Erase multi HDDs

[Mike87]

Hi all,

 

we have several HDDs that need to be securely erased before we can throw them away. It's important that the data needs to be erased so no recovery is possible, since they are holding company data.

So here my question: Which tool do you recommend? Also is it possible to Erase more than one HDD at once? I want to create a PC with about 3-4 SATA slots and start an erase job for all at once.

 

Thanks!

[WereCatf]

8 minutes ago, Mike87 said:

we have several HDDs that need to be securely erased before we can throw them away. It's important that the data needs to be erased so no recovery is possible, since they are holding company data.

So here my question: Which tool do you recommend? Also is it possible to Erase more than one HDD at once? I want to create a PC with about 3-4 SATA slots and start an erase job for all at once.

Make a bootable Ubuntu-stick, do a ATA secure erase on them all. Can be done on them all at the same time.

[porina]

I've seen external docks used if you need more connectivity and easy access to drives.

 

How you destroy data depends on how paranoid you are about it. Seems to be a lot of myth and legend on how possible it is to recover data after it has been overwritten, suffice to say it wouldn't be trivial. Any overwrite at all would put it beyond the reach of mortals. I've used dban in the past.

 

If you're foil hat paranoid about data then the only option is physical destruction of the drives. You can use your imagination on how to do that.

[UrbanFreestyle]

Use DBAN or ActiveKilldisk. Great software.

[Mike87]

3 minutes ago, WereCatf said:

Make a bootable Ubuntu-stick, do a ATA secure erase on them all. Can be done on them all at the same time.

 

1 minute ago, porina said:

I've seen external docks used if you need more connectivity and easy access to drives.

 

How you destroy data depends on how paranoid you are about it. Seems to be a lot of myth and legend on how possible it is to recover data after it has been overwritten, suffice to say it wouldn't be trivial. Any overwrite at all would put it beyond the reach of mortals. I've used dban in the past.

 

If you're foil hat paranoid about data then the only option is physical destruction of the drives. You can use your imagination on how to do that.

 

Thank you both. No we are not that paranoid  It should just not be recoverable via freeware or other tools. 

I've read about Zerofilling to be "the best". Is this the case for both tools mentioned? It doesnt matter if the HDD is not usable anymore after the erase, we will throw them away. 

 

[porina]

7 minutes ago, Mike87 said:

I've read about Zerofilling to be "the best". Is this the case for both tools mentioned? It doesnt matter if the HDD is not usable anymore after the erase, we will throw them away. 

If it is overwritten, doesn't matter much what with as software level tools will not recover it.

 

That only might matter if you fear the possibility someone takes apart the drive and try to somehow read variations in data to reconstruct the content that was overwritten. Foil hat levels.

[Constantin]

Just go for a format.

[Mike87]

1 minute ago, Constantin said:

Just go for a format.

I hope you are not refering to the Windows Format option. This is easily recoverable...

[iLostMyXbox21]

34 minutes ago, Mike87 said:

can throw them away

Nah you should give them to me

 

 

OT: I’d way format them. Iirc, it will wipe them 

edit: actually, a program called kill disk should work

[Constantin]

25 minutes ago, Mike87 said:

I hope you are not refering to the Windows Format option. This is easily recoverable...

Are you sure?

Format is wiping everything from my poor knowledge....

[WereCatf]

1 hour ago, Mike87 said:

Thank you both. No we are not that paranoid  It should just not be recoverable via freeware or other tools. 

I've read about Zerofilling to be "the best". Is this the case for both tools mentioned? It doesnt matter if the HDD is not usable anymore after the erase, we will throw them away.

ATA secure erase is a method where the drive itself does it all, it knows best how to remove everything in a way that it's not recoverable.

 

Also, instead of throwing them away, you could just give them to me so I can actually make use of them.... *cough*

[WereCatf]

23 minutes ago, Constantin said:

Are you sure?

Format is wiping everything from my poor knowledge....

Depends on whether it is a "quick format" or not: a "quick format" just erases the filesystem-structures, but doesn't overwrite any of the other data on the disk, so all the data could still be recovered. A regular format, or "long format", overwrites the data and there's no software-method for recovering any of it after that.

[Mike87]

Thanks to all! I will try the tools mentioned 

[Mike87]

2 hours ago, WereCatf said:

ATA secure erase is a method where the drive itself does it all, it knows best how to remove everything in a way that it's not recoverable.

 

Also, instead of throwing them away, you could just give them to me so I can actually make use of them.... *cough*

If you live near Munich, Germany then sure you can have it

 

[UrbanFreestyle]

still no love for DBAN or ActiveKilldisk?

 

[Freebo]

Get a drill and drill through them?

 

https://fat.gfycat.com/GleefulYearlyIlladopsis.webm

[Crash Dummy]

I just used DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) on a pair of hard drives which I was sending back for RMA where I've done a simple single pass zero. The drives were too unhealthy to do a 3 pass DOD wipe. It works.

If the drives are going in the bin, invest in a cheap drill press and some drill bits and drill the crap out of the drives so the platters are utterly useless. Unless someone wants to forensically recover data from the raw platters they won't get anything. If someone really was that keen they're still going to get so little data that it won't be worth their time.