is data completley gone after low (or mid) level format?

[dotobi]

Hi

A hard drive in a Dell PC died and Dell are sending a replacement and taking away the faulty one. But this is a Solicitors/Lawyers firm and as a result, our data must be treated confidentially.

So... I've downloaded the utility from Maxtor that performs a 'Low-Level Format (full)' and I was wondering if this is safe enough for us to be comfortable that the data cannot be retrieved?

I know it's all a little over precautious, but we have law regulatory body’s rules and regulations to deal with.

Thanks!

 

[Davetoo]

Destroy the hard drive and explain why you did it to Dell, returning all pieces except the platters themselves.

That's the only way to ensure data protection.

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[edfair]

A large hammer and a pin punch through the housing and platters will do the same thing.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[chriseubank]

Fax a letter to Dell saying that the hard drive must be destroyed due to the legal nature of the information contained on it, and I'm sure they will release you from the obligation of having to return it.

Alternatively, find a disk zeroing program and run it a few times over a few nights and that should reliably toast anything on it.

C

 

[cdogg]

If the hard drive died, how can you do a low-level format on it?

As the others have mentioned, physically destroying the drive's platters is the only real guarantee. You can also use utilities that wipe the drive with random 1's and 0's. Each round is called a "pass", and the government standard is a 7-pass wipe. Keep in mind that this is no guarantee against the best data recovery methods, but unless someone was going to invest several hundred $ to do it, I doubt you'll have anything to worry about.


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind";
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[DaveFarquhar]

The safest way to wipe data is to overwrite it with random data 7 or 8 times. In the past I've seen bootable Linux floppies that did just this.

If the drive fails to spin up, this isn't going to help you, however.

I do not recommend returning the drive to Dell in pieces or with holes punched in it without discussing the situation first. Dell needs a drive to return to the drive manufacturer, and doing anything destructive to the drive is grounds for voiding the warranty. I don't know what Dell will say to your situation, but since Dells are very popular in law offices, not to mention doctor and government offices, no doubt the company has dealt with confidentiality issues before.

Dave Farquhar

http://dfarq.homeip.net