Destroying Hard Drives

[Trekker4747]

My parents are cleaning out their garage and in the process had three old computers they wanted to get rid of and they were asking me about them. I pretty much shrugged and told them they were all worth nothing. The "newest" one being probably 8 years old the computers are pretty much worthless, heck I think they all have Win98 on them. I told them when they have their garage sale to just set the boxes out there and tell people to take whatever they want out of them. The cases are worth something, the power-supplies are worth something but the computer parts are all worthless.

But I did remove the hard-drives. I intended to take them apart, remove the platters and bang up the platters/otherwise destroy them. Unfortuantly I couldn't find a driver with the star-style head on it to take the drives apart (none of them had a standard flat/philips screw on them.) So I went to Plan-B. A small pick-axe and a hammer.

I'd say they're destroyed.

 

[Mr. B]

There's one way to be absolutely sure...

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQYPCPB1g3o[/yt]

 

[Marie1]

Spinrite, IIRC... or maybe CCleaner?

 

[Cornholio]

looks like you had a good time. I used to smash computer parts a lot. I worked as a service technician at a small computer store. some days I'd be really stressed so I'd grab a spare keyboard or drive and go behind the store and smash the crap out of 'em.

next time you wanna take a hard drive apart you can use a really small flathead screwdriver, known as a "tweaker" in the industry, to get the drive open. they're relatively inexpensive. you can get 'em at any store that sells tools for electronics repair, and I've seen 'em at Sears too.

 

[propita]

There's one way to be absolutely sure...

Alternatively:

Nuke it from space. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[Trekker4747]

looks like you had a good time. I used to smash computer parts a lot. I worked as a service technician at a small computer store. some days I'd be really stressed so I'd grab a spare keyboard or drive and go behind the store and smash the crap out of 'em.

next time you wanna take a hard drive apart you can use a really small flathead screwdriver, known as a "tweaker" in the industry, to get the drive open. they're relatively inexpensive. you can get 'em at any store that sells tools for electronics repair, and I've seen 'em at Sears too.

Somewhere I have a good screwdriver that would've fit the screws in those drives, I just didn't have one at the parents' house. I tried a few different screwdrivers (both phillips and standard) in various sizes to see if I could get it off, nothing really worked. The only thing that may have worked were a set of jewler's screwdrivers with that star head but I couldn't get a good enough grip on it due to the small shaft (That's what she said! Ha ha ha ha) on the tool. So I resorted to the hammer and "axe" which was really more of a hammer with nicem, wide and flat pryer on the head. I wedged it in the gap between the drive the casing top and banged the peen with the regular hammer to knock open the lid, get to the platters which I then destroyed as much as I could.

Having taken hard-drives apart before I knew this would be work as I knew how well made and durable they usualy are. My brother was impressed with how durable they were when he hit one really hard with a hammer and pretty much nothing noticable happened to the casing.

But, yeah, it was loads of fun.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

Run a drill though it?
I read an article that said this site
can do it as well
http://www.dban.org/

Its what the RCMP uses.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

The important thing to remember is that your average identity thief doesn't have access to an electron microscope, which is what you'd need if the drive platters have been significantly damaged. So, drilling holes through the platters, bashing the shit out of the drive, etc. will do just nicely.

 

[Trekker4747]

The important thing to remember is that your average identity thief doesn't have access to an electron microscope, which is what you'd need if the drive platters have been significantly damaged. So, drilling holes through the platters, bashing the shit out of the drive, etc. will do just nicely.

Which is what I figured, hell I knew that just breaking the casing is usually enough as even the tiniest, most microscopic, speck of dust on the platter can render it unusable.

I also took the extra step of making sure I seperated each platter from the spindle, and bashing the shit out of each platter. Hell, I considered grabbing a strong-nearby magnet and going after them but I though bashing the shit out of them was good enough and, really, it's unlikely anything critical/identity theft worthy was on them anyway.

 

[Marc]

geez can't believe no-one's suggest using thermite on the things.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm sure that creating incendiary compunds and detonating them in suburban areas is illegal and frowned upon.

 

[B.J.]

When computers are removed from classified areas at work, the hard drives and other memory devices have to be removed, dismantled, and completely destroyed. Made for a great supply of super strong magnets, though!

 

[Robert Maxwell]

When computers are removed from classified areas at work, the hard drives and other memory devices have to be removed, dismantled, and completely destroyed. Made for a great supply of super strong magnets, though!

I love pulling the magnets out of hard drives. They're tough as fuck.

 

[SmoothieX]

Louisville Slugger makes an excellent program for wiping hard drives.

 

[Rii]

Don't forget your tinfoil hat.

 

[JustAFriend]

You don't need to take them apart.

You just need the right tool for job:

or

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Seems like the MythBusters motto works here: "Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing!"

 

[ares93]

Don't forget your tinfoil hat.

we never take them off. and regarding paranoia:
"Just when you think you're paranoid you realize that you're not paranoid enough." John Smith, The Dead Zone

 

[John Picard]

geez can't believe no-one's suggest using thermite on the things.

I'm sure that creating incendiary compounds and detonating them in suburban areas is illegal and frowned upon.

It is easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.

 

[JarodRussell]

Well, to put some fuel into the fire that is burning from paranoia... be aware that the Shadow Government managed to retreive data from smashed harddrives found in the rubble of the World Trade Center. So no matter what you do to your HDD, there is always a way to retreive your porn videos.