Destroying a Hard Drive

[Correction]

Another HDD failed on me this week but this time it failed with some confidential contractor data/contact info on it, so I can't just send it to a recycler, and odds are my contract won't dispose of it for me. It's badly enough damaged that someone can't just plug it into their machine and take the contents, but anybody with a rudimentary understanding of data recovery and patience (the drive locks up windows after about 30 minutes of being plugged in) can get a bunch of stuff not meant for public consumption. Due to the lockup problems I'm not really patient enough to plug it back into my machine and do the work by hand if the end result is the same - an unusable drive. I'm looking for physical annihilation of the drive, in other words.

As such I need a solution for destroying it that doesn't involve a great deal of expense on my part. A friend suggested taking it to an engine shop and having it dipped in the acid tank there for about twenty bucks. I can probably get this sorted out but if BG has any similarly effective strategies I'd like to hear it.

[Pikarya]

http://i33.tinypic.com/og9y60.jpg

Done and done. Unless you need to take steps further to prevent the feds.

[Kazen]

You could use a lot of magnets or one of these.

http://anonymousradioshow.files.word...edgehammer.jpg

[Blubbartron]

Destroying the platters is the only 100% guaranteed way to destroy the data. Even the best wipers leave patterns that can be reversed with enough time/money/sophistication of program.

[Calina]

take the drive apart rip out the platters and melt them with a blowtorch. simple as that if the platters are melted into little piles theres no chance anyones getting the data at that point.

and on the plus side you get to play with fire if your a pyro like me thats a BIG plus^^

[fishstix]

microwave?

[SephYuyX]

Breaking the platters up into lots of pieces and scattering the ashes, as well as melting them down are the best answers.

As stated, if theyre still in one piece, and someone wants that info that badly, it's possible it can be recovered, but unless youre running rom the feds, I doubt anyone would go through such lengths to snoop.

[Pikarya]

microwave?

If you not only want to smell chemical compounds in your housing area. Along with destroying the Microwave... Sure.

[Killgannon]

this.

[Pikarya]

Evertime I see one of those grinders. I can't stop but think of the .gif I seen once on 4chan/jj.am that was used for crushing dead cattle.

[Scythiroth]

Melt it with some Thermite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

[Tirrock]

Drill through the platters. Put a few holes in it and you know it won't be used again.

[Djghost454]

Evertime I see one of those grinders. I can't stop but think of the .gif I seen once on 4chan/jj.am that was used for crushing dead cattle.

must see

[Slapper]

I've seen a forensics files case where some guy shot his HD with a shot gun and the FBI were able put the pieces back together and read the shit inside.

[xopher]

Destroying the platters is the only 100% guaranteed way to destroy the data. Even the best wipers leave patterns that can be reversed with enough time/money/sophistication of program.

This is theoretical. It has never been proven that the feds have this way to restore data from a wiped disk.

The magnetism on a disk is ones and zeros. There are no leftover patterns after a 35 pass algorithm wipe using fileshredder.

You can only reverse it one time. There are not infinite layers of records on a disk. Otherwise we would have theoretically limitless storage on a hard drive that we could just roll back every time we wanted to access the previous data.

It doesn't work that way.

The Department of Defense uses seven passes. I think they probably have done a bit of investigating and know what they're doing.

[Senoska]

Melt it with some Thermite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This is how I dispose of old HD's, not because I'm that worried about what's on them, but because its fun and I can. Thermite is easy as christ to make and its fun to kill HDs or old computer shit with.

[fishstix]

or robots from the future.

[Blabj]

If you do use thermite we require video footage as evidence of your awesome feat.

[Pikarya]

A picture of you in the hospital with first degree, corneal flash burns, etc. Timestamp also.

[Spekkio]

best way would be to open the drive (go to the hardware store and buy a star screwdriver for a few bucks) then open it up. remove the platters and the super strong magnets inside (cause they're fuuuuuuuuuuuun!) dispose of the HDD's circuit board on one day, then break and dispose of the fragments of the platters on other days after crosshatching them with a box cutter. dispose of only 1 piece in each location at each time. this complicates any recovery process further by needing to assemble all the pieces from all the disposal locations to re-assemble the data. for the less paranoid level of destruction, get out the trusty old hammawhack 3000 and go to town.