MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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I've a collection of old(ATA) internal hard drives that I need to disopse of. They all probably contain some information that I wouldn't want to get into the wrong hands. Whats the best and/or easiest way to destroy them? The disks not the 'wrong hands'.
Do you want to physically destroy the drive, or just the data on it?
Darik's Boot 'n Nuke will securely erase the contents of any drive you throw at it. ( http://www.dban.org/)
If you want to guarantee it (and you've only got a short space of time) then drill through the drive platter with a bench drill. Even if someone wants to get the data off, the shock damage will almost certainly render it unreadable*.
* To anyone without years and millions of pounds to spend on specialist data recovery. And even then they probably won't get anything.
EDIT: After reading the linked article above, I've changed my mind and now recommend Thermite.
+1 for flaperon's answer, the drilling is the way the military dealt with em (used to anyways), but apparently you need to spin them up (power them on) after you've drilled the holes to get the protection. Lots of metal filing's detroying the sensitive platter coverings....
Though yes Thermite sounds fun.
{dban will be fine on it's own)
physically dismantle and snap the disk in to pieces. Take a surprisingly long time though..
I use a hammer and cold chisel and make a few holes right through the casing.
I have thought of dropping them in a bucket of salt water afterwards, but it seems too much faff. Maybe if I had questionable material on them I'd do it, but it's just commercial info and anyone wanting it would find simpler ways to retrieve it than trying to reassemble it from smashed up disks.
A set of Bombers.
a nice little blow torch might be fun
Second the fire option, just disposed of my old hard drive that way
Love this post on the pc pro's top 10...
give it to a toddler. guaranteed data unrecoverable.
I’ve got 3 i could hire out if anyone is interested? they work for rusks…
The industrial shredder option looked fun, but I was rather worried about the lack of a guard on the thing - it looked big enough to fall into 🙁
I think my 2 boys (5 & 8) and a couple of hammers should do the trick!!!
i just use a hammer and smash the crap out of the ones we chuck away at my work. it's pretty good therapy too!