[EricG]

Hi

Wasn't too sure where I should post this problem but this seems as good a place as any.

I have a couple of old Hard Drives that I removed from a decommissioned PC before disposing of it. I want to destroy them to ensure that no data can be extracted from them. Can anyone advise me?

 

[gcavan]

Sledge hammer, cordless drill, arc welder, wood stove. I'm sure you can think of something.

However, the above techniques will render the drive unusable. :wink: Software such as Active Killdisk will zero the drive and leave it able to be reused.

 

[DonaldG]

Hi
I wrote an article on security of old hard drives. The second part may be of interest to you. See here

 

[EricG]

Thanks for the advice. The HDDs are very old and well used and of small capacity to today's standards so not worth cleaning for further use. I have just the hammer to do this but might well dismantle one of them out of curiosity.

 

[DonaldG]

Hi Eric
I agree with your philosophy about the destruction of old hard drives. By the time a machine has become 'life expired' and is in need of replacement, the old HD is probably minuscule and not worth the time, trouble or cost in deleting data to military specs.

The only value as I see it is to criminals who want the data for ID Theft or other nefarious deeds.

Physical destruction is the surest way of data security and gives the greatest peace of mind. Especially if the drive contained emails, private letters, banking or other sensitive information.

The lump hammer method is very satisfying but taking it apart is fascinating. Especially if you have never seen the inside in real life. The cleanliness and precision of manufacture is outstanding. But those two magnets are very worth while in retrieving. I have quite a few that make super powerful 'fridge' magnets. :grin: