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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!vrdxhq!dgis!bms-at!stuart
From: stuart@bms-at.UUCP (Stuart D. Gathman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: UNFORMATTING formated PC floppies
Message-ID: <400@bms-at.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 23-May-87 00:37:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: bms-at.400
Posted: Sat May 23 00:37:16 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 24-May-87 03:57:39 EDT
References: <4327@nsc.nsc.com> <3156@ecsvax.UUCP> <231@grinch.grinch.UUCP>
Organization: Business Management Systems, Inc., Fairfax, VA
Lines: 15
Summary: unformat for hard disk only


"UNFORMAT" utilities work for a hard disk only.  Only the FAT and root
directory are wiped when formatting a hard disk with FORMAT.

A low level format of a hard disk is a seperate step (from which there 
is no recovery).  

FORMAT always does a low level format of diskettes, however.  There is
no recovery.

P.S.  I've been told that NSA can read data that has been formatted over.
They use sensitive equipment that detects trace signal levels left over
from the previous contents.
-- 
Stuart D. Gathman	<..!seismo!dgis!bms-at!stuart>