[Year 12 IT Apps] HardDrive Repairs expert required

Sun Jun 8 15:28:55 EST 2008

Hi Ken,

Thanks for making us more aware of the problem of data left on computers when the machines are disposed. With the upcoming laptop rollout, I'd like to research this topic a bit more so that I may advice teachers (and our school) on the proper way to dispose of data before surrendering laptops/desktops.

Would you have more details/any references re the current accepted methods of disposal?

Harry Schlanger

Tyrrell College, Sea Lake
Ph: (03) 5070 2106
Fax: (03) 5070 1069

________________________________

From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of ken price
Sent: Tue 6/3/2008 4:19 PM
To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] HardDrive Repairs expert required

Hi folks, 

We had an expert in computer forensics present at an ACS event here, on the extremes of data recovery from hard drives.

The level of data that CAN be retrieved from a full disk crash is remarkable (if you have the time and money). 

Of particular interest was what happens to laptop hard drives that fail under warranty. These go back to manufacturer and some are rebuilt (often the electronics only fail) and re-issued as exchange warranty drives. Thus with the right software and hardware it is often possible to retrieve someone else's data from your warranty replacement hard drive. He had examples of this (more common when hard drives were expensive of course). 

The US security agencies at one stage adopted a physical solution to prevent their failed drives ending up in someone else's laptop - a policy of firing two bullets throught the drive platters.But even this turned out to be insufficient. There are techniques where the damaged platters are removed and specialised hardware used to measure remnant magnetism not just on the surface of the disk but profiled into the magnetic surface. Magnetic force microscopy and other techniques allow a chance of data recovery even after massive physical damage.

As with viruses and antivirus software, the data recovery industry and data deletion industries chase one another. Much of the literature in this area is actually about how to wipe your data to make it unrecoverable, as that is a serious security issue given the high rate of turnover of computer hardware. 

http://www.infoage.idg.com.au/index.php?id=1486101804 has a bit on this that is probably useful for schools.

This probably doesn't help the original enquiry, but it is worth realising that it takes quite a serious event to make data totally unrecoverable, but quite a lot of money and time to actually do that low-level recovery.. Of course, as Robert advises, it is far cheaper to take preventive action than to try to recover from a massive failure. And with portable external hard drives providing a terabyte of storage for the cost of 5 tanks of petrol, there has never been a better time to back up!

Ken Price

TASITE http://www.tasite.tas.edu.au <http://www.tasite.tas.edu.au/> 
and
DoE Tasmania

On 6/3/08, Robert Hind <robert at yinnar.com> wrote: 

	Oh dear!

	In most cases there is no way of retrieving the data if there has been a full "disk crash"

	Other more minor problems can sometimes be resolved and date retrieved, at cost of course!

	BUT PLEASE BACKUP all important data. 

	Either via your school's net work for work data or via a USB connected external drive for your personal data.

	Robert Hind (Semi-retired)
	Ex Traralgon and Ashwood

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