Make a CDR un-readable

[aimouse]

Is it possible to make a CDR permanently un-readable (or at least seriously corrupt) without breaking it / scratching it etc?

(When I say un-readable, I mean by mere mortals, not IT forensics experts.)

Don't ask why, but rest assured, it's legal

 

[Lalah]

There isn't. And even if you could it wouldn't be recoverable, so why not just scratch it?

 

[aimouse]

I don't want it to be recoverable.
And I want it to be corrupt. not physically damaged.

 

[Lalah]

Oh, you mean create a corrupt cd from the start, as opposed to corrupting data already on it?

 

[yourheroINfla]

Put the files in a ZIP file, and password it.

 

[aimouse]

Possibly not explaining enough ...
I have a CDR already created by someone else.
I need to make the data on disc appear to be corrupt without the disc appearing to be physically damaged. (Think of it as being a bit like benevolent sabotage.)

(I wondered about putting it in a microwave )

I've found that Nero will allow you to "delet" files & write new ones (inc renaming the disc.)
Am I right in thinking this is just writing a new TOC & telling a pc to ignore the old one?
How recoverable would this be for your average geek?

 

[yourheroINfla]

Ok, that makes sense now.
umm, i know a magnet can ruin hard drives, maybe try that.

 

[mynameiskate]

Sorry I don't know the answer to your question, but where in the world did you get your avatar? lol.

 

[popcorn2721]

Possibly not explaining enough ...
I have a CDR already created by someone else.
I need to make the data on disc appear to be corrupt without the disc appearing to be physically damaged. (Think of it as being a bit like benevolent sabotage.)

(I wondered about putting it in a microwave )

I've found that Nero will allow you to "delet" files & write new ones (inc renaming the disc.)
Am I right in thinking this is just writing a new TOC & telling a pc to ignore the old one?
How recoverable would this be for your average geek?

CDRs store data in much the same fashion as that found on hard drives... in that, you should fill the disk with data...overwriting the index (this only works for windows users by the way). Then format and your ready to go. The disk should be blank and not readable by anyone who does not know anything about data recovery.

 

[naamplao]

Ok, that makes sense now.
umm, i know a magnet can ruin hard drives, maybe try that.

No that won't work....tapes store data magnetically so moving a magnet over the tape or hard drive or floppy disk will erase the data.

A CD has the information literally burned into the disk...in a simplistic of looking at it...the surface is burned into hills and valleys...these indentations reflect a laser beam either toward a sensor or away from the sensor as the laser scans the CD. This your "on/off" or "0/1" which makes up machine language.

So if I understand the question correctly, you want the cd to be functional but the data on it to be corrupted so it cannot be read.

I think it would depend on the cd itself. If it was rewritable then you may be able to overwrite the file otherwise you will have to damage the cd somehow

 

[rthnck]

If you have access to the cd drive of your "friend" you can obscure the holes in the tray where the laser reads the disk. A piece of tape on the bottom of the tray that's the same color as the tray (black?). Any CD inserted in the drive will be unreadable. If you play around a little bit using a clear piece of tape with black lines on it you can probably make the disk partially readable but it will appear to be corrupt. I don't know of any way to make a cd "appear" to be corrupt without actually corrupting it.

Of course you could make a copy of the CD in question and either overwrite the files with corrupt files of the same name. You can probably go so far as to make the dates look the same or you can put infinitestimal scratches on the copy and then reveal later that the real CD is safe and sound in an undisclosed location.

 

[temp256]

Use a magnifying glass in the sun. Adjust the focus on the data side of the disc, irradiating it without causing visible burns. Concentrate on the inner most sector of the disc.

 

[fgarvb1]

No...No.

I'm not going to ask how you know this.

 

[mjl2010]

Is it possible to make a CDR permanently un-readable (or at least seriously corrupt) without breaking it / scratching it etc?

(When I say un-readable, I mean by mere mortals, not IT forensics experts.)

Don't ask why, but rest assured, it's legal

First of all, if you don't own the CD, that's destruction of private property and IS illegal.

Now that we've cleared that up, since you need to ask how, you don't have the technical expertise to do it. You need to override the software used for writing a CD. Since this is a CDR and not a CDRW, you have to fool your software and machine into thinking the disk is blank. Unless one of the other methods works, thats the only way I know how. I'd look on google maybe for a geek willing to write something special.

It seems to me that the magnifying glass idea might work, if you're careful. The damage might be visible though. try it on blank disk first.

Maybe Weird Harold can answer this one....

MJL

 

[Weird Harold]

First of all, if you don't own the CD, that's destruction of private property and IS illegal.

...

Maybe Weird Harold can answer this one....

I might have several possible solutions but haven't given them because this the kind of question I generally won't answer.

 

[In Anticipation]

If it hasn't been finalised I believe you can write a new TOC. Use nero or something, probably would be best if you put some new nonsense file on it. The other thing is that CDRs don't like excessive heat. They are made out of polycarbonate which will take a fair amount of heat, around 200 celsius. However, the ink used on the label might not like it. Try it step by step in an oven on a baking sheet, label side up. Start around 120 Celsius say.

I hope you are doing this for the forces of good, not evil. If the latter, please ignore my advice.

 

[aimouse]

Thanks for the opinions.
FTR The need has gone away, but it's the owner of the disc that wanted it corrupted. It's a long story, but believe me it's legal and nobody would have lost nything as a result, more a case of reminding someone that we can all reep what we sow.