Can't format a failing drive

[FL630]

I've got a drive which I'm RMAing with OCUK. It's full of stuff, 20,000+ photos, videos, games, all sorts, some of which I do not really want people to see (clean your minds!!).

OCUK are happy to take it back formatted, however I cannot do so. The drive occasionally reads, so someone could easily access the content, but for whatever reason, either through the standard right click method, or by disk management, I cannot format it.

Any other methods or programs to try it which may have more luck?

 

[Donnie Fisher]

some drive manufacturers used to offer utility type tools for their hard drives which work at a very low level which might get you access to formatting it or wiping the partition data.

 

[FL630]

some drive manufacturers used to offer utility type tools for their hard drives which work at a very low level which might get you access to formatting it or wiping the partition data.

Thanks Donnie, I didn't know this so downloaded WD's software. Believe it or not that fails at formatting it too, but all the data seems to have gone. I tried doing a "quick test" of the drive too, which also fails.

Basically it's utterly ******, but at least now I know, aside of taking the platters out of the HDD, nobody is getting in!

 

[Threepwood]

Thanks Donnie, I didn't know this so downloaded WD's software. Believe it or not that fails at formatting it too, but all the data seems to have gone. I tried doing a "quick test" of the drive too, which also fails.

Basically it's utterly ******, but at least now I know, aside of taking the platters out of the HDD, nobody is getting in!

Hmmm, the data might still be there though as in, recoverable.

Have you tried any of the hard drive data killing programs?

Failing that I guess the only way would be some really bloody large magnets?

Also, I dont know what ocuk's policy is on this... but... if you have sensitive data on it (clean mind lol, I mean simply data that you consider yours and yours alone) have you asked them to simply replace and that you wish to physically destroy the drive?

I don't think that is'nt overly unrealistically okay considering.

 

[Avalon]

Hmmm, the data might still be there though as in, recoverable.

Have you tried any of the hard drive data killing programs?

Failing that I guess the only way would be some really bloody large magnets?

Also, I dont know what ocuk's policy is on this... but... if you have sensitive data on it (clean mind lol, I mean simply data that you consider yours and yours alone) have you asked them to simply replace and that you wish to physically destroy the drive?

I don't think that is'nt overly unrealistically okay considering.

Given that OCUK or whoever else need to return it to the OEM to get a replacement, it’s pretty unrealistic to suggest it would ever be OK to physically destroy the drive on an RMA. If op wants to scrap it, it’s not going to be accepted for RMA and they need to pay to replace it.

 

[Threepwood]

Given that OCUK or whoever else need to return it to the OEM to get a replacement, it’s pretty unrealistic to suggest it would ever be OK to physically destroy the drive on an RMA. If op wants to scrap it, it’s not going to be accepted for RMA and they need to pay to replace it.

I'd bet tuppence it has happened before!

 

[jsmoke]

You can still recover data even after a format, plenty of tools out there.

 

[ANDARIAL]

Tried FDISK cmd?

 

[pcfarrar]

Why don't you just send the drive back to Western Digital yourself? They guarantee all data is destroyed on returned drives.

 

[an0nym0us]

Try booting with an Ubuntu live disk, then using dd to write zeroes to the drive.

Disconnect all other drives except for the broken drive to avoid destroying data on other good drives.

I've only tried this on working HDDs, not HDDs with bad sectors before, so you may need to stipulate to ignore read/write errors.

 

[coupe69]

Given that OCUK or whoever else need to return it to the OEM to get a replacement, it’s pretty unrealistic to suggest it would ever be OK to physically destroy the drive on an RMA. If op wants to scrap it, it’s not going to be accepted for RMA and they need to pay to replace it.

Our company return the metal top panels of borked mechanical drives to the manufacturers on a regular basis. This is so our customers with sensitive data, such as police forces, NHS etc, can retain the rest of the drive and destroy as they deem fit.

 

[Avalon]

Our company return the metal top panels of borked mechanical drives to the manufacturers on a regular basis. This is so our customers with sensitive data, such as police forces, NHS etc, can retain the rest of the drive and destroy as they deem fit.

Pretty standard (though most seem to accept an electronic submission). I have worked in similar environments where once a drive was commissioned, it could never be taken off site for any reason, failed drives were subjected to a basic test report and once submitted spares arrived and were replaced as part of the contract. When storage had reached the end of its planned service life, it was shredded on-site with whitenesses signing off the certificates of destruction being generated along with serial numbers and weighing the before/after pile. They used to pre-zero them with multiple passes at one stage, but eventually saw sense.

Thing is those types of contract attract a significant premium vs op paying retail/OEM rates and worried about WD or whoever laughing at his photo’s of his thimble collection with a bit of Aunty Joan’s leg and Hernando the Yorkshire Terrier in a few of them so it’s completely irrelevant to this scenario.

 

[silk186]

Use a file shredder app. If that doesn't work try a strong magnet or a drill.

 

[darael]

Find a very strong magnet or degausser - they will wipe the drive practically instantly without physically touching the drive, allowing you to return the drive intact.

 

[.Ox.]

You could give DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) a go, but make sure your other drives are disconnected just in case!
Make a bootable USB with it on and it'll write over the drive.