[geeks] bulk-erasing a HD

[Brian Hechinger]

> I've got a SCA HD here, out of a SGI machine, that I need to erase
> or at least render unreadable before sending off to someone.  Unfortunately,
> I dont have the right bracket, nor the tools to re-use one of my existing
> brackets, to mount this in my U60 and dd it to death.

since this is a temporary setup just to wipe the disk, you can very easily plug
the SCA drive in with no bracket, all you need are some matchboxes or 4mm tape
cases to prop the thing up.  oh, a desk that doesn't shake easily, or avoiding
the room once the thing is going is a good idea. :)

i ran my sparc5 with two SCA disks in it with nothing holding them up but 4mm
tape cases.  worked well too. :)

> We *do* have a bulk eraser at work that's used on backup tapes - would
> this work, or would it also fuck up the servo tracks on the disk and
> make it completely unusable?  If it has to be re-low-level-formatted thats
> okay; as long as the guy can use it when it gets to him...

i'm sure you've seen the other post, please don't do that. :)

> Bill

-brian