Help: Dell wants hard drive to be returned!

I recently replaced the SATA hard drive on my new Inspiron 1525 under warranty. Now Dell wants me to return the old drive, which I'd gladly do except for the fact that there is sensitive financial and password info on the drive. I am not able to access the info by mounting the old drive as an axillary drive and therefore cannot overwrite the data on the drive. The drive is currently sandwiched between two large magnets in hopes of scrambling the data, however, I cannot send the drive in without knowing for certain that the data is inaccessible. Has anyone solved this problem?

 

i would maybe call them and say it has data on it, and that you will send it back, but only after physical destruction.
Maybe that's a bad idea, but thats what i'd do

 

Well, besides the fact that you probably totally borked the hard drive with the magnets, now to the point that any other method (beyond the good ol' hammer method) is now going to fail... you can try this.
Hook up the drive to a computer and use this: http://www.dban.org/
It's a data removal tool approved by the Department of Defense.

 

it's hard to be sure if all of those girls are 18 or over sometimes

 

I dont think your magnets will do the trick, and why can you not mount the drive as an auxillary drive

something you could do (but it is a bit of hassle) is to remount the drive to your laptop and then boot off something like this (DBAN)

http://www.dban.org/

so basically download the file they give you, attach your hd to any computer, laptop, boot off the CD or USB (whichever you saved to) and then just run it and it will wipe the drive for you

[EDIT] lol while I was typing Hep! beat me to it. Yes I highly suggest dban

 

You do realize dell can not just snoop through your drive without a search warrant right? And when they format to give it to someone else they are required by privacy laws to do a minimum of 7 wipes first?

 

take it apart, nothing will be recoverable after that. dell destroys the hd's anyways

 

They do not destroy them, they secure wipe them and give them as refurbs if they still work. Sometimes people think they have a problem with them but they really do not.

 

If you think dell it go let not send back drive or damage in away your wrong as other said just hook up machine dban other wipeing software or if you that worried about you data just buy the disk off them

 

that's why you take them apart, they destroy broken hard drives

 

Uh - they don't need a search warrant. Once you give it to them as trade for the new one, it is theirs and you no longer have any claim to it. And even if they did, do you really think that would stop anyone intent on committing a crime with the data.

 

It's very simple... write a letter to the VP of Dell and explain that you would like written confirmation that they will destroy the hard drive and because it contains sensitive information if there is damage to you in the future, Dell will be liable for up to $5,000,000. Alternatively they can allow you to destroy the hard drive yourself and send you a replacement and you will not hold Dell responsible for any damages. It has to be in writing - if Dell chooses to accept the liability over a $150 hard drive, all the power to them.

 

Too bad it's not his hard drive. If he is being asked to return it, it's for one of two reasons:
1) He got a replacement drive and he has to send the old one back
2) He is returning the whole system.

We already know it's #1 as he described in his first post.
They gave him a new drive, the old drive is their hard drive.
He has a few options:
1) Send in the old hard drive
2) Send back the new hard drive
3) Accept the fee that he will be charged if he does not send back one of the two drives.

You're in no situation to be bargaining and telling Dell if they want the drive they HAVE to do something. No.
You want to be sure the data is destroyed? Stop being cheap and take a hammer to it. Accept the loss of the 100 or so dollars you will be charged.
Otherwise, you're in no position to complain, let alone tell Dell they have to give you written confirmation of anything. They've got a standard procedure which they are following. If you want something outside of that (such as your data being destroyed) then you should take care of that yourself. It is in NO WAY Dell's responsibility IN THE LEAST.

 

haha wait, are you seriously trying to bluff Dell or do you honestly believe the company would be liable just because he wrote a silly letter to them saying so?

 

AFAIK search warrants are instruments issued by judges in competent jurisdiction to police agencies to execute a search when there is probable cause that evidence of a criminal activity exists. Judges do not issue search warrants to private individuals, organizations or companies. Also, enforcement of privacy laws, like enforcement of any law, is based on the concept of "substantial compliance." Interpretation of substantial compliance is not absolute and one court may require "7 wipes" (whatever that means) and another may realize such requirement is too vague to enforce and default to "substantial compliance."
In other words, it is anyone's guess what Dell may do with the used HDDs and each action may be equally acceptable and legal.
Tom

 

on dell's website you can add "keep your hard drive' coverage for dirt cheap. I would suggest doing that in the future. As for right now, you are SOL