Can Data Be Recovered After Degaussing?

The word degaussing is an interesting one. It’s a process that removes the magnetic field from equipment, such as hard drives and other computer components.

This helps to prevent data loss and protect information from hackers.

Degaussing has been around for quite some time, but it was first developed for military purposes during World War II by the allies looking to combat German U-boats.

And while we don’t think about it much today, degaussing is still used in modern warfare and should be something you know about if you store sensitive data on your laptop or phone.

What is a Degausser?

A degausser is a machine intended for data elimination on a media drive. The machine has two main parts: a power supply and an electromagnet coil.

The power supply turns on the magnet, which then produces an electromagnetic pulse in order to erase any memory in nearby electronics.

The degausser uses powerful magnetic to neutralize any data found on tape or hard drives.

This process removes all recorded information from tapes and hard drives so these items can be reused or disposed of properly. This is necessary to ensure data on the hard drive cannot be read after it has been disposed of properly.

Degaussing also helps prevent the accidental disclosure of confidential information, which can happen when disks are simply thrown away.

Process Of Degaussing

Degaussing is a unique method of permanent data deletion that’s applicable to devices based on magnetic media.

It is a process for reducing the magnetization of a magnetic storage device to zero by applying a reverse (coercive) magnetizing force, rendering any previously stored data unreadable.

There are two ways of doing this, either you can take the hard drive and place it in an electromagnetic coil or you can use a special degausser machine.

Both methods work by generating a strong electromagnetic field which eliminates all magnetism from within the platter.

The whole procedure for degaussing only lasts a few seconds; you just have to place the device into the compartment and followed by pressing a button. The media will not be reusable after the procedure.

 How Do A Degausser Erase Hard Drives & Tapes?

Degaussing is a process that erases magnetic media, such as tapes and disks.

The degausser erases data by generating a magnetic field so powerful that it permanently removes the magnetic properties from the iron oxide or chromium dioxide coatings which erases the recorded data in the media.

Degaussers can be either manual or automatic. Manual degaussing involves using a handheld device called a “degausser coil” to create a magnetic field near the tape or disk, which causes its recorded data to be erased without touching it directly.

Automatic degaussers use high-voltage coils and must touch the media during operation; they are used for bulk erasure of large numbers of individual pieces of digital storage mediums at one time.

Am I Able to Reuse My Media Device After It Has Been Degaussed?

No, once a device has been degaussed, you cannot reuse it already. This is due to the degaussing process removing all of the data found in the device, including the startup files.

Once the degausser comes into contact with your hard drive or magnetic media, there is no going back to retrieve any of the data that may have previously existed on it.

Data recovery specialists charge hundreds to thousands of dollars for even attempting to recover anything from these devices since they are so difficult to work with and carry the risk of destroying more data in the process than was originally erased by the degaussing machine.

What’s Next?

The degaussing process eliminates the data on a hard drive but does not erase it because the data remains in your computer’s magnetic field.

To completely remove any information from your device, you should use an overwriting program to overwrite all of its storage space with ones and zeros.

This will increase the time required to access information on your device and protect against outside cyber-attacks.

If you really want everything gone, you can either opt to shred or crush your secured media device with us to ensure maximum protection against data theft.

Why Choose Tech Dynamic For Your Degaussing Needs?

Degaussing magnetic media is a common practice in data storage that eliminates residual magnetism on hard drives and tapes. Magnetic fields can adversely affect the quality of your data and should be eliminated as soon as possible. With years of experience, we’re here to help you with all your degaussing needs!

Tech Dynamic offers a variety of data destruction services. We ensure that all of your media drives will be properly handled, and its data inside will be completely irretrievable. Our experienced engineers and specialists will be able to guide and decide for you the best course of action for any project.

Our highly trained staff can be at your location if you require the media destruction to be done onsite. We have the proper equipment to conduct secured media destruction around Singapore.

We also can pick up your media drives to a secured facility for a proper disposal process. You will be provided with a certificate of destruction that states where and when your media drive was destroyed.

Give us a quick call today!