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Zero-ed out HD but want it all back
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jul 2001
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K, so I backed up all data to an external harddrive making a bootable disk using SuperDuper! I then zero-ed everytihng out b/c I was going to send the laptop back and get a newer model. However, decided against that and now I want to put everything back on the laptop. But, in zeroing it out, it apparently got rid of the OS as well. I tried booting in Target mode from the external but it's not working.
All I want to do (if possible) is to get the laptop to do that thing that it does when it's new and it asks you if you want to transfer all the data from your old one. If I re-install the OS on the laptop from the DVD, will it give me the option to then automatically transfer over all the data? Or is there a way to make it do that without even using the DVD?
Thanks, T.
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Moderator  Join Date: May 2001
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(1) It is not possible to recover data if you have zeroed your harddrive. (The only thing that might recover the data is VERY expensive and even then there is no guarantee of success.
(2) Obviously you got `rid of the OS', because all files, including OS files were deleted with basically no hope of recovery.
(3) You can use the Migration Assistant to transfer old user accounts, settings and applications at any time. You can launch Migration Assistant even after installation (it's located in /Applications/Utilities).
(4) Cloning is not a very good backup unless you use the incremental feature. In most cases, a 1-to-1 clone of your harddrive is not a very good idea.
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Northwest Ohio
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What kind of computer do you have? PowerBook or MacBook (Pro)? What kind of external hard drive? USB or Firewire?
If you have a PowerBook (Power PC machine), then it will not boot from an external USB hard drive. It should boot from an external Firewire drive.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jun 1999
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All you have to do is plug in the external disk and turn on the machine. It will boot automatically from the external drive. Then you can use SuperDuper to clone everything back to your internal drive. Target disk mode is not involved at all.
Chris
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Hanging on the wall at Jabba's Palace
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Originally Posted by OreoCookie
(1) It is not possible to recover data if you have zeroed your harddrive. (The only thing that might recover the data is VERY expensive and even then there is no guarantee of success.
Ok I have always wondered this and maybe you can answer it.
a Drive holds 1's and 0's. If I "ZERO" my entire drive that should replace any 1 with a 0. If so why it is still possible to recover data off the drive?
Emptying the trash gives you the option to write over the file 7 times and disk utility allows 35 times.
How can any information stay ever after zeroing it once?
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"Laugh it up, fuzz ball!"
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Moderator Join Date: May 2001
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Originally Posted by Socially Awkward Solo
Ok I have always wondered this and maybe you can answer it.
a Drive holds 1's and 0's. If I "ZERO" my entire drive that should replace any 1 with a 0. If so why it is still possible to recover data off the drive?
Emptying the trash gives you the option to write over the file 7 times and disk utility allows 35 times.
How can any information stay ever after zeroing it once?
It might be possible to recover the data with some special equipment as there might be some remnant magnetization. I'm no expert on this, but I suppose there is a reason that you can also choose to overwrite your disk 7 or 35 times with random data.
However, for all practical intents and purposes, the data is lost.
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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Administrator  Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
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With extremely expensive, very complex equipment, you can see minute differences in the polarization of a magnetic cell on a hard drive platter, which can be used to reconstruct what was on the disk. The U.S. DoD requires a specific number of overwrites using a specific system of overwriting data to "sanitize" a drive. You can sanitize any drive that contains up to Top Secret information. Certain specialized types of classified information, however cannot be sanitized-the old drives are disassembled and literally shredded, including platters, circuit boards, motors and chasis. I guess they figure that the information being so protected is that important.
For all intents and purposes, once you've overwritten that space a few times the old data is gone completely-unless you happen to be a high level digital forensics lab.
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Glenn -----
OTR/L, MOT, Tx
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Originally Posted by chabig
All you have to do is plug in the external disk and turn on the machine. It will boot automatically from the external drive. Then you can use SuperDuper to clone everything back to your internal drive. Target disk mode is not involved at all.
Chris
Thank you all for the responses. This particular one is working exactly as stated.
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