How to Permanently Delete Data

These days computers are more and more integrated into our lives. Because of this we store personal data which can be misused in the wrong hands. So the question is when it’s time to get rid of your old computer how can you make sure that the data you want to get rid of is permanently gone?

You hear in the press all the time that it is possible to recover data under any situation. This is not strictly true it is possible to deleted data completely without having to physically destroy the hard drive. However it does involve more than deleting and emptying the recycle bin.

Depending on what extent you want to delete data there are many software solutions. Below we choose two that we think are the most effective:

Eraser
Eraser is a Windows utility that allows you to securely erase files, file slack space or cluster tips (the space that is not occupied by the data in a file, but nonetheless allocated to that file by the operating system), Windows virtual memory swap file, unused space on a hard disk, or an entire hard disk or floppy disk or Zip disk or the like. It is able to wipe data using pseudo-random data (or any combination of data that you specify), any number of times you wish (e.g., once, or using the US Department of Defense (DOD) recommendations of either 3 times or 7 times, or the Gutmann recommendation of 35 times, etc.). It is also able to erase the file names in the directories for files you delete. The program is open source and works under Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP.

Darik’s Boot and Nuke
Darik’s Boot and Nuke is a utility that you use when you want to completely obliterate all your data in all your hard disks and their partitions. It comes in the form of a bootable floppy disk or a bootable CDROM image (you download whichever you prefer), complete with an operating system (Linux) and the Boot and Nuke utility. Once you boot up that floppy (or CDROM), the utility will proceed to destroy all your data in every partition of every hard disk. The site says that it is designed for bulk or emergency data destruction. (It is probably also useful in less dramatic cases, such as when you want to wipe your disks prior to giving your computer away to someone.)

Writing zeros to a drive is a sure way to erase data. There is some debate how many passes is necessary to erase data completely. However, 1 pass is enough for data to never be recovered again. But if you are paranoid then you can pass Zeros through the drive as many as you feel necessary.

For more articles on data:
erase data

Microsoft Windows New File System

Microsoft have been developing a new file to work as an add-on to the existing NTFS. Originally planned to be included in Vista, however was still in Beta testing and did not make it.

WinFS sits on top of NTFS, which is why it is able to be an add on, much as Microsoft ships its .Net Framework today..

Operating systems such as Windows, Unix, Linux and others, use file systems to organize and store information. File systems, such as Windows’ current NTFS, make it possible for people and computer programs to find documents, photos and other data.

Microsoft called WinFS a tool that makes it easier to find information stored on both local PCs and across networks.

Originally touting WinFS as the means that would enable better desktop file searching, Microsoft is now focusing on the benefits of the file system as a means for desktop applications to harness information stored in a common repository. For example, rather than entering shipping information in an e-commerce application, with WinFS, someone could simply click on his or her own card in a central address book and the information would be transferred to the appropriate place.

Microsoft called WinFS a tool that makes it easier to find information stored on both local PCs and across networks.

For more file system related articles:
File System

Ontrack recover drive that fell from space

It might sound unbelivable but we are going to have a look at how this was possible. Kroll Ontrack Inc one of the leading data recovery companies in the world in 2003 recovered data from a hard drive from the space shuttle Columbia.

On Feb 1 2003, the Columbia space shuttle broke apart on re-entry into the atmosphere. Killing the seven astronauts on board.

The hard disk drives fell 39 miles to earth, landing in a lake bed in Texas. Three drives were found six months after the crash and sent to Kroll Ontrack data recovery.

The drive was a 340MB hard drive, NASA uses 340MB hard drive? They spend billions on the shuttle and use an ancient hard drive? The older hard drives are a lot more robust compared to modern hard drives which are more delicate. Modern hard drives usually contain more than 1 platter which need to be kept aligned at all times for the drive to read data.

There were three drives from the crash in total and one was recovered. Despite the age and type of drive, recovering data from a drive that has fallen from space is an achievement.

