A data storage device may be destroyed by suspending a transducing head above a data storage medium prior to inducing contact of the transducing head with a first layer of the data storage medium in response to a signal from a controller. Deflection of the transducing head can then be increased to penetrate to a destroy depth in a second layer of the data storage medium that is maintained while the data storage medium spins. The controller may then issue at least one data read command to access data from the data storage medium and when a data read error is received, the data storage medium and transducing head can be verified as destroyed and incapable of accessing data previously written to the data storage medium.

A method and system for delivering encoded content are provided. A holdback representing a portion of the encoded content is extracted, thereby damaging the encoded content. The damaged encoded content is distributed. The holdback is transmitted to enable reintegration of the holdback with the damaged encoded content to restore the encoded content.

A magnetic disk device includes a plurality of tracks and a controller. The controller receives write data to be written to a first sector of a track, generates a first data string based on the write data and a logical identifier for the first sector, attempts to cause the first data string to be written to the first sector, determines whether a write error has occurred while the first data string is written to the first sector, generates a second data string based at least in part on the first data string, and in response to determining that no write error has occurred while the first data string is written to the first sector, writes a parity data string that is based at least in part on the second data string to a second sector of the track that stores parity data for the track.

A magnetic disk device includes a plurality of tracks and a controller. The controller receives write data to be written to a first sector of a track, generates a first data string based on the write data and a logical identifier for the first sector, attempts to cause the first data string to be written to the first sector, determines whether a write error has occurred while the first data string is written to the first sector, generates a second data string based at least in part on the first data string, and in response to determining that no write error has occurred while the first data string is written to the first sector, writes a parity data string that is based at least in part on the second data string to a second sector of the track that stores parity data for the track.

A method and system for delivering encoded content are provided. A holdback representing a portion of the encoded content is extracted, thereby damaging the encoded content. The damaged encoded content is distributed. The holdback is transmitted to enable reintegration of the holdback with the damaged encoded content to restore the encoded content.

Method and apparatus for data security in a data storage device. In some embodiments, a first version of firmware is installed in a memory of the device. The firmware is used by a programmable processor to control accesses to a rotatable data recording medium on which is written pre-recorded servo positioning data used to position a data transducer. A newer, second version of the firmwave is subsequently installed in the memory to replace the first version of firmware. The second version of the firmware includes an instruction to corrupt a selected portion of the servo positioning data on the medium in order to authenticate the second version of the firmware. During a subsequent initialization of the device, host access is granted based on detection of the corruption of the selected portion of the servo positioning data.

Embodiments of methods and systems for controlling access to information stored on memory or data storage devices are disclosed. In various embodiments, methods of retrieving information from a data storage device previously deactivated by modification or degradation of at least a portion of the data storage device are disclosed.

A playback device includes a port configured to receive content from an external memory device, a device memory residing in the device, and a controller programmed to execute instructions that cause the controller to read a read data pattern from the defined region in the external memory device and determine if the read data pattern correlates to an expected data pattern to a predetermined level, wherein the expected data pattern is derived at least in part from a defect map of the defined region.