Erased data can be read?

[stevo1210]

Hello Everyone,

It's a little long so please bare with me while reading....

OK, so I am in a bit of trouble at the moment for something I didn't so. That I am not happy about. As a bonus to the trouble I am in, I have a bunch of gruelling exams to finish off in the next two weeks.

So, as the title suggests, can erased data on an Imation CDRW be read again? No, I haven't lost any important files or anything like that. My cousin on the other hand is in trouble for some disturbing data on a CD that I don't even own myself!

Anyway, this is what happened. I walk into the house yesterday after a gruelling english exam only to receive a phone call from my cousin asking me about a disc that my brother apparently owns.... in the case that he didn't own in any way shape or form.

So this is what happened.... (May sound a little confusing, sorry)

In 2005 my brother was given the CDRW to burn a game for his friend. He returned the disc to her.... there's nothing wrong here. Everything's cool, nothing serious....

His friend then gives the disc to my cousin to burn some other game for her, but he obviously never got around to it and kept the discs since 2005 until now. The disc still had the game GTA: Vice city on there.
He then erases the disc and stores it away and on Sunday he got the disc back out and it was a blank disc with absolutely no data on there with Windows explorer reporting a completely empty disc. He then burns an assignment for my younger cousin so she could bring it to school to show to the class. Because she is still in primary school, all discs go through the principal before it can be presented.
My Aunty and my younger cousin are called up to the principals office as he has found animal porn and pictures of animal sex on there. Obviously my younger cousin is in strife due to the possesion of obscene material.
Anyway, the principal has kept the disc for reasons unknown and I think he is taking futher action due to the content on the disc.

My uncle calls later on and is very concerned and he asks me how he can view these files (once the disc comes back). I said I wasn't sure.

He then said that the disc used to be a disc a friend of my brothers gave him so he decided to give it to my cousin because it was a spare disc.

This is the part I highly disagree about. For starters, my brother and I don't give away spare discs. Seriously what kind of nutcase would when they are a precious resource to have. Secondly, It's a CDRW, I have never ever owned an Imation branded CDRW because they are too fucking expensive (usually I use some no name CDRWs), So therefore my frist point also plays a part here in terms of money.

Also, I don't think anyone is sad enough to even search up animal porn or pictures of animal sex, unless it is for a year 12 biology thing. I'm in year 11, so we don't get to do those projects until next year.

Later on in the night, he calls my father and explains to him the situation. So my father decided to lecture us on things we shouldn't do on the internet. And also he has demanded that we do not use anyone elses discs no matter what the situation. *sigh*
Anyway, I've looked up my whole infrastructure here for any form of pornographic material by typing in key words (e.g animal sex and names of animals) into the search program and have found absolutely nothing!

Anyway, I just can't understand how the principal has managed to find animal porn on there? I can't think of a possibility in finding these files if they have been erased. Seriously, I know for a fact that my brother was like 9 at the time and so was his friend. Seriously, 9 year olds don't even know what animal porn or sex is to even go and look it up.

I think I may even have to sacrifice some time to go and see my old school principal to see what the hell is going on? Or has he mistaken his own files for my cousins files? Oh dear....

Thanks.

[arneson]

Re: Erased data can be read?

This is a twisted tale for sure.
But I think the answer is probably a yes,
the files could be still recovered.
Normally they would not be visable, but programs are written specifically to
perform this recovery and it would seem the principle was hip to this.
You just never know what kind of porn you could find.
It could conceievably even be claymation.

[Krankshaft]

Re: Erased data can be read?

Ok quick technology lesson on CDRWs.

During a quick erase only the CDRW's table of contents is rewritten to resemble a blank disc so since the TOC is blank the computer assumes that there is no data to be had.

The TOC is responsible for explaining where the files are located on the CDRW.

Therefore the data is still on the CD.

So using the proper programs as Arneson said it is possible to recover the quick deleted data.

During a full erase on the other hand it is absolute not only is the TOC cleared the entire disc is blanked out the entire surface of the disc is rewritten to resemble a blank disc and not just the TOC like in the quick erase.

This process as you probably know takes much longer than the quick erase.

There is no going back with a full erase though no fancy guy in a lab coat from CSI will be able to recover the data.

That is no more possible then the enhance image function that I still wish was real .

CDRW's in school when I was in school we played with a rock and sticks and we had to share the rock .

[stevo1210]

Re: Erased data can be read?

What I don't understand is that the school PC is the average joe PC with no special apps and apparently it could be read by the principal. By to the other point, if like a game was written onto the disc and the game is like 700 or so MB, wouldn't that overwrite all existing data anyway? I presume these images of animal porn are from the original owner of the disc. But the disc has been overwritten with a large game and erased for a school project. Or is it possible to find data from ages ago even after several rewrites? I personally use a physical long erase process, to me doing the quick way screws up the partition table on the disc and causes errors.

Thanks.

