How to wipe clean an external HD? (I think I goofed.)

Stop the trash. Use Disk Utility. Choose the upper icon in the Sidebar that shows your external drive and go to the erase tab.

Choose Security Options and at least a 3-pass erase for security. This will take quite sometime, best to run it overnight, or while your away from your Mac.

Yes, use Disk Utlity.

Takes so long because you are choosing a 3X "secure erase". If you want to take the chance just use a simple erase.

macjack wrote:

...Choose Security Options and at least a 3-pass erase for security. This will take quite sometime, best to run it overnight, or while your away from your Mac...

If the GoFlex external is a Seagate Free Agent GoFlex Desk, the OP should be aware that their almost total lack of ventilation causes them to overheat when run hard (been there, done that with three which, BTW, have great HD's inside if removed and run in, say, a Mac Pro or properly ventilated external enclosure). The security erase could push them over the edge or slow them down substantially during the process (I watched that happen using Activity Monitor's Disk Activity and the performance drop was substantial; the condition was immortalized in one drive's SMART record as the drive having failed when it overheated "in the past").

This is good info but if they're are sending it back to the manufacturer there's a trade off to be made as far as security is concerned. Also, it seems to be already "over the edge"?

macjack wrote:

This is good info but if they're are sending it back to the manufacturer there's a trade off to be made as far as security is concerned. Also, it seems to be already "over the edge"?

I agree, but the behavior I observed repeatedly could prevent completion of a successful erasure, secure or otherwise, or at least make it take even longer than it otherwise would. It's a quandary I don't have an answer to, given the OP's legitimate concern about data privacy and eagerness to get it back to SeaGate.

The "over the edge" that I observed wasn't outright failure but, given that the GoFlex drive is very fast running on a USB 3.0 connection when it's still cool (100+ MB/sec), it dropped into the KB/sec range when it got hot. The drive itself survived quite well and is still running fine 2 years later in a Mac Pro. I think the issue for the OP would be more a matter of convenience since a secure erase could go on, seemingly forever.

Well, it's the OP's call. I doubt that Seagate is mining returned drives for data, yet if it were mine I'd want to be sure.

macjack wrote:

... if it were mine I'd want to be sure.

I would too, which is why I have real concerns about dealing with failure of SSD's.

If it finished a 1-pass secure erase, at this point I'd send it back and be done with it. Hey, if they wanted your data they'd already have it from the other oe you sent in 😉

dancingletters

PS. What external hard drives do you recommend given

as a "collector" of HD,...... stay away from WD drives, and please dont consider a 4TB WD as a replacement, theyre so plague riddled, the 4TB should have been recalled by now.

Consumer grade 3.5" HD is dominated by Seagate.

And the only thing the "HD gurus" agree on in 2.5" drives is that Hitachi is #1, period, no question.

There are only 4 HD mfg. left on earth. But consumer grade WD drives are the worst, hands down.

dancingletters wrote:

PS. What external hard drives do you recommend given the issue you have pointed out with seagate overheating.

Most folks here have had good experience with OWC (Other World Computing) Mecury Elite, and LaCie d2. I use LaCie d2's but OWC may have a slight edge over them when it comes to support.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB

http://www.lacie.com/us/index.htm?&adw=Lacie&gclid=COa9qbL2pboCFSrhQgodTmYAnQ

PlotinusVeritas wrote:

dancingletters

PS. What external hard drives do you recommend given

as a "collector" of HD,...... stay away from WD drives, and please dont consider a 4TB WD as a replacement, theyre so plague riddled, the 4TB should have been recalled by now.

Actually WD bare drives have a pretty good track record. I've heard the issues with the externals are the chipsets on the enclosures they use.

It blows my mind OWC gets so much recommendation here, their prices are abysmal, and theyve nothing special to offer anyone.

LaCie doesnt make HD, they were bought out by Seagate. A LaCie contains Seagate HD.

OWC wants $194 for a 2TB which contains a $109 Seagate 2TB you can buy at your local electronics shop.

I find the excessive recommendation of OWC on the board in general to be beyond odd 😊

As a Hard drive-O-phile and 'collector' I wouldnt for a millisecond buy anything from OWC, merely based on cost alone.

macjack Sunny SoCal

Actually WD bare drives have a pretty good track record. I've heard the issues with the externals are the chipsets on the enclosures they use.

Nahh, the consumer grade WD are about the only thing the HD pros agree on being something to steer away from.

The Pro-grade WD 'black' used in server farms however have been perfected to be steller however.

The ONE thing they almost ALL will agree on, myself as well, is that Hitachi 2.5" are #1, and none other close

The SATA bridge is a failure on ALL USB HD,.....Ive seen a 1000 such failures, its the worst junk 50 cent failure point on ANY and ALL external HD.

I warn people until my nose bleeds what a nasty part the SATA bridge interface is.

Countless 1000s of good external hard drives are thrown away each year because the owner thought the HD was bad when it fact it was the SATA bridge card which had failed. This card is removed in a matter of mere second once an external USB HD is cracked open from its plastic casing to reveal the bare HD and the attached SATA card which attaches between the HD and the USB cable.

the SATA bridge card as found inside USB HD devices which has an extremely high failure rate.

Inside a USB hard drive, containing the HD and SATA card

Ive seen 3 SATA cards fail within a couple hours,.,..and have 20 or so dead ones laying around here.