Re: hard disk damage
From: David H. Lipman (DLipman~nospam~_at_Verizon.Net)
Date: 11/14/03
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Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 21:46:08 -0500
Sarah:
To my knowledge, to date, the most destructive virus has been CIH (Chernobyl -
http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_10300.htm) and the closest to causing damage to hardware.
No virus has actually caused hardware failures. However, the Chernobyl, on its payload
date, can wipe the flash RAM most modern BIOS use on the platform's motherboard. Since the
BIOS is the middleware of hardware and OS, if the BIOS is gone then there can be no
recognition of a hard disk or floppy to boot from. Thus if the flash RAM is soldered in and
not a chip that can easily be replaced, the motherboard is dead and effectively, but not
actually, the hardware can be considered damaged. In some cases the motherboard can be sent
back to the manufacturer to be reflashed. In most cases it is a matter to just buy a new
motherboard.
Dave
"Sarah" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:3a3801c3aa57$5e2510f0$a601280a@phx.gbl...
|
| >This sounds like a hardware fault rather than a virus or
| trojan horse wiping
| >data, I'm afraid Asif.
| >
| >As David has already mentioned, a virus cannot physically
| damage a hard
| >drive, and the problems you describe are consistent with
| a physical problem.
| >
| >If you are comfortable working inside computer cases, or
| know someone who
| >is, i would check that the power and data cables for the
| computer haven't
| >worked loose from either the motherboard or the hard
| drive, but this is
| >pretty much unlikely.
| >
| >You may also try the "data advisor" disk from
| www.ontrack.com which has some
| >fairly good disk diagnostic routines on it, but I suspect
| the disk will only
| >confirm what David and I have already said.
| >
| >Regards
| >Rob Moir.
| >
| >--
| >--
| >Rob Moir
| >Microsoft MVP for servers & security
| >http://www.robertmoir.co.uk
| >"802.11bofh - the *other* power over ethernet standard"
|
| I read "The Cyberthief and the Samurai" by Jeff
| Goodell, several years back. I have a half memory that in
| it, Goodell had Tsutomu Shimomura saying that he could
| write a virus that would force the hard drive to read a
| track over and over until it was damaged. Granted I may be
| mis-remembering entirely, however if for the sake of
| argument we say I was not, would that assertion have been
| bogus? I had wondered if it was possible ever since. Seems
| like the operating system would not allow that behavior,
| but this sounded like a good time to "Ask The Experts".
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