[2021-07-08] The search for HDD worth $378 million at the landfill will continue

[Daltonik]

Everyone already knows the story of the Briton James Howells who threw his laptop into the landfill with 7,500 BTC. After unsuccessfully trying to negotiate with the Newport City Council for 25% of the amount stored on the hard drive, "Even if we were able to agree to his request, the question arises as to who would cover the costs if the hard drive was not found or was damaged to such an extent that the data could not be restored" - the Newport City Council replied to him. James Howells claims that his ambitious plan has received financial support from a hedge fund that will claim part of the giant amount. Now he plans to start a 12 month search at a landfill containing 400,000 tons of garbage, for this purpose artificial intelligence-based scanners, X-ray scanners and other high-tech tools will be deployed. This is reported by The Sun newspaper https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15496798/james-howells-275million-bitcoin-hard-drive-search-landfill/

   

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[Lucius]

Everyone already knows the story of the Briton James Howells who threw his laptop into the landfill with 7,500 BTC.

In this particular case, it is not a laptop, but a hard drive - and he did not personally throw it in the dump, but threw it in the trash can, the contents of which ended up in the dump in question. The difference between a laptop and a hard drive in this case can make a big difference, because the hard drive itself could hardly be preserved after 6-7 years under a ton of garbage and due to all the processes that occur due to the decomposition of various waste.

I understand that the owner of that hard drive can't stop looking for an opportunity to find what he threw in the trash, but he doesn't understand that excavation can't be approved because it's against the rules, and that he addresses those who can't change those rules. So he should turn to those above the city council, then ask that hedge fund to make a deposit of a few million pounds in escrow, and only then hope for a positive decision.

[Kong Hey Pakboy]

I am not cheering for this guy, that's a landfill and either the HDD is already destroyed or someone has already taken it and have reset the contents of it to use it for their computer. It's his fault in the first place when he threw away his laptop plus if it's in UK it's probably not even in a normal landfill because they have a different way to dispose eWaste.

[Timelord2067]

I think the only thing we can really take from this article is to never EVER throw anything out unless you are absolutely certain that you'll never need it ever again.  Or, if you do throw it out, you promice to never EVER go searching for it once it's gone...

(Plus who is going to foot the bill while the search is on?  And, how do we know that someone didn't dumpster dive their trash and walk off with the HDD months / years ago and reformat it when they did?_)_

[NeuroticFish]

Even if we were able to agree to his request, the question arises as to who would cover the costs if the hard drive was not found or was damaged to such an extent that the data could not be restored

This is a very good point. Unfortunately the owner seems to be living in a dream and the only ones who benefit are the newspapers.
That HDD is most probably damaged beyond repair and the owner basically wants others work for him and take risks for... some promises. Well, the world doesn't really work like that...

[stompix]

In this particular case, it is not a laptop, but a hard drive - and he did not personally throw it in the dump, but threw it in the trash can, the contents of which ended up in the dump in question.

As I see it it's like this:
The hard drive might have landed in a truck or it could have been claimed before that by someone scavenging, it could have been crushed in the garbage truck depending on what else was it there, it could have been sorted out before heading to landfill and it could have been again crushed when dumped. I don't know how good those seals on an older drive are but after all this time probably they are done for and if not god knows what liquid or at least dust has entered it.
So he might look for something that has slim chances of surviving and also slim chances of actually being there.

Oh, imagine one thing, they go there, they find the disk, they can't get the data and that's it, they give up. But...it's not really that disk, just one of the same model thrown by somebody else and the real one was just one meter below what they've found! Great ending for a movie, isn't it?

[newwest]

I am not cheering for this guy, that's a landfill and either the HDD is already destroyed or someone has already taken it and have reset the contents of it to use it for their computer. It's his fault in the first place when he threw away his laptop plus if it's in UK it's probably not even in a normal landfill because they have a different way to dispose eWaste.

Yeah not sure if it still exist at that place as well, because some or other might have taken long back itself though unaware about bitcoin but just to sell it and get few bucks. As well I doubt even if it still exist he may get it r would be able to recover but still hope keeps thing alive and it is a matter of now 378$ million so he is trying it. But lets see how successful and long the operations continue.

[Oceat]

I think the only thing we can really take from this article is to never EVER throw anything out unless you are absolutely certain that you'll never need it ever again.  Or, if you do throw it out, you promice to never EVER go searching for it once it's gone...