For more data recovery articles:
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ZFS: Ten reasons to reformat your hard drive

1. Simple administration
ZFS is administered by two commands, zpool and zfs.

2. Massive Storage
Shelf life of ZFS is 30 years which means that it will need to be able to hold massive amounts of data. ZFS capacity is 18 million terabytes.

3. Self-healing
ZFS has 256 bit checksums end-to end to validate data. If ZFS detects a checksum mismatch on a RAID-Z or mirrored file system it will reconstruct the block itself!

4. No more fsck
ZFS data is always consistent on disk so no need for fsck

5. Compression
Compression can improve disk I/O which is a common bottle neck. ZFS compression can be turned on for individual file systems or hierarchies with a single command.

6. Pool Storage
When you need more storage simply add a drive and ZFS takes care of the rest. Adding the volume to your existing available storage.

7. Easily expandable
if a pool gets full, you can easily expand the pool with one command.

8. Dynamic striping
Dynamic striping automatically includes all devices in a pool in writes simultaneously (stripe width spans all the available media). This will speed up the I/O on systems with multiple paths to storage by load balancing the I/O on all of the paths.

9. RAID-Z
The new RAID-Z redundant storage model replaces RAID-5 and improves upon it.

10. Clones
The simple creation of restored to the original file system to return to the previous state. Snapshots can be written to other storage (disk, tape), transferred to another system, and converted back into a file system.

For more file system related articles:
ZFS

Laptop Recovery Disk

You switch on your laptop and it doesn’t boot into Windows XP.

However you’ve lost the recovery disks. There are a number places that supply second hand disks at reasonable prices even if you have an old model.

Or contact the manufacturer directly – they will however charge you a premium for the disks.

acer laptop recovery disks
compaq laptop recovery disks
dell laptop recovery disks
fujitsu seimens laptop recovery disks
Hp laptop recovery disks
sony vaio laptop recovery disks
toshiba laptop recovery disks

Dropped External Hard Drive

You might find that you drop your hard drive only a meter or so from the ground on to a soft surface, or even dropped it on to the sofa after a long day.

Now the drive is clicking or not detected there are only a few things for you to do without making it worst.

• Plug the drive in if the drive is clicking then the only thing you can do that might work is to leave the drive in a cool dry place for 24 hours and try connecting it again. If you are lucky you might get a hour to copy important data.

• If you find that there is no clicking but the drive is still spinning then it could be that the external enclosure has failed. In this case take the drive out of the casing and connect the drive directly to a PC you should be able to drag the files off.

• If the drive is not spinning and sounds if it’s trying to spin. This will indicate that there is a problem with the motor where the drop has cause the motor to be stuck or misaligned. In this case you will need to go to a professional data recovery specialist.

dropped lacie
dropped freecom
dropped seagate agent
dropped external hard disk drive
dropped maxtor onetouch
dropped western digital mybook

 
If you have any questions or need any advice please leave a comment.

Will I get my data back?

I’ve deleted my data?

Deletion of data can be a very stressful event as it is usually only seconds after clicking the “empty the bin/trash” button you realise that you need that data!!!!

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So when you delete data what happens and can you get it back?

When data is stored on a hard disk there is a index of all the files on the disk. When you delete a file it doesn’t necessarily mean that your data is earsed and cleared instead the file is taken out of the index and marked as free space ready for new data. If new data is never saved in the same location on disk your data will remain on the disk. This is true to a certain degree however Apple OSX file system HFS+ makes for a more efficient way of saving data and shifts the data neatly together instead of having free space scattered over the disk(this is why you need to defrag in Windows) In most cases with OSX a RAW recovery is usually the only way to salvage any kind of data.
I’ve reinstalled windows?

Reinstalling windows leaves you in a similar situation as deleted data, however in some cases it can be better or worst. If you are lucky the file system index hasn’t been overwritten and you might be able to recover your data, in some cases a 99% of files can be recovered in others all the data is corrupt or gone, it’s just luck. When the original file system is in a mess your left with the awkward process of a RAW recovery as a last resort of salvaging anything from the hard drive.

