I can understand that... :) Richard's going to let me take his bulk eraser to MD, and Dale has said he thinks that will do the job... :)

I read that that's unnecessary now, though let me reiterate
the importance of physical destruction of the media.

A perspective is that if the information is valuable enough to expend significant resources in trying to recover it, then physical
destruction is absolutely necessary. However, that would usually involve stuff like top secret or nuclear related information. Collections of old
bank statements and old collections of recipes on floppy disks is not of
such vital importance that it would require the dedication of
significant resources to recover that information if a triple-wipe
protocol were used on the media. From what I have read, even a
single overwrite is sufficient.

My take on it was that Dale's disks had information of
potential commercial if not security value. Of course,
we aren't to know the confidentiality level of this
stuff, but the more useful the greater the need for
perspicacity.

The theory is that the read/write heads can move slightly as a drive
ages. That means that the erase may not quite overwrite the information.
Does that mean that someone can then plop in some software program and recover a wiped disk? No. The process would involve some pretty
specialized hardware, something the average person is unlikely to have.
Now someone merely deleted files, then recovery of those files is very
easy as deleting just marks the space as free in the disk's directory
and does not overwrite the space. If a program such as testdisk/photorec
is used, it will search for deleted entries and recover them even if it
can't recover the file name. Only if the disk had subsequently been used
and the file space was overwritten with new files would this recovery procedure fail for those files that had been already overwritten.

I wasn't thinking of Joe Schmo scanning for bank account
information but rather more like Vladimir Badguy and his
KGB and all its specialized expertise. Or Qualcomm or
whatever. Someone with bigger resources and bigger
fish to catch.

Wipedrive, Shred, or the now infamous Bleachbit are all ways to force overwriting of the drive's file space. The Secure Erase feature of newer drives will use the drive's built-in procedures for overwriting every
space on a disk. Look up SATA secure erase for more information. DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) is a program to wipe disks where one can specify
a particular disk or using an "autonuke" function to boot and overwrite
all connected drives.

As I recall, the most secure wipe I had access to (the
Norton government wipe I mentioned) did multiple overwrites
of random data on every part of the media, and still it was
said that a sufficiently equipped and persistent snoop
could glean useful information.

I think Dale could verify that this is accurate information. Total
security is to destroy the media, even after wiping. Wiping may be
adequate for most media though.

It's a cost-benefit thing for the snooper, assuming
the opportunity.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Favourite Sesame Seed Chicken
Categories: Chicken, Chinese, Stir-fry, Internet
Yield: 4 Servings

8 Chicken- thighs -or-
450 g Chicken- pieces -or-
3 ts Oil- cooking
1 ts Oil- sesame
25 g Spice- sesame seeds
; SAUCE
2 Garlic cloves
;minced
2 Onions- spring
;finely chopped
;or minced
1 ts Vinegar- Chinese black -or-
1 ts Vinegar- brown malt -or-
3 tb Sauce- dark soy
1/2 ts Spice- msg
;(optional)
1/2 ts Salt
1 1/2 ts Sugar

Heat the wok and add the oils. Stir fry the sesame seeds till they
change color to golden brown. Remove and place in a dish. Mix sauce
ingredients together and add the sesame seeds. Wipe the wok and add
the chicken. Add sufficient water to cover, and cook for 20 minutes
until the chicken is tender. De-bone the chicken and quickly cut into
bite-size pieces. Arrange the chicken on a plate and spoon the sauce
over the top.

Serve immediately

Original poster MIA
:Preparation Time : 20 minutes
:Cooking Time : About 24 minutes U/L 'COOKING' FEBRUARY Y2K JAN 06
NEWSGROUPS

MMMMM
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On 10-31-18 16:58, Michael Loo <=-
spoke to Stephen Haffly about 487 was trading stamps <=-

My take on it was that Dale's disks had information of
potential commercial if not security value. Of course,

All of what I need to get rid of is the result of working with
commercial clients. For each of those clients there was some sort of
NDA or court order covering the info.

Most of the paper product has long since gone to the shredder trucks. It
is the few remaining floppys that I was concerned about. All of it was produced on my personal computer, and none of it was classified national security material. Thanks to Dave Drum, I now believe that I will have
gotten rid of all residual info in a satisfactory manner.

Earl did produce some strange recipes -- just saying.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Mock Crab Cake No. 2
Categories: Eggplant, Old bay
Yield: 4 Servings

1 lg Eggplant
1 tb Minced parsley
4 tb Diced bread crumbs
1 Egg, separated, white beaten
Stiff
1 tb Minced dried onion
1 tb Worcestershire sauce
2 tb Old Bay Seasoning
2 tb Vegetable oil

Prick the eggplant with fork several times and put on plate in
microwave. Cook on high for 7 minutes or until eggplant is soft and
cooked through. Remove the skin and put the insides in blender and
process on high for 20 seconds. In large bowl put eggplant and all
remaining ingredients except oil, folding in beaten egg white last. In
non-stick skillet, heat about 1 tbs of oil. When hot, drop about 1/4
cup of eggplant mixture in skillet and fry the cake 2-3 minutes on
each side until crispy. You should be able to fry two or three at a
time. Serve with tatar or cocktail sauce.
From: Earl Shelsby Date: 08-15-96
Cooking

MMMMM


... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 02:24:36, 01 Nov 2018
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