Re: How to zero a failing disk drive before disposal?

On Thu, 2024-10-10 at 15:36 +0300, Odhiambo Washington wrote:
> remove the [...] the magnets (for use elsewhere)

Hi,

in terms of sustainability and children's education, this is my
favourite piece of advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn6rgxsm5oA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXD9gDCw7uU

On Thu, 2024-10-10 at 04:57 -0700, Ronald F. Guilmette wrote:
> I'm paranoid.

Someone might have the skills to extract data even after the plates have
been shredded and fused into a lump.

Maybe it is best to sherd the plates, mix the fragments and shoot one
half into the sun with a rocket and the other half onto Venus.

On Thu, 2024-10-10 at 08:16 -0500, robert@rrbrussell.com wrote:
> invoke the ATA Secure Erase feature

ATA Secure Erase or ATA Cryptographic Key Reset are as secure as a pager
or walkie-talkie, as it is impossible to know whose fingers were
involved in their manufacture or in the supply chain.

How paranoid were you when the drive was still in use? Was the computer
hidden deep in a secret vault in a bunker in a mountain?

If you are not too paranoid, consider to dismantle the drive and dispose
a part of it in an environmentally friendly way, while placing the
damaged plates in public waste bins in various places.

Regards,
Ralf