Insect Spray Not Good For Keeping Data

[Farma]

Insect spray not good for keeping data

By Nicky Park

December 07, 2007 06:21pm

OILING the hard-drive, spraying a computer with insect spray and putting a USB flash drive in the wash are some of the creative methods people have used to destroy their data, according to a recent report.

While not all users can boast of being computer savvy, the Top Ten List of Data Disasters from data recovery company Ontrack highlights some outstanding examples of technology incompetence.

Topping the list is a Thai photographer who removed the cover of his hard-drive that was suffering from an ant invasion and doused it with insect repellant.

In another instance, a scientist in Britain became so frustrated at the squeaking noise coming from within his computer, he drilled a hole through the casing and poured oil inside.

Needless to say, the noise stopped - along with the computer.

Other accidental failings include USB flash drives falling into food or being hurled in a fit of rage, and acid in a laboratory being spilled onto the hard drive.

OnTrack Data Recovery general manager Adrian Briscoe said that in extreme cases he had heard of people in the US shooting their computers.

"They've just got so mad with their computers they've got their guns out and shot them,'' Mr Briscoe said.

Continued here http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0...5003402,00.html

[Gary A]

I shouldn't admit this, but I had an Archos remote CD read/write that made one too many coasters. I had a mark on my wall until I moved. I wasn't satisfied bouncing it off the wall so I picked it up and threw it down on the floor. Maybe the worst part was that I felt really good throwing all the pieces away. My then girlfriend thought I went insane but she felt better when I was smiling while picking up the pieces. Archos support sucked. They basically told me to buy a new one because that one was too old. I DID buy a new one but it wasn't Archos.