[SOLVED] Wiping a ssd

[enkidoe]

In our company, we often get desktops back from customers. Customers allow us to send these desktops for free to charity, but they dont want us to give the original ssd to charity, so we place a small new ssd in these desktops.
But, we are looking for a way to destroy the ssd's, not physically btw. We need to make sure the ssd cannot be used again. Is it somehow possible to use a tool that can simulate terrabites written so the ssd stops working? Or is there a different software sollution possible?
Thank you.

 

[punkncat]

Take a drill bit and run through them after you do a wipe.

 

[enkidoe]

Take a drill bit and run through them after you do a wipe.

We cannot physically destroy them. We send the old disks(they cannot be physically damaged) to a company that is reusing the disks for their (raw) materials. The (small amounts of)money we get for these, is used for purchased new discs. Formatting the discs still gives a small change of recovering, thats is why i am looking for a different "destroy" tool.

 

[punkncat]

I have utilized a program that will clean a disk to a level of "impossible recovery" but don't think it is a readily available program. It doesn't destroy the disk.
Might be worthwhile to ask of the company that is harvesting the drives for whatever purpose what their security protocol is in relation to this. I mean, if you are "software disabling" these disks by max write (or w/e) method, how does that then turn around for being a useful part for them? If they are physically grinding up the bits and making meatloaf it really shouldn't matter how secure the erase process is if they are following an ethical process.

To be fair, I have never heard of such second hand use, so perhaps someone on forum may be familiar and give a better suggestion.

 

[Zerk2012]

We cannot physically destroy them. We send the old disks(thay may not be physically damaged) to a company that is reusing the disks for their (raw) materials. The (small amouns of)money we get for these, is used for purchased new discs. Formatting the discs still gives a small change cor recovering, thats is why i am looking for a dicferent "destroy" tool.

Secure erase should clean the drive.

 

[enkidoe]

Secure erase should clean the drive.

yes, but is it 100 procent safe.

 

[mdd1963]

if one reads what secure erase does, the data is indeed quite gone...

 

[Satan-IR]

I'd say secure erase is enough too. Only fail safe way is to physically destroy the board/NAND chips, which is out of question here.

Apparently some brand SSDs - apart from secure erase - have a 'Sanitize' option. Maybe worth checking if the drives you get thave that too.

Not a 100% on this but I think Secure Erase justdeletes the mapping table but doens't not erase all blocks that have been written to. However, Sanitize will delete the mapping table and will erase all blocks that have been written to. This makes it take longer if the option is there to begin with.

Also not sure if the SSD has to support sanitize or not but I think some partitioning and disk management appliation like Aeomi and MiniPartition Wizard etc do this 'sanitize' thing.

 

[USAFRet]

In our company, we often get desktops back from customers. Customers allow us to send these desktops for free to charity, but they dont want us to give the original ssd to charity, so we place a small new ssd in these desktops.
But, we are looking for a way to destroy the ssd's, not physically btw. We need to make sure the ssd cannot be used again. Is it somehow possible to use a tool that can simulate terrabites written so the ssd stops working? Or is there a different software sollution possible?
Thank you.

You want to completely erase the customers original drive?
Then what do you do with that drive?

"We need to make sure the ssd cannot be used again."
not used, or not read? 2 different things.

Either the Secure Erase function from the manufacturer
or
Blancco Drive Eraser from DBAN.

Darik’s Boot and Nuke – DBAN

Erase hard drives, desktops, laptops or servers free with a Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) download. Try it now.

dban.org

 

[sizzling]

When customers return the PC’s what method of data destruction are they agreeing to? As long as the method meets that agreement what’s the problem?

 

[enkidoe]

When customers return the PC’s what method of data destruction are they agreeing to? As long as the method meets that agreement what’s the problem?

the data should be non-recoverable. that is why i am looking for a way to do something with, f.i. the tbw value.

 

[hang-the-9]

In our company, we often get desktops back from customers. Customers allow us to send these desktops for free to charity, but they dont want us to give the original ssd to charity, so we place a small new ssd in these desktops.
But, we are looking for a way to destroy the ssd's, not physically btw. We need to make sure the ssd cannot be used again. Is it somehow possible to use a tool that can simulate terrabites written so the ssd stops working? Or is there a different software sollution possible?
Thank you.

Once you do a secure erase and format the disks, then run a clean OS setup on it for charity, the original data on them is gone. Data recovery and usage on an SSD is very different than on a platter drive.

I changed the post title, since you don't actually want to "destroy" the disk.