Hard Drive destruction question?

I'm taking the opportunity of the stay-in-place order to do some much needed spring cleaning.

As I'm sure many of us do, I have over the years gone through quite a few computers, external HDs, etc. Currently in my "junk pile" are probably half a dozen old HDDs pulled out of computers.

My concern is that there might be sensitive data (SSNs, account information, etc) on some or all of these. I don't have the time or inclination to hook them up to a computer to "wipe" them and the drives are of no value to me anyway. My question is how can I destroy them so that any data can't be recovered?

I know I can physically smash them with an axe or sledge hammer but I was hoping for something less messy. So here' my question:

What if I just immersed them all in a bucket of salt water and let them sit in the bucket for a week or so? Wouldn't that likely corrode the internals so much that for all practical purposes no data could be recovered? Then I could just throw them away or put them in an electronic recycle bucket.

The outside circuitry might be harmed by saltwater, but it's unlikely any saltwater would get into the platters, where data is stored.

If you have the capability to burn a hole through it (oxy/acetaline comes to mind) that would work.

Smashing also would work. Which I know, you don't want to get messy. You could disassemble to get to the platters and then do whatever to physically damage those.

Shooting would work, but you really shouldn't shoot mild steel - ricochet risks.

Disclaimer: Now, there's specialized (partial) recovery that can be done even when platters are physically damaged, but it's not too likely someone's going to spend $5k on each of your landfill drives to do that. IMHO it's better to have a platter damaged along an entire axis (like a crack radiating out from the center-out) as opposed especially to a single hole, which could allow recovery in sectors of continuous tracks unaffected by the hole - even if it is unlikely and requires special equipment.

It's pretty easy to open them up and remove the platters. A few decent gouges on the platters should do the job.

ETA: the magnets inside are pretty fun too

Just stick them in some plastic bags and obliterate then with a hammer. Shouldn?t be too messy.

I think you'll find they're pretty difficult to smash.

Back when televisions had cathode ray tubes, I used to carry a degaussing coil. You can wipe the data very well with those. You could actually hear the heads chattering in the alternating magnetic field.

If you?ve got some large neodymium magnets, you could pull the platters and wipe the data with a magnet.


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Just drill thru them, unlikely that anyone will spend the money removing the platters and getting your data. Equifax already gave the world your SSN and other information anyway.

If you want to do via software, plenty of tools are out there to erase and overwrite the data the amount of times you specify (DBAN, for instance or if you have Linux you can use DD and overwrite with 0's). Note that this will take longer than drilling thru them.

What are the platters made out of? Can you burn them? Would a minute with a propane torch do the job? Is it surface read? Can you scuff it up with sand paper or something? You can tell how much I know about this.

I shoot them. Most of the platters are made of glass. They shatter when I shoot them (good luck putting that back together). .223/5.56 makes little holes, .308/7.62 makes bigger holes.

.22 rimfire will usually just dent the sheet metal cover.

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Originally Posted by whitewalrus

Just drill thru them, unlikely that anyone will spend the money removing the platters and getting your data. Equifax already gave the world your SSN and other information anyway.

If you want to do via software, plenty of tools are out there to erase and overwrite the data the amount of times you specify (DBAN, for instance or if you have Linux you can use DD and overwrite with 0's). Note that this will take longer than drilling thru them.

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+1 drill a couple 3/8” holes in them. Often, the drive platter will shatter when you drill it. Technically, data can be recovered from a drive with a couple holes in it but not by any casual scammer. Squirt some mayo in there if yer nervous.

Thanks for the input. Drilling seems to be the easiest/least messy option.

Yea, drilling.

My clients that don't want to use a data shredder, and even some that do, just drill them.

Magnet, then drill as above

Put it on Craigslist for $200 saying it has evidence against the Clinton's.




Is that joke worn out yet?

Drill them then throw them in a bucket of CocaCola. The Coke destroys the coating on the disc.

Risk management. How much risk does the data represent? How much effort are you willing to make? What are the odds anyone will find the disks? How much effort will they make to recover data?

If you are willing to take a small gamble you could just drop the disks into a few different plastic bags filled with food and pet waste. Drop them into the garbage at intervals. Very low effort and the odds of anyone finding and then being willing to work on recovery are pretty slim.

Of course there is always the seven pass overwrite with random characters followed by crushing with a hydraulic press, then steel shredder, and finally placed into a tank of mild acid.

Be safe.

I still say just smash it with a hammer. Not only does a hammer really jack stuff up but you can relieve a little stress too.

My hammer of choose for wrecking stuff is a 40 oz crass peen.

Get some bored kids and the screw bits together and unscrew them. Someone might learn something.

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Originally Posted by ray1970

I still say just smash it with a hammer. Not only does a hammer really jack stuff up but you can relieve a little stress too.

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That's why I use them for targets. Better stress relief than a hammer, IMO. [UZI]

Wrap them in a wire, apply DC current, turn them into an electromagnet.

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Originally Posted by Gman

That's why I use them for targets. Better stress relief than a hammer, IMO. [UZI]

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A good use of those steel core bullets :)

Steel core doesn't matter. Most desktop drives run with a cast aluminum chassis and sheet steel covers. Anything in a center-fire rifle will usually zip through them. Punches a clean hole through and the platters are tiny little pieces inside. Do 2 and you have a set of...
https://gifimage.net/wp-content/uplo...acas-gif-9.gif

What, no office space meme yet?

For a bunch a tech nerds, you guys are a big disappointment. Hand in your stapler.

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Originally Posted by brutal

What, no office space meme yet?

For a bunch a tech nerds, you guys are a big disappointment. Hand in your stapler.

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If we were talking about printers, I'd share your disappointment.

"PC Load Letter! What the fuck does that mean?"

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Originally Posted by izzy

It's pretty easy to open them up and remove the platters. A few decent gouges on the platters should do the job.

ETA: the magnets inside are pretty fun too

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Those magnets are STRONG! Got one on the fridge.

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Originally Posted by Duman

Those magnets are STRONG! Got one on the fridge.

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Yeah? Well if you can get it off the fridge without pliers then I wouldn?t consider it strong.

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Originally Posted by ray1970

Yeah? Well if you can get it off the fridge without pliers then I wouldn?t consider it strong.

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What if you cheat and slide it to the edge of the fridge?

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Originally Posted by Gman

What if you cheat and slide it to the edge of the fridge?

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Well, like you said.... that?s cheating.

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Originally Posted by earplug

Get some bored kids and the screw bits together and unscrew them. Someone might learn something.

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This is what I did. I paid my son a small amount per drive to disassemble and remove the platters. Mostly so he could work with his hands and see the inside of a computer. We also hooked it up to power once the cover was off, which was kinda fun for him to see too.

Side note, I have a "ball" of drive magnets (with the corner brackets still attached) about the size of a basketball. I was trying to decide if I'm going to mess with removing the brackets or just toss the lot in the trash. LOL.

That's a lot of magnets.....

I wonder if they could be used for a school project or something. They form a magnetic circuit, with the corner brackets attached, as opposed to a simple north-south pole 'dumb' fridge-magnet.

Good opportunity to learn some physics.

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Originally Posted by Duman

That's a lot of magnets.....

I wonder if they could be used for a school project or something. They form a magnetic circuit, with the corner brackets attached, as opposed to a simple north-south pole 'dumb' fridge-magnet.

Good opportunity to learn some physics.

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Don’t know if they are the right type of magnets do to their shape, but you could get some thick copper plating, large copper tubing and bare copper wiring and demonstrate some of Faraday’s laws of induction and Lenz’s laws on magnetic principles. Cool stuff for grade school age kids.