[MLUG] Re: Re: OFF TOPIC - Photocopier Hard Drive Security

["Gary C." <xheralt AT gmail.com>]

Google your copier model, see if you can find service documentation on it; there's probably a hidden menu somewhere (which is what the service tech would use) to security-wipe the data while leaving the executables untouched.  Such may be accessed, for example, by powering the machine down and powering it back up with a specific key combo pressed during bootup.

On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 11:22 AM, Jared Liebl <liebljs AT gmail.com> wrote:

Just for those who might be interested - MS Windows XP says that there is one, 80gb partition of unknown type on the copier's hard-drive. Puppy Linux says that there are 12 partitions of unknown type, and I can't manage to mount any of them and see any data on them.  Maybe someone smarter than me could do it, though.

From the reading that I've done, a newly formatted hard drive does leave the copier in an unusable state (although I haven't tried it yet).  Apparently a factory-authorized technician knows how to perform an "initialization" of a copier hard-drive.  The manufacturer doesn't want anyone else to do it, though.  In the words of one forum poster responding to a similar problem ". . . we do not want our customers to damage their printers or electrocute themselves."

Rather than continue my stick-poking, I think that I'll call the leasing agency and try to badger them into cooperating with me on this issue.

Jared

On 7/14/2010 5:36 PM, Scott Simonson wrote:

I'm going to get my EIDE ->  USB adapter from home and try it out.<<<<

Those are handing little gadgets.

Thanks,

Scott

-- 
<<<Gary>>>

"A real friend doesn't get in your way -- unless you're on the way down."
[Dr. Wayne Dyer]