[Newbie2]

Re: Erased data can be read?

This is confusing. That CDRW has been erased, and he finds something on it.

The principal's computer can have a few more special programs than the average school computer in the classroom, since the principal has a few more things to do on his computer. I was in school before and I had to walk down to the office to the principal's office once, and his computer had more junk/programs than the teacher's computer in the classroom. Maybe your principal used some data recovery program as he was being curious to what else was on that CDRW.

If I were you, I would get to the principal in the office to show me what was going on with that CDRW.

[Scenic]

Re: Erased data can be read?

hmm.. you can restore data from a CDRW (or DVDRW) if it has been quick-erased (only TOC). i've done that quite a few times...

even if you (for example) filled it up with 700MB pr0n pics, erased it (quick erase) and burned... dunno....500MB audio files on there...

with a recovery program you would be still able to get those not-overwritten 200MB pr0n pics..

stupid example ..i know.. and not really exactly possible (you won't get the full 200MB, as some files may be corrupted)

anyways.. like newbie2 said: get to the principals office and tell him to show you what he (said he) found on that CDRW.

another thing that comes to my mind..:

maybe the CDRW got mixed up with another one?
like... um...

the guy (who had the CDRW#1 from 2005 on) erased it (GTA:VC is gone) and stored it away somewhere..
then he accidentially got another CDRW (CDRW#2) out which was erased too.
but this one had the p0rn you described on it before... maybe just quick erased.. or maybe just hidden folders with the pr0n inside..

burning the stuff for your younger cousin on it either:
1. didn't overwrite the whole disc (pr0n recoverable) or
2. just added the files to the disc with the hidden pr0n folder(s)

odd theory.. i know.. but its possible..

like i already said.. go to the principals office and get him to show you what he found. and more important: HOW he found it..

anyways... its indeed a really weird and confusing story o.O

[stevo1210]

Re: Erased data can be read?

So today he decided to fess up to me and his parents that the stuff on there was his. Now that proves me innocent, yet my integrity has been ruined because he passed the buck onto me and my brother. Oh dear.... anyway, we'll sort something out.

Onto other matters now, the CDRW was not erased properly. According to him, erasing a CDRW his just highlighting the files and pressing delete and that's it. Well, now I definitely know why it could still be read by the principal.

Anyway, thanks guys. Everythings been sorted out now I guess.

Thanks.

[Newbie2]

Re: Erased data can be read?

It should be easier to gain your trust back with everyone since the pictures weren't your pictures. The only difficult time of gaining your trust back is if you originally was the cause of those pictures being on the CDRW.

[zandrax]

Re: Erased data can be read?

So today he decided to fess up to me and his parents that the stuff on there was his. Now that proves me innocent, yet my integrity has been ruined because he passed the buck onto me and my brother. Oh dear.... anyway, we'll sort something out.

Your cousin admitted at last: why did he charge you and your brother for his [chough] affairs? Dumb and irresponsible move, I'd say.

Onto other matters now, the CDRW was not erased properly. According to him, erasing a CDRW his just highlighting the files and pressing delete and that's it.

So the old track was still readeable: dumb move again.

Don't worry for your trust: you aren't responsible for your cousin and you couldn't suspect being animal p0rn into the cd, right?
You and your brother never owned that disc and knew nothing about its content: that's the truth, that's your parent should know and, IMO, is your cousin the one who should publicly apologize in front of your parents.

Zandrax

[i4004]

Re: Erased data can be read?

reading the first post i was like
"person that was burning the disc last time knows what's going on", and indeed that was the case.

no, it's not possible for porn to remain on disc after you erase its toc: why would anybody think principle would use some exotic programs to retrieve data that normally invisible?
he just wants to see what will explorer show, and explorer will show new toc data.

btw. animal porn and animal sex: those things that anybody can see on discovery channel every day, OR porn including humans and animals?
i could see why would that upset the principal.
the former could upset him too, but only because this seems to be the attempt to do prank (your cousin framing his sister, it seems), so that project of her becomes a laugh of the class.

one thing is for sure, your cousin is stupid.

[stevo1210]

Re: Erased data can be read?

btw. animal porn and animal sex: those things that anybody can see on discovery channel every day, OR porn including humans and animals?

Yeah, I shouldn't really mention this but from what my cousin told me, there were 13 files on there. Of that 13, 11 consisted of human porn clips. Two of the 13 were animal porn images. He said he downloaded them off Limewire last year thinking they would be useful one day, what he did was download the files to his PC, burn them to disc and deleted them off the PC to erase the evidence.

Now that really makes me concerned....


Thanks.

[kc8adu]

Re: Erased data can be read?

if someone tried to pass the buck to me like that when i was in highschool i would have been waiting for them after school.they would have left in a meatwagon.

[Newbie2]

Re: Erased data can be read?

Your cousin (or whoever had the sick animal stuff) should seriously meet a psychologist. He (or she) could be mentally ill.