Destroy HD data before warranty return?

[bill4d]

I have a bricked Seagate drive that I have already successfully recovered the data from. The problem is, the drive can not be accessed any more. How can I destroy the data on the drive prior to sending it in for a warranty replacement?

Thanks for any help.

[MrJinje]

If you cannot attach it to USB and get it online, then your only option that won't void your warranty is to find a company that provides Degaussing service, if you are in a bigger city, there will likely be a local computer store that can do this.

http://www.garner-products.com/Degserv.htm

But if you didn't have to worry about your warranty, a few drill holes and a sledge hammer will make things very hard for any but the most well funded forensic teams.

Edited February 7, 2010 by MrJinje

[jaclaz]

You cannot.

You are in a CATCH22 situation, to destroy data you need to either have a working drive (UNbricked) or open it to destroy the platters (that will void the warranty).

There is a third alternative, which is degaussing it, but you have no way to know if the degaussing method you used is effective.

You won't like the price of a professional degaussing machine:

http://www.garner-products.com/harddrive.htm

DIY jobs involve anway the use of EXTREMELY strong magnets, and there is no (pardon me the pun) warranty that the effect of the degaussing damages the HD in such a way that it's warranty replacement becomes invalid:

http://oss-spectrum.org/Attach2.htm

jaclaz

P.S.: Sorry MrJinJe, cross-posting.

Edited February 7, 2010 by jaclaz

[Tripredacus]

Ah yes, the old "bulk-eraser" trick? If you are fortunate enough, you can find a very powerful magnet inside a subwoofer! Other uses for such powerful magnets are to create magnetic field antennae for tv or radio.

Oh, ah subwoofer should have at least 6 ohm written on it. Make sure the speaker can at least pick up a screwdriver, or if you stick it on your fridge you find it slightly difficult to take it off.

But yes, no garauntee that will work to fully erase the data. I know commercial bulk-eraser does not even have a 100% success rate either, but if you go with a service like was mentioned before, they may have some sort of gaurantee.

[bill4d]

Ah yes, the old "bulk-eraser" trick? If you are fortunate enough, you can find a very powerful magnet inside a subwoofer! Other uses for such powerful magnets are to create magnetic field antennae for tv or radio.

Oh, ah subwoofer should have at least 6 ohm written on it. Make sure the speaker can at least pick up a screwdriver, or if you stick it on your fridge you find it slightly difficult to take it off.

But yes, no garauntee that will work to fully erase the data. I know commercial bulk-eraser does not even have a 100% success rate either, but if you go with a service like was mentioned before, they may have some sort of gaurantee.

Thanks for the ideas.

I've actually got some experience with neodymium magnets. I use a filter magnet on the oil filters of my truck. The company that sells them actually has a pinch warning on the packaging. These magnets are extremely difficult to remove by hand from an oil filter. Maybe I'll try those magnets.

[puntoMX]

Oh, ah subwoofer should have at least 6 ohm written on it.

What has the impedance of a voicecoil to do with the strength of magnets?

@ bill4d, those are indeed strong magnets to keep the loose bolts and nuts out of the carter. I don't think you can destroy all the data but you can at least make holes in the data. I would use some cardboard sheet to place on the drive and move the magnet over that.

[Tripredacus]

Oh, ah subwoofer should have at least 6 ohm written on it.

What has the impedance of a voicecoil to do with the strength of magnets?

Not sure, but it seems the speakers with higher impedence have a stronger magnetic field.

[jaclaz]

Oh, ah subwoofer should have at least 6 ohm written on it.

What has the impedance of a voicecoil to do with the strength of magnets?

Nothing, but since most sub-woofers have since several years an impedance of 4 Ohms or less, finding a 6 Ohms one results in being so difficult as to prevent OP from carrying this IMHO senseless attempt.

Maybe I wasn't explicit enough in my previous post.

Degaussing a drive means applying to it a very strong magnetic field.

There is NO way to know (without opening the drive and possibly not even after having opened it):

• if the degaussing properly worked removing ONLY information from the platters and leaving no other traces
  
• if the deagaussing bent the HD heads or however left a trace of having being performed BUT left the info on the platter still readable
  

Additionally

• if a the manufacturer will inspect the drive and can find out if a degaussing procedure was used and thus refuses to replace it under warranty
  

It seems to me like a no-win situation, or however a risky one. :

Let's see what the pro and con are:

1. if the HD is not returned to manufacturer you loose the commercial value of the drive minus the P&H
   
2. if the HD is returned to manufacturer and it is not replaced under warranty because they find out you fiddled with it you loose the commercial value of the drive plus the P&H
   

Additionally, option #2 does not necessarily mean that your DATA cannot be exposed (as you may have failed in deleting them through the degaussing).

If we assume that the Commercial value of the drive is around 55 US$ included shipping:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822148395

It means that OP values his privacy less that US$55 or that he is willing to take a chance on it for something like US$ 25 (an average estimate of the time needed to degauss the thingy and send it back to manufacturer, and assuming that you already have the magnets of 6 Ohm sub-woofer).

jaclaz

[puntoMX]

Not sure, but it seems the speakers with higher impedance have a stronger magnetic field.

No it's not, not even connected with each other, forget what they have told you .

• if a the manufacturer will inspect the drive and can find out if a degaussing procedure was used and thus refuses to replace it under warranty
  

Naa, they won't even test that, that would cost the manufacturer more than the drive is worth.

[Ponch]

There's no way to test it as your drive is dead already but I'd put it in a conventional oven for few hours at ~50°C. Might be enough for the electromagnetic bits to fade and not so much that it causes physical damage. Any physicist in the house ? Or someone to test it with a (possibly obsolete ) working drive?

[jaclaz]

There's no way to test it as your drive is dead already but I'd put it in a conventional oven for few hours at ~50°C. Might be enough for the electromagnetic bits to fade and not so much that it causes physical damage. Any physicist in the house ? Or someone to test it with a (possibly obsolete ) working drive?

Are you joking right?

50° C is a "normal" working temperature inside a hard disk, in a number of not-so-well cooled cases.

Read about Curie temperature point:

http://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=2744

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferromagnetism

And about actual "hot is beautiful" (within limits):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_dri...d_their_metrics

jaclaz

[puntoMX]

Nuke the sh*t in a microwave, how about that (listen guys, I'm joking here! But it does damage micro-electronics )

[jaclaz]

Nuke the sh*t in a microwave, how about that (listen guys, I'm joking here! But it does damage micro-electronics )

AND the Microwave oven!

We could propose this as a technologically updated version of:

to kill two birds with one stone

jaclaz

[Ponch]

Are you joking right?

No I wasn't, I was only wrong. This was just one more hint and I didn't check the numbers before posting. It proves totally unapplicable . Also I wasn't sure what temperature would cause cosmetic damage (melt the plastic bits). Cheers.

[jaclaz]

Just as a general reference, the PCB and it's components should be able to "resist" a few minutes at 170°, which is a "normal" pre-heating cycle for reballing/reflowing BGA components:

http://www.zeph.com/pap1.html

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...=6102&st=22

and several seconds to temperatures up to 240°.

If you strip the PCB off, first thing that you cosmetically will see melting will probably be the actual head and motor connectors plastics, and these will probably stand up to 250÷280°.

jaclaz