Hardware Problems

Any professional data recovery company will see everything from clicking, screeching, beeping and non-spinning drives. There is always a chance to get your data back but expect the worst.

Common mechanical problems starting from the worst:
- Screeching or scratching which sounds like heads are scratching against the platters (if the platters are scratched
- your data is gone!!!)
- Drive is not spinning correctly
- A clicking drive
- Drive is not spinning – PCB problem

Using free data recovery software

Try free software before paying hundreds.We test some of the best free data recovery tools available on the internet.

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data recovery

As a rule if your partition has become corrupt we advise you to be extra cautious. Partition that becomes corrupt is an early sign that the drive has developed bad sectors. Many people don’t realise how common bad sectors are, they develop all the time however the hard drive marks them and stops using that sector. 95% of these bad sectors do not hold important data, however when they do it can cause the partition to be corrupt.

For Windows the drive might ask you if you would like to format the partition, or that you might not be able to double click the drive.

For MAC the drive might show up as empty or not show up on the desktop. If it is the drive that holds system files you might be shown a folder with a question mark on startup.
In these cases you want to handle the drive with care and not to put it under unnecessary stress. Without using professional tools your aim is to get the data off as quick as possible. If you can access a file or folder by copying and pasting or via software do it with minimum browsing, if the
system hangs in anyway stop the process immediately.

1. Do not run disk repair utilities
Windows-check diskOSX-disk utilitiesThese tools might be good for repairing the partition to a functional state by deleting problem files. But can ruin your chances of recovering you data.

2. Do not save the software or recoverable files onto the disk you are recovering from

3. Do not perform a excessive scans on the drive.
You might need to quick scan a partition with data recovery software to access corrupt partitions. However, if the process hangs or is extremely slow stop immediately. These problems can be easily overcome with professional software but continuing with limited software can complicate your chances drastically.

Raw Recovery (data carving) – this type of recovery is usually the last resort to salvage anything useful off the drive. This is where the drive is scanned for files types.
Files saved on a disk have headers and footers telling the operating system where files start and end and also what type of files they are. You can scan a drive for files in this way; however this method does not retain the filenames or any type of folder structure. This is why some refer to this method as data carving; the files are effectively carved out from the drive.

PC Inspector File Recovery- Is one of the most impressive free software we have found it lets you access corrupt partitions, scan for deleted data and RAW recoveries!! for free!!
However, commercial software is alot more powerful and more likely to find your data quickly. You should test a few different softwares to make sure you get the best results possible recovering your data.

ZFS Server File System

What is unique about ZFS?

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data recovery

In a lot of the documentation that you might read on ZFS you will find the word ‘pool’. I found one good analogy for the ZFS pool.

‘By comparison, when you have a server and you want to upgrade its memory, the process is pretty straightforward. You power down the server, plug in some DIMMs, power it back on, and you’re done. You don’t run dimmconfig, you don’t edit /etc/dimmtab, and you don’t create virtual DIMMs that you mount on applications. The memory is simply a pooled resource that’s managed by the operating system on behalf of the application. If Firefox wants another megabyte of memory, it asks for it, and if it’s available, it gets it. When it’s done, it frees it, and back it goes into the pool for other applications to use. It’s a very simple, very natural way of thinking about storage.With ZFS, we asked this question: why can’t your on-disk storage be the same way? That’s exactly what we do in ZFS. We have a pooled storage model. The disks are like DIMMs, and the file systems are like applications. You add devices into the storage pool, and now the file system is no longer tied to the concept of a physical disk. It grabs data from the pool as it needs to store your files, and as you remove or delete your files, it releases that storage back to the pool for other file systems to use. Again, it’s a very natural, very simple way to administer large quantities of data.’

What are the advantages of ZFS?

