Electromagnet Hard Drive Erasure - Revision history

Beard: /* hdd-readtest.sh */

2019-08-08T17:57:51Z

‎hdd-readtest.sh

Beard: /* Data Files */

2019-06-07T00:57:48Z

‎Data Files

Beard: /* Data Files */

2019-06-07T00:56:31Z

‎Data Files

Beard: /* Video */

2019-06-01T07:43:16Z

‎Video

Beard: /* Data Files */

2019-06-01T04:33:39Z

‎Data Files

Beard: /* Data Files */

2019-06-01T04:32:45Z

‎Data Files

Beard at 04:32, 1 June 2019

2019-06-01T04:32:13Z

Beard: /* Conclusion */

2019-06-01T04:21:51Z

‎Conclusion

Beard: /* Conclusion */

2019-06-01T04:21:20Z

‎Conclusion

Beard: /* Conclusion */

2019-06-01T04:20:37Z

‎Conclusion

@@ Line 291: / Line 291: @@
 === hdd-readtest.sh ===
-This was used to read the disk while applying a the magnet to the hard drive. I could have sent the output to /dev/null, but for some reason I didn't.
+This was used to read the disk while applying the magnet to the hard drive. I could have sent the output to /dev/null, but for some reason I didn't.
 <source lang="shell">
 #!/bin/bash

@@ Line 319: / Line 319: @@
 <br/>(has header, delimiter = pipe, text qualifier = double quote).</td>
 <td>8K</td>
-<td><html><a href="/wiki/files/hdderasure01/results-magtest.csv">Download</a></html></td>
+<td><html><a href="/wiki/images/files/hdderasure01/results-magtest.csv">Download</a></html></td>
 </tr>
@@ Line 326: / Line 326: @@
 <td>Test results in Excel format.</td>
 <td>12K</td>
-<td><html><a href="/wiki/files/hdderasure01/results-magtest.xlsx">Download</a></html></td>
+<td><html><a href="/wiki/images/files/hdderasure01/results-magtest.xlsx">Download</a></html></td>
 </tr>

@@ Line 319: / Line 319: @@
 <br/>(has header, delimiter = pipe, text qualifier = double quote).</td>
 <td>8K</td>
-<td><html><a href="">Download</a></html></td>
+<td><html><a href="/wiki/files/hdderasure01/results-magtest.csv">Download</a></html></td>
 </tr>
@@ Line 326: / Line 326: @@
 <td>Test results in Excel format.</td>
 <td>12K</td>
-<td><html><a href="">Download</a></html></td>
+<td><html><a href="/wiki/files/hdderasure01/results-magtest.xlsx">Download</a></html></td>
 </tr>

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 = Video =
 <html>
-<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9o61Rq3FwDs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
+<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/27QJFmUhgRo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 </html>
 <br/>

@@ Line 319: / Line 319: @@
 <td>results-magtest.csv</td>
 <td>Test results (original). Some cells have newline characters. Works best in Libre Office.
-<br/>(delimiter = pipe, text qualifier = double quote).</td>
+<br/>(has header, delimiter = pipe, text qualifier = double quote).</td>
 <td>8K</td>
 <td><html><a href="">Download</a></html></td>

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-This is an experiment to torture test of a Seagate hard drive using magnets, including my grossly overpowered electromagnet made from a microwave oven transformer (MOT). I try to quantify the difference in magnetic strength between the different magnets. I then inflict a series of escalating traumas upon the hard drive, following each assault by a scripted routine of tests that generates a wealth of data about the drive's status. When will this hard drive fail? And how? Can you really erase data from a hard drive using a magnet?
+This is an experiment to torture test a Seagate hard drive using magnets, including my grossly overpowered electromagnet made from a microwave oven transformer (MOT). I try to quantify the difference in magnetic strength between the different magnets. I then inflict a series of escalating traumas upon the hard drive, following each assault by a scripted routine of tests that generates a wealth of data about the drive's status. When will this hard drive fail? And how? Can you really erase data from a hard drive using a magnet?
 Warning: Powerful magnets pose a risk of pinching, broken bones, and damaged electronic devices including medical devices.
@@ Line 65: / Line 65: @@
 == Magnetic Strength Test ==
-To get a relative comparison between the different magnets, I used my phone's magnetometer. For each magnet place it on the table and held the phone to the side of the ruler to determine at what distance the needle on the magnetometer was centered, which represents 480&mu;T. These were my results:
+To get a relative comparison between the different magnets, I used my phone's magnetometer. For each magnet I placed it on the table and held the phone to the side of a ruler to determine at what distance the needle on the magnetometer was centered, which represents 480&mu;T. These were my results:
 <div style="display:inline-block;padding-top:16px;">
@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 <tr>
 <th>Magnet</th>
-<th>480 &mu;T at</th>
+<th>480 &mu;T at distance of</th>
 </tr>
@@ Line 263: / Line 263: @@
 <i>Note: I've already applied a correction to the code above.</i>
-I discovered after running all these tests that the SMART test data is invalid. When you return SMART test results, it lists the results of several past tests. I assumed that each new test was appended to the end of the list, especially because they're numbered, but it is actually prepended to the beginning.
+I discovered after running all these tests that the SMART test data is invalid. When you return SMART test results, it lists the results of the test along with several past test results. I assumed that each new test was appended to the end of the list, especially because they're numbered, but it is actually prepended to the beginning.
 How I thought it was displayed:
@@ Line 318: / Line 318: @@
 <tr>
 <td>results-magtest.csv</td>
-<td>Test results (original). Some cells have newline characters. Works best in Libre Office.</td>
+<td>Test results (original). Some cells have newline characters. Works best in Libre Office.
 <td>8K</td>
 <td><html><a href="">Download</a></html></td>

@@ Line 340: / Line 340: @@
 == Conclusion ==
-No significant difference in read/write speed, no data corruption.
+No significant difference in read/write speed and no data corruption.
 Based on my test results, I conclude that using magnets on the exterior of a hard drive is not an effective method of data erasure. The other mechanisms of the drive are likely to fail first, and data may still be recoverable via platter transplant.

@@ Line 342: / Line 342: @@
 No significant difference in read/write speed, no data corruption.
-Based on my test results, I conclude that using magnets on the exterior of a hard drive is not an effective method of data erasure. Data would still likely be recoverable via platter transplant.
+Based on my test results, I conclude that using magnets on the exterior of a hard drive is not an effective method of data erasure. The other mechanisms of the drive are likely to fail first, and data may still be recoverable via platter transplant.
 = Links =

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:20, 1 June 2019
Line 339:		Line 339:

	== Conclusion ==		== Conclusion ==
		+
		+	No significant difference in read/write speed, no data corruption.

	Based on my test results, I conclude that using magnets on the exterior of a hard drive is not an effective method of data erasure. Data would still likely be recoverable via platter transplant.		Based on my test results, I conclude that using magnets on the exterior of a hard drive is not an effective method of data erasure. Data would still likely be recoverable via platter transplant.