From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   On Wed, 5/14/2025 5:30 PM, CtrlAltDel wrote:   
      
   >   
   > It just goes on and on and on.  I would rather have just converted my HDD   
   > drives into SSD's like I originally stated but, I guess that isn't   
   > possible.   
   >   
      
   There is enough infrastructure present, you can disassemble it   
   yourself and have the materials routed correctly, locally.   
   I can only scratch the surface, to show the level of progress.   
      
   As long as the PCBs aren't damaged or burned, they have a market price.   
   Controller boards are sold on ebay for example. Record the drive model   
   info carefully, and attach those details to a toe tag fastened to the PCB.   
   You are competing against companies that make brand-new replacement   
   controller boards, so your asking price cannot be higher than that value.   
   Data recovery companies use replacement controllers, while they do their   
   work. There are thousands of people who do data recovery as a local ghetto   
   economy thing. There are at least two forums, where those people gather and   
   exchange notes.   
      
   To use a recycled controller, you have to swap the crypto ROM on   
   the original board, with the chip on the replacement board. Otherwise,   
   a modern drive cannot read the contents, without the correct key.   
   Even when FDE is not "engaged", it's effects remain during the   
   data recovery process. Which is why the chip must be unsoldered   
   and swapped with the original one. Older drives do not contain   
   this (nuisance) requirement. All drives achieved FDE capability   
   some time ago, but the year that happened, was somewhat later   
   than the press release promised.   
      
   The magnets could be sent somewhere, and I think they have   
   sufficient value to attract someones attention (even locally).   
   They don't just get stuck to the side of the recyclers refrigerator.   
      
   If you want to, you can even mark the drives with a large "X"   
   and deposit them at Best Buy. They may be participants in the   
   local Take-It-Back program. A few of the big retailers participate   
   in the program, and I had about 20 pounds of dry cells recycled   
   at a retail store :-) I don't think the staff were pleased to   
   see me exactly (because I wasn't buying cellphone minutes), but   
   they did agree they were participants, and the materials were   
   duly carted to the storage area in back of the store. we pay a retail   
   "tax" for this service, and I probably paid $0.50 for some   
   USB sticks, for a future time when I will ask the store   
   to recycle them for me :-) As if :-)   
      
   At one time, my city government used to document all the   
   various "input points" in the recycling system, making it easier   
   for you to connect. They don't do this any more. Your   
   ability to discover ALL the individuals, is strictly limited.   
   I used to have a recycler only ten minutes from the house,   
   where I dropped off an old Trinitron monitor, no problem at all.   
   Now, there is a condo skyscraper, where the recycling yard   
   used to sit. I have no idea, exactly where the next nearest   
   one is.   
      
      Paul   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)