Securely delete files...

[Chris Walters]

Robert J. Hansen wrote:
> I can only speak for myself here, but I strongly suspect Werner, David,
> Mark and everyone else who's been chiming in will agree -- we are not
> talking about total destruction of hard drives as something you should
> want to do.
> 
> We're talking about total destruction of hard drives as the _only
> realistic way to scrub data._

I agree, this is a purely theoretical discussion for me.  I don't have such
sensitive data on my drives to want to nuke them.

> ObWarning: many of the techniques we've discussed for destroying hard
> drives are really quite dangerous.  Thermite is _not_ a friendly
> chemical.  Neither is sulfuric acid.  Even an approach as low-tech as
> hammering the platters into oblivion can be dangerous -- see Werner's
> statement about all the shards that hit his safety glasses.  Before
> destroying a hard drive, learn how to do it safely.

Ah, yes.  The obligatory warning.  One method that I suggested would get the
gold star for dangerous, foolhardy, do not do:  Placing your hard drive in the
core of an active nuclear reactor.  Acid is not safe either - I started off in
chemistry...  I would sooner use 30 M hydrochloric acid than sulfuric acid -
why?  It is easier to obtain - the problem is disposing of what is left, as if
you pour it down the drain, it will start corroding your sink (unless it is
ceramic), and your pipes.  Not a pretty picture.

Regards,
Chris

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