G+_Rich Fowler Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Problem: I have a bunch of *really* old HDDs. (All the way back to a couple of RLL/MFM drives, a whopping 10MB!) And whether they work or not, they all contain data I don't want to hand out to random person who riffles through my trash/recycling. What's the best way to dispose of or destroy them without having to build a computer for the express purpose of doing Gutman wipes on a bunch of janky old drives that may not even run? (And how do I wipe a drive with a cooked controller? Use a hammer on the platters? Is it safe to do that?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Michael Fullarton Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 you could just remove the platters and junk the rest of the drives. Blow torch could be fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Thermite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Lucas Van Enger Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Acid bath... ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rich Fowler Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 What about a Bulk Eraser (it's a strong electromagnet)? We used to use those to wipe videotapes quickly. Would that work on HDDs, or would I need a stronger electromagnet? Otherwise, I guess it's going to be Hammer Time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Travis Hershberger Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I agree with removing the platters. Can be a mite difficult, but being that we're not worried about preserving data who cares if you break things. I've still got a bunch of platters to do something with, melting them down into some sort of casting is sounding like fun at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Taylor Graham Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 https://plus.google.com/104416581312623628138/posts/XyMrgJhA4Wp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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