you could have the hdd with (extra curricular things on) on a separate drive. Easiest way to wipe it clean is buy a hdd with glass platers and possibly loosen the screws on it or even remove them and use tape to keep the drive shut. As long as the drive is never opened it should run just fine. If anyone tries to confiscate your hdd open the lid and smash the disks to bits so all data is gone. Just keep ilegal crap out of your pc at a public place. I dont condone having anything ilegal on anyones machine so this is only advice for protecting your information from falling into the wrongs hands rather than hiding ilegal data.
It appears that the consensus is that there is no quick way of wiping data while leaving the drive usable. Use encryption software: The cops would then be certain you had something really illegal on it and would take the time to get it decrypted, so they could make a headline newsworthy bust. When all they find is a couple of ripped CD's, they'll be PO'd and plant some files on it..... Use a laptop drive in a small external USB enclosure. It would small enough to hide, but unfortunately it still leaves rather obvious traces on your system, then you're back to attracting official interest. Total physical destruction of the platters really is the only way to ensure the data can't be recovered by someone, somewhere. I'm not talking about simply defacing, bending, stripping, rolling them into a tube, or smashing them, but grinding them into powder or melting them into slag.
Quickly copy a LARGE HUGE file and while it's transfering, pull out the data cable. That should pretty much corrupt the harddisk. OR, bend the data cable pins OR shortcircuit the molex connector on the drive by having a SPECIAL molex connector that reverses the power flow. That should wipe it out in seconds. Heck you can even have a special AMPAGE unit inside your case. The ampage unit will deliver a HIGH power voltage to the harddrive instantly killing it. (240AC right to the molex connector) BTW: The idea of Electro magnetism won't work because most of the drives today are ems shielded against small magnetic fields (unless it was a EMS unit which will cost you a billion dollars haha) Another way is to get a shotgown and shoot it right in the center. No Evidence, No deal ^_^ I built a heating unit that heats up to about 80 celcius (haven't measure). It works by having a grid of wires short circuited which heats up the grid. If you could attach the grid to the harddrive, your harddrive would be toast.
Some excellent ideas here John Cena, are you sure that works, the copy-huge-file-pull-plug thingy? I also like the DriveCrypt idea, especially since it can hide files and show differint files for differint passwords.
DriveCrypt is useless. When the FBI finds out that you put drivecrypt there, they will take out the harddrives platters, and ignore the masterboot record which holds the password. Which means, they will be able to read all of the data heh. I never drived pulling out my data cable but I'm sure it corrupts the data. Even if it's corrupted, the FBI can still recover it using drive recovery tools etc.
Corrupting the data wont do anything. You need to multi pass zero fill the disc as well, a standard single pass can allow reconstruciton of data fairly easily. 25+ passes should do you, but it'll take many weeks. Scratching the platter wont do anything, as the data is stored magnetically. The platters can be removed and the data extracted, even from a heavily scratched disc. Blowing the hdd up might work, but again if the platter/s remain intact theres a chance data can still be recovered. Passing a current through the disc might well fry the electrics inside, but again the platters will probably be ok. Encrypting the drive, theres going to be a way to decrypt it, if someone wanted to get the data off they would be able to. The only way to safely remove all traces is to incinerate the drive, melt the platters and destroy them. Not something you could do quickly... Though planting a nuclear device under the drive might be one solution for a quick drive wiping
Highlander is right. The Platters must be destroyed. I suggest have a dynomite planted under the HD with a fuse outside the case. As soon as the FBI knocks, light the fuse.
Why don't you just put your illegal stuff on an external HDD and as soon as the cops come just grab your hammer you brought with you and smash that !@#$%F*CKR to junk..? (I mean the HDD, not the cop.. )
* wonders how to spell paranoia? you know there is one solution that has probably been mentioned but here goes: just dont get caught!
i still think a soft core iron horsey shoe shape would work, wrapped with plenty of coils attached with an emergancy switch
These suggestions are all very inventive, but a shattered hard drive platter still contains data. A corrupt drive still contains data. The only way to truely remove all chance of recovery is to grind the platter to dust or to use an extremely expensive industrial strength electromagnet. You could always sneak into your local hospital and use the MRI machine
good idea, but they would not be happy having to splash out another ~28,000 Pounds on new cooling after the scanner had to be shut down....(when metal object are taken into the room of the scanner anything big enough to be attracted by the magnet, and im pretty sure a hdd would fall into this, the scanner has to be shut down...now scanners are not active 100% all the time, but the cooling for the magnets has to kept under a constant charge/energy flow or it is rendered useless)
It depends on how interested the cops are and how paranoid you are, if you'd rather break your hard drive, or encrypt it. If any of you saw what happened with the thermite hard drive destruction, there was a huge plume of black smoke, and much of the case melted - not something to do indoors. One option might be a degausser sitting on top of the disk.
