A new use for Linux

[Les]

On Fri, 2007-07-20 at 09:13 -0500, Aaron Konstam wrote:
> On Thu, 2007-07-19 at 14:54 -0700, Antonio Olivares wrote:
> > --- Aaron Konstam <akonstam at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> > 
> > > On Thu, 2007-07-19 at 19:55 +0500, Mustafa Qasim
> > > wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > On 7/19/07, Aaron Konstam <akonstam at sbcglobal.net>
> > > wrote:
> > > >         My brother-in-law uses Windows XP and his
> > > system crashed
> > > >         making his
> > > >         Documents unavailable. He saw how
> > > expensive disk recovery
> > > >         could be when
> > > >         a local Linux user volunteered to recover
> > > the documents for
> > > >         him.
> > > >         
> > > >         Now here is a whole new use for Linux and
> > > there is money in
> > > >         it 
> > > >         somewhere.
> > > >         --
> > > >         Aaron Konstam <akonstam at sbcglobal.net>
> > > >         
> > > >         --
> > > >         fedora-list mailing list
> > > >         fedora-list at redhat.com
> > > >         To unsubscribe:
> > > >        
> > > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list
> > > > 
> > > >         Now here is a whole new use for Linux and
> > > there is money in it
> > > >         somewheroe.
> > > > 
> > > > Sorry! bro. i didn't got it! what do u mean by
> > > "there is money in it
> > > > somewhere."
> > > > 
> > > I need to leave out throwaway sentences. All I meant
> > > was currently you
> > > have to pay sums of $800 or $1000 to recover data
> > > from a crashed
> > > system.. A Linux based system might offer the
> > > service cheaper. But it
> > > would not work if the Disk is actually physically
> > > damaged , I don't
> > > think.
> > > 
> > > -- 
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> > > 
> > 
> > I have recovered many documents, word files,
> > spreadsheets, etc., for some colleagues at school. 
> > The harddrive on the host machines was going bad
> > giving thunking sounds.  I used Slax and recovered
> > many files for them and passed them on to a USB drive
> > and they gave me a hero's welcome.  They were very
> > happy to get their data back and praising me very
> > much.  
> > 
> > But if the disk is physically damaged, I concur with
> > you Aaron, but some say that the FBI can do, it.  
> > I do not know to what extent, but many people say that
> > they can get anything that was on your computer no
> > matter how many times you have reformatted your hard
> > drive. 
> > 
> > This is a page that shows up using google that says a
> > bit as to what happens 
> > http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/backissu/oct2000/computer.htm
> > 
> > As to combat that, I do not know, some say use a
> > Magnet and put it next to the hard drive that you want
> > to be erased for good.  By doing that according to
> > some there is no way in the world that the FBI can get
> > your data.  I do not know how true the above statement
> > is, but many people that know about computers have
> > suggested this.
> > 
> > Regards,
> > 
> > Antonio
> > 
> I tend to use a 5 lb hammer. Magnets are for sissies.
> --
> =======================================================================
> If you have nothing to do, don't do it here.
> =======================================================================
> Aaron Konstam telephone: (210) 656-0355 e-mail: akonstam at sbcglobal.net
> 
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.

Regards,
Les H