A new use for Linux

[Robin Laing]

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.

http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=97378
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Robin Laing