[plug] wiping a hard disk clean

[Brad Campbell]

Mark O'Shea wrote:

> Also remember that the hard drive is a magnetic medium, so when you write
> something to it you are only actually changing the orientation of *most*
> of the stuff on the disk, some gets through unaltered and this is how
> people with the $$$s can get at the data.  I read somewhere once that
> writing random data to the whole disk three times was considered to be
> good enough to stop all but those with much more time and money than sense
> (like US government agencies).
> 
> The idea of melting the disk sounds the most fool proof if you really
> don't want anyone seeing your data...
> 

I once had to take a laptop to <a prominent Perth laptop retailer> for service. Due to the sensitive 
nature of data on the hard disk I asked that I be present while the service was carried out. The 
service guy asked if we had a full backup so he could wipe the hard disk, removing the need for me 
to be present.
Somewhat intrigued by this I said yes, so he fired up fdisk, deleted the parition and proudly 
pronounced the data securely deleted . "Nobody can get that back!".
I laughed at him, politely called him an idiot and physically removed the drive from the machine to 
much protest of "Your not qualified to do that! We'll void your warranty!".

Last time I ever dealt with those fools..

Brad