Hello,
Just wondering if there's some specific program or anything to securely delete a rewritable CD (CDRW)? Or do I just go with any CD burner soft and tell it to do a full delete?
Thanks!
New: Run-Command (Dec 2, 2024), Platform 29.5.3 (Jun 27, 2024)
1,100+ portable packages, 1.1 billion downloads
No Ads Nov/Dec!, Please donate today
Visit the Community page
Join our forums
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Subscribe with RSS
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Mastodon
Follow us on BlueSky
Personally, I haven't encountered secure wipe software for RW disks, and the following is from Wikipedia:
Full blanking removes traces of the former data, often for confidentiality. It may be possible to recover data from full-blanked CD-RWs with specialty data recovery equipment, however this is generally not used except by government agencies due to cost.
Perhaps if you just burn some dummy data a few times over, then the data you want to be unrecoverable will be gone forever.
If you want to rewrite data on it without the average joe being able to see what was on it before, full-blank it a couple times. If you want to make sure no one ever knows what was on that disc, steel wool should work nicely.
Vintage!
nice...
in the microwave.... Saw that one on MythBusters once, fireworks galore....
Edit: Nevermind that could be REALLY unsafe. One of those "Kids don't try this at home deals...."
I've done that. Its neat. But it makes the room stink. And I've been told it can nuke the microwave
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
I've only done it once, but I'm not sure it's entirely unsafe. All you need is 2 seconds. Maybe one, but I've always heard two.
You know how they say don't put metal in the microwave? You can do that, but the conditions have to be just right. Since it's too much to explain, they just say not to do it, especially since there's no good reason to microwave metal.
CDs have a foil surface. The first layer, from the top, is the label. Then, on a CD-R, there's a metallic film, followed by plastic. When you microwave it, the metallic film is charged, and it burns the label. I suppose if you have the disc label side up, you run a risk of the exposed film causing electrical arcs and damaging the microwave emitter, and if you have the disc face down, the label can get burned into the glass tray. Neither is desirable, but that's why it's only done for 2 seconds. The first second, nothing happens. Then a zap, then it cuts off.
If it smells (this didn't happen for me) light a match. Sulfur is great for covering bad smells. If you don't have children, a dish with a collection of matchbooks is a great asset to a bathroom for that exact reason.
to work with a guy who repaired microwave ovens. He told me that they used florescent light bulbs to test repaired ovens to see if they worked. Supposedly, a working oven will light up a florescent light bulb. If you have a citizens band radio handy, key up the mike, touch the antenna with a florescent bulb and the radio will light it up. This does work (I've tried it) and is safer than the microwave.
Why go through all that work... My way's kinda therapeutic. Take your pick: break it in half, hit with hammer, cut with sizzers, attack with a blowtorch, shoot it...any sound appealing?
Release Team Member
but if someone likes to use the rewritables again and again and gives them sometimes out of hand, well the idea has some point.
We all did think at one or other time about wipe of floppies (oh, that was small magnetic portable storage if someone should no know) and hard drives and other things. Normal CD , yes we have even a commercial shredder at work for that.
But I admit, I never thought about the correct handling of rewritables.
You know, we here in Switzerland have some strange feelings towards data CD, when I think the rewritable did contain before some list of overseas customers of one bank and then....
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
mod remove this one pls
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
I use a razor blade. (Emo joke I guess, but I'm not emo).
Of course, this destroys the cd, but . . . .
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
delete if needed