Thread: How to Destroy a Hard Disk

I want to destroy a couple of (200gb IDE) hard disks so that the data on them is irretrievable.

No problem losing the disks themselves, as their former home has new disks with tons of free space and my other puter uses SATA. I forgot to format before removing/replacing them, and now can't be bothered reconnecting or treating them to a jetski ride.

At the moment they look sad at the bottom of a bowl of water, for some reason with salt added.

Is this enough for the bastids to lie down and die?

Take a hammer to them, seriously that's the best thing to do, take the case off and smash up the discs themselves.

^Unless you physically create ripples in the platters it will always be possible to recover the data, smashing it with a hammer will not make it imposible to recover.

Depends on how much effort someone might put in to retrieve the data. Keeping them in salt water for a few days will probably destroy the electronics.
But if somebody really wants the data he would simply retrieve the disks and put them into an identical drive. There are even methods to retrieve most of the data if you drive a nail through the disks. If the data are that important a nice sustained fire would be safer.

How do you put thousands of bits of disc back together? doubt if that's ever been done. Smash them up then, throw some in the river, bury the rest.

Open the casing and put a blow torch to work.

Oxy welder should do the trick.

Originally Posted by crazy dog

How do you put thousands of bits of disc back together? doubt if that's ever been done. Smash them up then, throw some in the river, bury the rest.

It is being done. There are devices that can spin the disks and run read heads over even a rippled surface. