This article posted on carrollcountytimes.com presents the latest information about the durability of computer parts. The write-up actually comes from employees at InfoPath who made an effort at studying the stability of Dell computer parts. While the entire experiment done by InfoPath may seem to be a technical activity meant to satisfy manufacturers of computer hardware, it is also clear that the study actually benefits also computer users. The article particularly described how a test was made on a hard drive. Information like these is certainly useful for those who wish to buy computers that are really durable. This helps a lot if one is planning to buy a computer or a hard drive. The site actually offers comprehensive discussions on the durability of hard drives, recovering data, and the ways to maintain these.
InfoPathways employees covered every crevice of a Dell home computer in foam, poured water on it and dumped the fizzy contents of a Sprite can for added effect. The computer shut down, unable to power up through the intentional damage. That doesn’t mean the data stored on the hard drive inside was gone forever.
While the hard drive destruction demonstration conducted by the InfoPathways team outside their Westminster office Thursday was more for fun than anything else, senior network engineer Thomas Bethune said a lesson could be learned from the fiery, explosive carnage: Even if the computer no longer works, personal data can be recovered from it.
Computer data is stored on a circular platter often encased in aluminum. Bethune said far too many computer users assume that they do not have to remove personal data if the computer itself no longer works.
Bethune said all computer users should eliminate data first. Otherwise, bank or investment passwords and credit card information could wind up being transferred, leading to the threat of identity fraud.
Physically rendering hard drives unusable is a difficult endeavor. Scratching the disc does the trick. But hard drives can survive severe punishment, as evidenced in the InfoPathways parking lot Thursday.
Even some of the most complicated destruction methods were potentially ineffective.
“They’re tough,” Bethune said of the hard drives. “They can withstand more punishment than people give them credit for.”
To prove it, Bethune handed guests a hammer and goggles and let them pound broken computers into submission.
“I want to give it a try,” Carroll County Public Schools substitute teacher Dee Krasnansky said.
The usually cheery Krasnansky put as many dents into the computer as she could.
Bethune said the data on the hard drive could almost certainly be recovered, despite the creviced exterior.
The crowd laughed and gasped while the InfoPathways team went to work, using everything from liquid nitrogen to fire and smoke to destroy the computers.
Bethune said InfoPathways has dozens of hard drives from failed computers they need to eliminate, so they decided to do so in some of the most graphic ways possible as a stress reliever.
“This is geek heaven,” said Carroll Community College continuing education instructor Linda Nestor. “You get to blow stuff up.”
In previous experiments, Bethune and senior database engineer Douglas Heck literally blew holes through hard drives to see what would happen. After close inspection, Bethune said an expert could probably still recover data from the hard drives riddled with bullet holes.
Other experiments proved more successful, including the use of liquid nitrogen and fire.
Nestor said she plans to use InfoPathways YouTube videos to demonstrate just how vulnerable data can be if not eliminated from a hard drive.
“This is so visual,” she said. “I’ll be able to pull up a video and say, ‘hey, look what is still there.’”
