Make memory card unreadable

[kletra]

Is there a way to make memory cards unreadable with software? Old cards can have personal stuff, family photos or text you don't want others to see. I've heard that there was a program that could make a hdd lose magnetization, thus making it unreadable. Is there something similar for memory cards, too? To ensure the card will be unusable.

 

[Robert Ban]

Use hammer, and slam it.

 

[Seyed22Shaheen]

Is there a way to make memory cards unreadable with software? Old cards can have personal stuff, family photos or text you don't want others to see. I've heard that there was a program that could make a hdd lose magnetization, thus making it unreadable. Is there something similar for memory cards, too? To ensure the card will be unusable.

I'd bite the SD cards instead of biting my nails when i'm bored.

 

[ron2456]

Take a tweezer and a lighter and burn it to ashes

 

[USAFRet]

I have a shredder that will do that.

Now...are you wanting to use it again after? The shredder option may not be what you want.

 

[4745454b]

Hammer is my preferred way to destroy it.

You can also use a "zero fill" program. Or fill it will random data, delete it, format it, and then repeat as many times as you are paranoid. Perhaps use a Linux distro to fill the space?

 

[kletra]

I get the jokes, I read them a 100 times, but I was asking is there a way to do it digitally. Manually I can do it, all right. Is there a software that can make a memory card useless? Or is it impossible?
BTW, there are companies that get your data back, even after burning your hdd... So much for the analogue ways.

 

[Robert Ban]

lol, who would pay 200$ (im quite unsure how much costs) for some pictures and texts of your family? Unless someone is heavy stalker of you.
Also as 4745454b said, Zero fill it. You need software from NASA to recover it as I've heard.

 

[USAFRet]

I get the jokes, I read them a 100 times, but I was asking is there a way to do it digitally. Manually I can do it, all right. Is there a software that can make a memory card useless? Or is it impossible?
BTW, there are companies that get your data back, even after burning your hdd... So much for the analogue ways.

Do you want to be able to use it afterwards?

 

[kletra]

lol, who would pay 200$ (im quite unsure how much costs) for some pictures and texts of your family? Unless someone is heavy stalker of you.
Also as 4745454b said, Zero fill it. You need software from NASA to recover it as I've heard.

I'm not James Bond, but I'm curious if I can do it.

 

[kletra]

Do you want to be able to use it afterwards?[/quotemsg]

No, I don't. If I'd want to use it, I would use killdisk, or similar.

 

[USAFRet]

Do you want to be able to use it afterwards?

No, I don't. If I'd want to use it, I would use killdisk, or similar.

Fill it up
Delete
Full Format
Fill it up
Delete
Full Format
Fill it up
Delete
Full Format

Repeat as desired.

Test with multiple consumer grade tools.

Unless you are the target of DoD, NSA, GCHQ, FSB...that should be sufficient.

 

[kletra]

Fill it up
Delete
Full Format
Fill it up
Delete
Full Format
Fill it up
Delete
Full Format

Repeat as desired.



I want to make the card unreadable, unusable. Not just deleting the data, but damaging the card. Is it possible digitally?

 

[R4DIO4CT1VE]

get a large fire going, and melt down the card for its valuable metals, profit

 

[ron2456]

Its not possible to damage the card via software. But if you really don't want to use the card just burn it to ashes.

 

[USAFRet]

I want to make the card unreadable, unusable. Not just deleting the data, but damaging the card. Is it possible digitally?

I am unaware of any way to do that.

 

[takochako]

If you don't want to use it any more, and you want the data gone, just destroy it. Set it on fire, blow it up with firecrackers, shoot it, smash it, really anything that causes serious damage to it. You can't make it unusable with software as far as I know. I don't understand why you would want to destroy it without causing physical damage, but this honestly sounds kinda shady.

 

[kletra]

If you don't want to use it any more, and you want the data gone, just destroy it. Set it on fire, blow it up with firecrackers, shoot it, smash it, really anything that causes serious damage to it. You can't make it unusable with software as far as I know. I don't understand why you would want to destroy it without causing physical damage, but this honestly sounds kinda shady.

As I wrote before there were programs that made hdds lose magnetization, thereby making it unreadable. What was shady in that? I'm just interested if similar can be done with memory cards. For destroying the card, but now that I write this it came to my mind that I've had cards damaged by something and become unreadable. Is there some radiation, magnetic field that could damage irreversibly the cards? That would also be good to know, if I want to keep my data safe. And please spare me the microwave jokes, I've read a lot of them. If I want to keep my data, I won't put the card in the micro, and if I want to destroy it, I'd rather not where I heat my food.

 

[4745454b]

It's shady because you want the card dead, but not in a visible way. You want to remove any chance of reading the data, I/we get that. Why would anyone want a card that doesn't work but looks like it does? That's the shady part. You want the card to not be able to give up any data, and you don't want to use it. It's called physical destruction. Pick a method and go.

 

[ron2456]

All your questions have been answered. No apps are available, and only way to ensure that your data is safe is to format it and then burn the card down.

Mods should close this thread now.