A Little Office Time Capsule
As we recently moved offices, we uncovered a stash of old equipment that hadn’t seen the light of day in years. It was like digging up a time capsule, maybe not quite as exciting as one buried in a backyard for 25 years, but still worth a moment of reflection.
It’s amazing how easy it is to collect electronic devices that serve a purpose for a while, only to be replaced by something newer, faster, or shinier. And by discarded, I mean tossed into a closet or cabinet, only to be rediscovered 5 or 10 years later. Who doesn’t have a few spare power adapters lying around “just in case”?
A Walk Through Tech History
Going through our pile of old gear, I was struck by just how much has changed, even in the past five, let alone fifteen, years. I found a hand-built write blocker I used for IDE drives back in the day. IDE (or Parallel ATA) was the standard hard drive interface until SATA replaced it around 2003.
Digging deeper, I uncovered an old laptop drive that still needed a converter to go from its 44 pins to a standard 40-pin desktop cable. I didn’t bother checking what was on it (probably Windows 95 or 98), but drilled it full of holes, you know, just in case it held anything confidential.
It also struck me that the drive was only 80 GB. Today, drives are routinely 500 GB or more. The landscape has changed dramatically.
Why This Matters for Digital Forensics
So what does any of this have to do with digital forensics? Quite a bit, actually.
As drives have grown larger, the chances of finding useful evidence on them have only increased. There’s simply more room for data to exist, and stick around. That means even when a machine changes hands inside a company, there’s often plenty of actionable data still lingering, as long as the system hasn’t been wiped.
Think of it like a hierarchy of opportunity:
- Best case: You secure the device right after the original user finishes with it, before anyone else or any automated processes can modify key artifacts.
- Still promising: The device has been handed off to another employee but not wiped or re-imaged. As long as the original profile is intact, there’s usually a wealth of data: emails, browser history, saved passwords, deleted files, and more.
- Trickier: The machine has had a new operating system image installed, but the drive wasn’t wiped beforehand. This means some older data might survive beneath the new install. We may be able to carve files or even rebuild parts of the old file allocation table. The results can vary, in other words, “it depends.”
- Worst case: The drive was properly wiped, meaning all data was overwritten with zeros (or another pattern). This method takes time, but it does its job. In this case, you can realistically say goodbye to recovering any useful evidence.
A Quick Note on Formatting
Formatting followed by a new OS install lands somewhere between scenarios two and three. You likely won’t get a full picture of the previous user’s data. Still, depending on how much of the drive was in use and overwritten, it’s often possible to carve out files and reconstruct fragments of what was there.
Just Ask: We’ll Be Straight With You
Over the past two decades, we’ve seen just about every variation of these scenarios. While the specifics differ, there’s a relatively small set of “templates” we can apply to maximize your chances of finding evidence.
If you’re ever unsure about the likelihood of recovering meaningful data from a particular system, simply ask. We’re always upfront about your odds and whether we think we can genuinely help. It’s better for everyone that way.
About Swailes Computer Forensics
Swailes Computer Forensics provides expert digital forensic services to law firms, corporations, and organizations nationwide. Our work includes investigations into intellectual property theft, employee misconduct, data breaches, and more. With decades of experience and a commitment to integrity and clarity, we help clients uncover critical evidence and take informed action.
If you’re facing a potential case of employee data theft or have concerns about unauthorized activity, contact us for a confidential consultation.