to worry about.

 

[Deleted member 137406]

If you live in a country with permissive laws, you can also just use your old drives as targets for plinking.

I've done this many times it's a sure thing and a lot of fun.

 

[CrazedNerd]

I've done this many times it's a sure thing and a lot of fun.

that would be a lot more fun and exciting if they were using a shotgun! Nothing says "un-readle" like shards of platter and lead! And oh my those are all HDDs...

 

[Deleted member 137406]

I don't think any data recovery would be possible from these hard drives.

 

[KGIII]

I've done this many times it's a sure thing and a lot of fun.

I've only done a few this way. It is a bit of a mess to clean it up after, as I don't want to leave the place dirty.