(Plus who is going to foot the bill while the search is on?  And, how do we know that someone didn't dumpster dive their trash and walk off with the HDD months / years ago and reformat it when they did?_)_

I don't know if he throw it away on purpose or just accidentally throw it thinking that Bitcoin would be so expensive nowadays. Research said that he throw it away when the price was around $9 and now he wants to take it from where it was landed but the question is. Is it really in the landfill or is taken away by someone? We never know and if his plan is to search the entire field within one year that would cost too much, although he said with the help of all the hedge funds this might cover the entire expenses.

It's been 5+ years since it was lost, how would they do it? With those X-rays equipment I don't think it would be easy to find and we are not certain if it really landed on the landfill.

[Kong Hey Pakboy]

I am not cheering for this guy, that's a landfill and either the HDD is already destroyed or someone has already taken it and have reset the contents of it to use it for their computer. It's his fault in the first place when he threw away his laptop plus if it's in UK it's probably not even in a normal landfill because they have a different way to dispose eWaste.

Yeah not sure if it still exist at that place as well, because some or other might have taken long back itself though unaware about bitcoin but just to sell it and get few bucks. As well I doubt even if it still exist he may get it r would be able to recover but still hope keeps thing alive and it is a matter of now 378$ million so he is trying it. But lets see how successful and long the operations continue.

Even if you have the greatest of hope, if the computer has been thrown for a long time, I am pretty sure that it's already gone and that they should just give up, I mean there should be a point that you should give it up entirely knowing that looking for it is entirely futile.

[zanezane]

Even if you have the greatest of hope, if the computer has been thrown for a long time, I am pretty sure that it's already gone and that they should just give up, I mean there should be a point that you should give it up entirely knowing that looking for it is entirely futile.

Even if this is futile effort as you've said, it doesn't matter because the search is going to inspire people to help or have them be more secure with their own bitcoins, this loss serves as a lesson to everyone who reads the story that they should be careful of their important possession.

[acquafredda]

Better for him if the HDD is not found, let me explain.
He is a public character now, many people know his story. The moment he finds the HDD is like saying the whole world, hey look I am rich. God knows who could go after his fortune when it is found.
Certainly the HMRC cannot wait for the guy to find the treasury.

[Obito]

Better for him if the HDD is not found, let me explain.
He is a public character now, many people know his story. The moment he finds the HDD is like saying the whole world, hey look I am rich. God knows who could go after his fortune when it is found.
Certainly the HMRC cannot wait for the guy to find the treasury.

Not what I was thinking but younare right, he is basically a target now waiting to be painted red for the malicious entities to strike down and take the HDD away from him or stole it. I think he could probably earn the money from his appearance to different television shows because he is already famous right?

[Lucius]

Great ending for a movie, isn't it?

In fact, it's not a bad idea, maybe a movie could be made from the whole story, and then there would still be some benefit from all this - of course if the movie wasn't so bad that no one would want to watch it. So instead of searching, it might be better to write a book or a screenplay and try to cash it in, which is definitely better than charging £250 for a 1-hour interview. I think one journalist best described him and his situation.

This is a tale of greed, loss and disappointment, smiley face emojis and spectacular ineptitude, writes Coin Rivet’s Helen Carter.

It involves Bitcoin pioneer James Howells, an IT worker form Newport. I asked him, via Twitter, for an interview.

Sure, he replied. Then he explained that he charges a “nominal £250 fee paid in BTC or BCH for a one-hour telephone interview – reason being that it encourages people… such as yourselves, to become involved with cryptocurrency and learn how to use it themselves, as opposed to just reporting on it. ”.

Better for him if the HDD is not found, let me explain.

If he could find that HDD, with that money he could buy security in any form - from having physical protection, to state-of-the-art technical protection, or ultimately to a complete change of identity. His life would definitely change, but he actually wants that, otherwise, he would have stopped trying to do something almost impossible a long time ago.

[buwaytress]

Going to have to say it's a lost cause. I've even had HDDs stored and still have environmental damage (mold, heat, dust, etc.), never mind one that's gone through all kinds of rough and tumble treatment. I think moisture would be the hardest thing to avoid and that alone, all those years sitting out there, I really can't see how any data would be recoverable.

Suppose those hedge fund people don't mind wasting a couple of million on this risky move.

