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Re: Taming The Data Destroyer

From jayjwa <jayjwa@atr2.ath.cx.invalid>
Newsgroups comp.os.linux.misc
Subject Re: Taming The Data Destroyer
Date 2025-11-17 12:55 -0500
Organization Atr2 RG 2025
Message-ID <87a50k5yt3.fsf@atr2.ath.cx> (permalink)
References <10fe1ec$ipc8$1@dont-email.me>

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Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

> The command has been nicknamed the “data destroyer”, because while
> doing sector-level copies as root, it can be all too easy to write to
> the wrong device, and destroy an important filesystem.
This is likely because new users come to Linux and don't know what they
are doing and end up just running commands they see online that might
not pertain to their system's setup. This, or Windows users write to the
wrong device, not being familiar with Linux block devices. "rm -rf" (or
just "rm") can be pointed in the wrong place just as easy when run as root.

There's a Windows IRC channel that says something to the effect of
"don't use dd to write images!" in the channel topic.

> The “lsblk” command can be handy for confirming which block device you
> should be writing to
What, you don't parse /proc/partitions yourself?

> Interestingly, both Western Digital and Seagate drives show the vendor
> as “ATA”
I see that here with my WDC, too. Odd. The USB stick shows "Memorex" as
it should. 

-- 
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       "The Internet should always be the Wild West!"

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Thread

Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-17 02:31 +0000
  Re: Taming The Data Destroyer rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-11-17 04:18 +0000
    Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Marc Haber <mh+usenetspam1118@zugschl.us> - 2025-11-17 10:42 +0100
      Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 01:10 +0000
        Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-17 21:08 -0500
    Re: Taming The Data Destroyer "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-17 12:51 +0100
  Re: Taming The Data Destroyer jayjwa <jayjwa@atr2.ath.cx.invalid> - 2025-11-17 12:55 -0500
    Re: Taming The Data Destroyer not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-11-18 07:06 +1000
      Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-17 19:00 -0500
        Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Computer Nerd Kev <not@telling.you.invalid> - 2025-11-18 16:31 +1000
          Re: Taming The Data Destroyer "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-18 07:46 +0100
            Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-18 02:12 -0500
              Re: Taming The Data Destroyer rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-11-18 23:02 +0000
          Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-18 02:01 -0500
            Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Ralf Fassel <ralfixx@gmx.de> - 2025-11-18 16:24 +0100
              Re: Taming The Data Destroyer The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-11-18 15:30 +0000
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 22:31 +0000
              Re: Taming The Data Destroyer "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-18 17:49 +0100
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-19 18:32 -0500
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-20 12:57 +0100
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-20 22:53 +0000
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-20 22:04 -0500
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-20 22:17 -0500
          Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 07:18 +0000
            Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-18 02:34 -0500
              Re: Taming The Data Destroyer "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-18 08:46 +0100
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 08:09 +0000
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-18 17:55 +0100
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 19:35 +0000
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-11-19 06:48 +1000
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-11-18 21:40 +0000
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 22:27 +0000
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 22:26 +0000
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-19 18:23 -0500
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-19 02:41 +0100
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-18 03:17 -0500
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-11-18 12:12 +0000
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-18 17:53 +0100
                Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 19:32 +0000
            Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> - 2025-11-18 14:46 +0200
      Re: Taming The Data Destroyer candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> - 2025-11-20 18:40 +0000
    Re: Taming The Data Destroyer Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 00:58 +0000
      Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-17 21:04 -0500
        Re: Taming The Data Destroyer rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-11-18 06:32 +0000
          Re: Taming The Data Destroyer c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-11-18 02:07 -0500

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