How do you recover overwritten data?

  • Salaman 28 Jan 2007 21:20:43 24,162 posts
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    Just on the off chance that someone happens to know.

    If I have an important Word doc (say a term paper) on my HDD and I close it, then open a blank Word doc and save the blank on top of the important document ... is there any way to get back the important stuff through an old autosave or something?

    Friend of a friend is in a bit of a pickle.


    Dirtbox posted last week (or 2 weeks ago?) about a crashed HDD. There were some tips to software in there as well btu I can't find the thread. Anyone what the title was? Some of those may be of help.

    Ta.
  • silentbob 28 Jan 2007 21:21:58 29,527 posts
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    Stop writing to the disk - i.e. stop using it NOW. Stick it into another system and use GetDataBack to recover the data.
  • Dirtbox 28 Jan 2007 21:27:21 92,595 posts
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    Post deleted
  • Salaman 28 Jan 2007 23:04:53 24,162 posts
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    Cheers. That's the names I didn't recall.
  • stefanifp 24 Feb 2016 06:30:24 1 posts
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    I think it's almost impossible to recover an overwritten file. However, there may be chances if you could afford expensive data recovery software.

    Edited by stefanifp at 04:05:00 29-02-2016
  • mothercruncher 24 Feb 2016 06:48:41 19,474 posts
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    For the layman perhaps. I used to have a friend who worked for the MOD. It was official policy then (20 years ago) to zero data seven times in a row and then take the disc out and smash it with a hammer when finished with a drive.
  • Dirtbox 24 Feb 2016 08:13:29 92,595 posts
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    Post deleted
  • elstoof 24 Feb 2016 08:15:56 28,125 posts
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    I'd still like some closure on this saga though.
  • MrTomFTW Moderator 24 Feb 2016 08:18:45 47,501 posts
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    mothercruncher wrote:
    For the layman perhaps. I used to have a friend who worked for the MOD. It was official policy then (20 years ago) to zero data seven times in a row and then take the disc out and smash it with a hammer when finished with a drive.
    Some intelligence agencies still use punch cards for certain data as they're easy to burn in a hurry.
  • martinthemonkey 24 Feb 2016 08:19:37 488 posts
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    Take it to a computer forensics expert. Data can't always be retrieved but they have to tools to check. We have a forensics dept at work. It's the same with phones.
  • challenge_hanukkah 27 Sep 2016 07:54:37 14,394 posts
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    I need a poo, but it's not quite ready yet.

    Please check back later.
  • mothercruncher 27 Sep 2016 22:18:56 19,474 posts
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    Kids at the pool now?
  • Deleted user 27 September 2016 22:20:37
    Try smearing mustard on the hard drive heads
  • boo 27 Sep 2016 22:31:30 13,901 posts
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    Buy a Mac and recover it from Time Machine?

    /may not be helping
  • mal 28 Sep 2016 01:38:53 29,326 posts
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    mothercruncher wrote:
    For the layman perhaps. I used to have a friend who worked for the MOD. It was official policy then (20 years ago) to zero data seven times in a row and then take the disc out and smash it with a hammer when finished with a drive.
    Hammer won't do much. Using a philips screwdriver and a torx bit you can get most platters out of a hard disc in a minute or two, then they snap pretty easily - I'd like to see someone mount those in a new drive and read the data off.

    Make sure you don't try to snap one of those old Deathstar HDDs with their glass platters mind you.
  • twelveways 28 Sep 2016 09:48:44 7,131 posts
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    What do you guys do with old hard drives (and phones). I tend to keep mine because I get scared that people can recover all my nude pictures and bank details.

    Should I attack them with a drill or is there an easier way to scramble them?

    Edited by twelveways at 09:48:57 28-09-2016
  • Dante_Cubit 28 Sep 2016 12:51:11 1,996 posts
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    Put the disk in your pocket and then hang around a school at the end of the day with a camera and a long coat. When you get pulled by plod and then forced to turn your pockets out, say that you'll never be able to retrieve the data because it's been overwritten. Wait a couple of weeks and then when the police return your kit, file a freedom of information request and bingo.
  • mrpon 28 Sep 2016 13:03:17 37,366 posts
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    twelveways wrote:
    Should I attack them with a drill or is there an easier way to scramble them?
    The people?
  • Dirtbox 28 Sep 2016 13:15:40 92,595 posts
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    Post deleted
  • Deleted user 28 September 2016 13:26:14
    Nuke m in micro with some fishy crackers
  • Decks 21 Feb 2017 09:23:00 31,013 posts
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    Would you be able to suggest a good recovery tool Lamerty?
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