USB Key Formatting
- Thread starter SkyRider
- Start date
this might be useful, although it's 3 yrs old. It should still be effective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcTVS5cDIB8
I also read somewhere that you should try to fill up the drive in order to overwrite everything on the drive, then format. Also read about formatting it with linux. Good luck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcTVS5cDIB8
I also read somewhere that you should try to fill up the drive in order to overwrite everything on the drive, then format. Also read about formatting it with linux. Good luck
yes the C drive. If your unsure, open my pc. Right click on each drive listed and at the bottom you get properties. That will indicated the size of the drive etc. Windoze will usually give you a ( c and d ) drive one of which holds the boot info etc. As you insert the usb it should ask you what do you want to do with this drive. If auto play is enabled.
There is nothing which prevents a virus from triggering on a formatting operation to reinstall itself on a USB key. Or, triggering on the insertion of a new USB key. Or other triggers.
So we can agree that the act of formatting the entire USB thumbdrive would wipe out any viruses, it could be as little as mere milliseconds before a virus is again present on the USB drive.
So the question is, how do you cleanse the formatting operation of this virus?
The other option is to format that thumbdrive on another PC that has no infected formatting operation.
Virus' on USB keys can be buried very deep into the root of the drive itself. Read about Stuxnet and even about how some hackers got into the source code of the USB manufacturers system to be able to replace it with spyware/malware etc.
If you think your USB key has a virus, toss it out and buy another one for $20.
But....Just a hunch based on my observations of some of your posts re van's and where you sound like go on the internet when you are not on TERB is that you might be wanting to wipe any images aka "other crap" that you might not want to become evidence.
To that question, the answer is that, unlike magnetic drives, old files written to flash media are readily recoverable even after being wiped/overwritten hundreds of times. It just takes computing power and time. Depending on the value of what you are hiding, LE might not bother.
If you don't want your data to be read by anyone, physically destroy the flash media with scissors and fire.
Then encrypt your entire NEW drive with whatever type/level of encryption you can handle. Highly unlikely it can be cracked without your password and IIRC there is case law against self-incrimination and being ordered to provide your password. So it is likely secure. But if you ever want to wipe the encrypted data, then you should be using a magnetic HDD.
Or just stop hunting and hoarding porn!
Damn! So, my nude Jennifer Law, Katy Perry and Maria Sharapova nude pics can be recovered even after I format the USB key.
