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I believe the device in question is not the hard drive boards, but external encryption devices.
Something akin to the following:
http://www.cooldrives.com/encryption-pci-adapter-x-wall-chip.html
(linked merely because it was the first result - I'm lazy... ).
From all the comments, this appears to be the case.
The e-mail from the neutral seems to indicate that they are able to access the data, but it is encrypted and they need a compatible controller card to decrypt the data.
Which is exactly what I would do if they wanted my hard drives ;-) ( though, they would have a much harder time imaging my hard drive collection... I have 8 or more, I dunno, and a drawer FULL of others.... maybe 30-40 drives... all with data... ).
I rotate :-)
--The loon
No. If you read the actual email exchange here you will see they are indeed referring to the boards on the drives themselves:
http://www.groklaw.net/pdf2/SonyvHotz-104-19.pdf
A quote: "Your client has not provided a “hard drive” but rather parts of the hard drive. A “hard drive” must contain all the parts that make it a working device which include the enclosure, platters, heads and attached controller card. This controller card is installed at the factory and not normally removed or handled by an end user."





Member since:
2009-09-23
which are screwed onto the hard drives were removed prior to them being given to us. Therefore we are unable
to operate the hard drives in their current state.
vs.
Anyone realizing that we are talking about totally distinct pieces of electronics? The complaint about the sabotaged hard drives is _clearly_ talking about the controller circuits which are mounted onto the hard drives. Those are totally different to any external controller cards which plug into the PCI/PCI Express slots of a PC and _cannot_ be purchased at any electronics hardware store.
And I, while I support Geohot in his arguments against Sony regarding the overall process, have to admit that unless the neutral investigators are not making false statements here and the controller circuit boards have been removed from the hard drives, then Geohot has clearly sabotaged the hardware as it not possible to read out the hard drives in such a state unless you are working at a forensic data company like OnTrack and obviously no hard drives are sold without these controller circuit boards.
One has to be very careful to listen to the arguments of both parties and scrutinize the facts as both parties are obviously fighting with unfair weapons.
Adrian
Edited 2011-03-25 10:30 UTC