- Easy to add additional drive space to your system without going into RAID configurations.- ZFS has snapshot support; this is usually on top end enterprise storage units. Useful if you are working on projects that need to have previous file versions logged and saved.

- ZFS can recognize the difference between different storage types. So if you have expensive high performance Solid State Drives ZFS can use this to hold data that is accessed regularly and for data that is accessed frequently ZFS will have this data stored on cheaper lower performing larger hard disk drives. This makes for a hybrid system that makes the most of economical needs.

A lot of the advantages of ZFS seem to be leaned towards large enterprises where many disks are used and added on a regular basis. Not so much for the home user.

Top 5 Rescue Mac Utilities

1. Data Rescue II
Prosoft’s Data Rescue II is a tool that is designed to do one thing, data recovery, and designed to do it extremely well. Data Rescue II is for situations in which you need to recover critical data that has either been deleted or is stored on a damaged drive. It can work with drives that are failing because of corrupted directory structures (the most common hard drive problem).Unlike hard drive repair tools, which work by attempting to repair or rebuild corrupted directory structures, Data Rescue doesn’t make any modifications to a drive. This enables it to have a greater chance of recovering data from a drive than the process of actually trying to repair the drive. Repairing a corrupted hard drive can often be successful, but if it fails, it can also result in further data loss. Data Rescue’s read-only approach means that it often has a better chance of recovering data than other tools.4. Drive Genius
Also by Prosoft, Drive Genius is a comprehensive hard drive utility. It can be used to verify and repair disk directory structures; it can also be used to rebuild directory structures from badly corrupted disks. Like most third-party tools, Drive Genius provides a better chance of recovering corrupted disks than Disk Utility.Repairing a directory structure is the process of comparing it with the contents of the disk and then making corrections where possible. Rebuilding a directory structure replaces the damaged directory structure with a new one based on the location of data found on the disk—a process often attempted if repair fails.Drive Genius also offers a secure erase feature that can be used to securely erase all data on a drive or just the free space of a drive, which results in a secure erasure of any previously deleted files.

5. TechTool Pro
MicroMat’s TechTool Pro is probably the most comprehensive hardware testing and diagnostic tool outside of the tools Apple ships to authorized repair centers. It can test virtually every internal component of any Mac model. This is a great diagnostic tool for determining whether a problem is hardware-related and, if so, which piece of hardware is the cause of that problem. It can also verify the integrity of a hard drive’s directory structures as well as the integrity of the files stored on a hard drive and can be used to repair corrupted structures and files.

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2. DiskWarrior
Alsoft’s DiskWarrior doesn’t offer the broad range of hardware diagnostics that TechTool does, nor does it offer the array features for things such as formatting, resizing partitions, and defragmenting drives that Drive Studio offers. It is designed as a drive repair tool and it can generally be considered the most powerful such tool. DiskWarrior can rebuild disk directory structures better than most tools; if it cannot repair a disk, it can usually build a replacement directory by examining the files on it. In fact, DiskWarrior is so often successful that many technicians respond in shock or surprise when DiskWarrior cannot repair a disk. In the process of rebuilding a disk’s directory, DiskWarrior also optimizes the layout of directory data for improved performance, particularly for tools such as Spotlight and the Finder, which rely heavily on disk directory information (DiskWarrior optimizes only the directory data and does not optimize or defragment the file data on the disk).

3. AppleJack
AppleJack

is the only open source tool in this list and it is the only one that isn’t focused on hard drives or hardware. AppleJack is a tool designed to resolve problems with Mac OS X that can cause failures and erratic behavior, including startup issues. It is a shell script that is designed to run only in single user mode. This makes it useful if you are troubleshooting a Mac that cannot startup properly.AppleJack provides access to the disk repair options that Disk Utility offers (the fsck command-line tool) as well as to the repair permissions function in Disk Utility. It also includes features for cleaning out system and user cache files as well as the ability to verify the system and user preferences files are not corrupt.