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How to "properly" dispose of a hard drive

#1
User is offline   noop 

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Well name off some "safe" ways to dispose of your hard drives! Posted Image

  • Drill holes into the device with your drill.
  • Microwave it.
  • Freeze it in liquid helium and then hit it with a hammer and watch it shatter into a million pieces.
  • Use them as target practice when using a firearm.
  • Run it through a hard drive shredder Posted Image
  • Cut the platters with tin snips

I wouldn't recommend using the microwave as your number one alternative to kill a hard drive as it burn up in your microwave.

Add your suggestions!
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#2
User is offline   Pirate07 

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View Postnoop, on 30 October 2009 - 04:47 AM, said:

Well name off some "safe" ways to dispose of your hard drives! :P

  • Drill holes into the device with your drill.
  • Microwave it.
  • Freeze it in liquid helium and then hit it with a hammer and watch it shatter into a million pieces.
  • Use them as target practice when using a firearm.

I wouldn't recommend using the microwave as your number one alternative to kill a hard drive as it burn up in your microwave.

Add your suggestions!


LOL "Microwave it" I don't think that would be safe :blink: When I was in the military we use to send them threw a shredder (similar to a paper shredder). So there was nothing left of them. Drilling Holes and then beating it with a hammer sounds like fun, and is the route I am going to take :D
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#3
User is offline   noop 

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5. Run it through a hard drive shredder :P


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#4
User is offline   madmatt2006 

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When disposing of hard drives for the police a few years ago we had to Drill holes into the HDD's platters with your drill.
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#5
User is offline   Uncle Fester 

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Drill's a good one - also I have taken them apart and cut the disc up with tin snips - try and recover that.
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#6
User is offline   noop 

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View PostUncle Fester, on 03 November 2009 - 10:17 PM, said:

Drill's a good one - also I have taken them apart and cut the disc up with tin snips - try and recover that.


Number 6 :P
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#7
User is offline   Uncle Fester 

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I wonder what would happen if you put one in a CAT scanner (I'm definitely a Curious George), or do I mean MRI?

This post has been edited by Uncle Fester: 03 November 2009 - 10:40 PM

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#8
User is offline   madmatt2006 

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:lol: me too. or what would happen to the MRI machine
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#9
User is offline   noop 

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If I am correct, it would instantly rip it out of your hands and stick to the inside of the machine lol

So is #7 throw it into an MRI machine with a doctors conscent? :P


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#10
User is offline   Uncle Fester 

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If you've got as friendly doctor who doesn't mind you screwing with their expensive bit of kit!
Want to get destructive big-time: how about some thermite? What a misspent youth I had (or still have to be honest)
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#11
User is offline   madmatt2006 

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This method works a treat !! :lol:


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#12
User is offline   Uncle Fester 

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I want that job!

This post has been edited by Uncle Fester: 03 November 2009 - 11:10 PM

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#13
User is offline   madmatt2006 

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hehe I'm sure we could recover the data of that drive with a bit of glue and sticky tape no problem (Not :lol: )
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#14
User is offline   Uncle Fester 

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Still - remember the Iranian students in the embassies nearly 30 years ago. That kind of dogged determination beggars belief.

Another idea though - acid on the platter.
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#15
User is offline   madmatt2006 

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thermite seems to be the best looking method :lol: "Smokin"


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