P.S. I have a similar story, disposing wallets of shitcoins in spring cleaning in 2017. Then alt spring came and I cried for all the lost coins. Except I deleted files rather than throw physical storage.

[aoluain]

The most important part of the HDD is the Disc or Platter, thats where the data is stored.
The platters are most often made of Aluminium which corrodes easily.

Imagine in a landfill there are all sorts of organic materials decomposing at various stages
and other man made goods which people dispose of which are toxic like solvents,
batteries and oils etc.

If he threw that HDD in a thrash can, that bag of waste went threw various moves before
it found its resting place, from bin to truck, compressed in the truck, dumped at landfill and
then levelled and trampled on with a dozer then buried under further layers of rubbish.

The chances of finding it, with an undamaged disc, and being able to read its data is at
best a long shot. Also how many other HDD's are in that landfill?

As @Lucius says, write a book.

[acquafredda]

Going to have to say it's a lost cause. I've even had HDDs stored and still have environmental damage (mold, heat, dust, etc.), never mind one that's gone through all kinds of rough and tumble treatment. I think moisture would be the hardest thing to avoid and that alone, all those years sitting out there, I really can't see how any data would be recoverable.

Suppose those hedge fund people don't mind wasting a couple of million on this risky move.

P.S. I have a similar story, disposing wallets of shitcoins in spring cleaning in 2017. Then alt spring came and I cried for all the lost coins. Except I deleted files rather than throw physical storage.

It is a desperate move from a guy who is clinging to some imaginary wealth that does not exist anymore. Is going to be a huge waste of resources and time that could have been used in a different way. What if they find nothing or the HDD integrity is gone for good?
If I was in the City Council I would have never allowed the guy to follow his crazy thinking.

[buwaytress]

It is a desperate move from a guy who is clinging to some imaginary wealth that does not exist anymore. Is going to be a huge waste of resources and time that could have been used in a different way. What if they find nothing or the HDD integrity is gone for good?
If I was in the City Council I would have never allowed the guy to follow his crazy thinking.

Well if someone were paying for it, I don't see why not, and someone(s) is/are paying for it. It's all revenue to the city, what does it care? The little bit of media attention and excitement helps too;)

That's also probably why the fund's paying for it. Just to get a bit of eyes/ears on them. Lost causes are always romantic, suppose someone in the PR department thought it'd be worth chucking several hundred grand at it.

[Lucius]

Well if someone were paying for it, I don't see why not, and someone(s) is/are paying for it. It's all revenue to the city, what does it care? The little bit of media attention and excitement helps too;)

If I understood correctly, this hedge fund is only willing to pay for a search and rescue operation, but in case they don't find anything, the city won't get anything but a mountain of garbage problem that they would have to solve on their own expense. In case the approach is different and the fund puts in the escrow amount that the city would ask for as compensation for all possible costs, maybe that would soften the city council a little.

I still think that he is addressing the wrong people, because if they have had an identical attitude for 7 years, they will have it in the next 7 years - so the problem should be addressed to a higher instance.

[SFR10]

Oh, imagine one thing, they go there, they find the disk, they can't get the data and that's it, they give up. But...it's not really that disk, just one of the same model thrown by somebody else and the real one was just one meter below what they've found! Great ending for a movie, isn't it?

Exactly, but if what he claimed in that article is true, then we can safely rule out that part:

We have a system with multiple conveyer-belts, X-ray scanning devices and an AI scanning device that would be trained to recognise items that are a similar size and density to the hard drive.

I don't know if he throw it away on purpose or just accidentally
~Snipped~
Research said that he throw it away when the price was around $9 and now he wants to take it from where it was landed

Based on "this" article, it was a mistake:

Code:

James said: "I had two identical hard drives and I threw out the wrong one.

• Am I the only one who's not buying that excuse ^{[especially with his background]}?

although he said with the help of all the hedge funds this might cover the entire expenses.

Just a single hedge fund.

[Vishnu.Reang]

I first read about this news many years ago (almost at the time I got my first coins). Now time has come for this guy (James Howells) to move on with this life and admit that the coins can never be recovered. If he had so much faith in Bitcoin, then he would have never thrown away those coins in the first place. He should remember what Satoshi said about those lost coins. According to Satoshi, lost coins increase the value of the coin holdings of everyone else. Millions of coins are now reported as "lost", and the BTC7,500 figure mentioned here is like a tiny fraction of that amount.