{"id":5274,"date":"2020-08-10T07:46:47","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T11:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5274"},"modified":"2020-08-10T07:46:49","modified_gmt":"2020-08-10T11:46:49","slug":"more-tales-from-the-trenches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/10\/more-tales-from-the-trenches\/","title":{"rendered":"More tales from the trenches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>My report about making a hard drive permanently inaccessible really struck a chord with AskWoody subscribers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That article, \u201c\u2018Moving house is great fun,\u2019 said no one ever\u201d (AskWoody Plus Newsletter\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/unconscious-bias-and-hiring-2\/#langalist-0\" target=\"_blank\">2020-07-13<\/a>), kicked off a profusion of reader tales about drive sanitizing \u2014 a mix of excellent advice, unexpected suggestions, and amusing anecdotes. Take a look in this week&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/will-windows-transition-to-one-update-a-year\/#langalist-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AskWoody\u00a0Plus!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also in this week&#8217;s<span style=\"color:#ff0004\" class=\"has-inline-color\"> <\/span><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/plus-membership\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>AskWoody<\/strong><\/a><em><strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/plus-membership\/\" target=\"_blank\"> Plus<\/a><\/strong><\/em> edition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>WOODY\u2019S WINDOWS WATCH:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/will-windows-transition-to-one-update-a-year\/#woodys-windows-0\">Will Windows transition to one update a year?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong>BEST OF THE LOUNGE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/will-windows-transition-to-one-update-a-year\/#lounge-0\">Simply the best music!<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong>PRIVACY:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/will-windows-transition-to-one-update-a-year\/#privacy-0\">Is there a DNS Blackhole in your future?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong>ON SECURITY:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/will-windows-transition-to-one-update-a-year\/#on-security-0\">Living in a time of digital obsolescence<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Click here for the <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.forms-content.sg-form.com\/fadcab1b-6abe-11ea-9648-2a7e788be8da\" target=\"_blank\">Askwoody Free<\/a><\/strong> signup; 100% free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click here for the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/plus-membership\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>AskWoody Plus<\/strong><\/a> signup; no set price &#8212; pay what you think it&#8217;s worth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"110\" data-attachment-id=\"5013\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/18\/a-leave-no-trace-way-to-start-pcs\/langa-2-100\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?fit=110%2C110&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"110,110\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Langa-2-100\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?fit=110%2C110&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=110%2C110\" alt=\"Fred Langa\" class=\"wp-image-5013\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><strong><em>Permalink: <\/em><\/strong><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5269\">https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5269<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"104\" height=\"6\" data-attachment-id=\"1999\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/10\/around-boston-the-nearly-snowless-winter-continues\/seperator-short-grey\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?fit=104%2C6&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"104,6\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"SEPERATOR short grey\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?fit=104%2C6&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?resize=104%2C6\" alt=\"[seperator]\" class=\"wp-image-1999\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"><strong>COMMENT \/ QUESTION<\/strong>  on <strong>THIS ITEM?<\/strong> <em>See the<\/em> <strong>Comment box<\/strong> <em>at bottom of this page!<\/em><br><b><em><br><\/em>NEW QUESTION? <\/b><em>Ask<\/em><b> <u><font color=\"#000117\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/font><\/u><\/b>!<br><br>(<em>Want free notification of new content? Click<\/em><b><strong> <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/09\/get-free-automatic-notification-of-new-content\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/b>!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My report about making a hard drive permanently inaccessible really struck a chord with AskWoody subscribers! That article, \u201c\u2018Moving house is great fun,\u2019 said no one ever\u201d (AskWoody Plus Newsletter\u00a02020-07-13), kicked off a profusion of reader tales about drive sanitizing \u2014 a mix of excellent advice, unexpected suggestions, and amusing anecdotes. Take a look in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-askwoody-plus","category-langa-com-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-1n4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5252,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/07\/27\/tales-from-the-trenches\/","url_meta":{"origin":5274,"position":0},"title":"Tales from the trenches","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-07-27","format":false,"excerpt":"Following my recounting of decommissioning a failing hard drive, readers share their real-world tips on drive destruction. If there\u2019s a creative way to ensure that an old drive never gives up its secrets, it would appear AskWoody readers have tried it. But a nail gun? :) More on\u00a0do-it-yourself\u00a0hard-drive destruction is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5269,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/03\/is-powerline-networking-secure\/","url_meta":{"origin":5274,"position":1},"title":"Is powerline networking secure?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-08-03","format":false,"excerpt":"An AskWoody Plus reader questions whether data is safe when traveling over common AC electrical circuits. Plus: Yet more tips from your fellow subscribers on hard-drive destruction, salvaging \u2014 and maybe even revival! Those are the topics of my column in this week's AskWoody Plus. Also in this week's AskWoody\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5012,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/18\/a-leave-no-trace-way-to-start-pcs\/","url_meta":{"origin":5274,"position":2},"title":"A &#8216;leave-no-trace&#8217; way to start PCs?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-05-18","format":false,"excerpt":"Without explaining the no-doubt interesting context for his question, reader M.R. asked: \"Will booting up from a USB drive leave any trace on the computer?\" Yup. In fact, if you know where to look, every PC boot \u2014 even one that's using an operating system installed on a USB flash\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5283,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/17\/recovering-from-unknown-driver-issues\/","url_meta":{"origin":5274,"position":3},"title":"Recovering from \u2018Unknown driver\u2019 issues","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-08-17","format":false,"excerpt":"Operating-system upgrades and resets sometimes leave behind nonworking, obsolete, or redundant device drivers that can open the door to future malfunctions. This week's column in AskWoody Plus shows you how to easily remove any troublesome drivers cluttering up your Windows machine\u2019s setup. Plus: An AskWoody subscriber tries the \u201cput the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5219,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/07\/13\/5tb-of-files-gone\/","url_meta":{"origin":5274,"position":4},"title":"5TB of files&#8230; gone","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-07-13","format":false,"excerpt":"My home and office relocation hit some snags, including fatal damage to 5TB of backup files; and the subsequent necessary physical destruction of the drive to make the old files unrecoverable. (See photo.) But after that and other detours involving both high and low tech, things are finally getting back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fig4.jpg?fit=1200%2C652&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fig4.jpg?fit=1200%2C652&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fig4.jpg?fit=1200%2C652&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fig4.jpg?fit=1200%2C652&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/fig4.jpg?fit=1200%2C652&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5295,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/24\/a-seemingly-flawless-pc-wont-install-win10-version-2004\/","url_meta":{"origin":5274,"position":5},"title":"A seemingly flawless PC won\u2019t install Win10 Version 2004","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-08-24","format":false,"excerpt":"This week's AskWoody Plus edition: An AskWoody reader is losing patience waiting for Windows Update to green-light the newest Windows 10. Here\u2019s what could be blocking the update \u2014 and how to easily work around most such issues. Plus: A brave subscriber wants to swap just the physical platters inside\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5274"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5276,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5274\/revisions\/5276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}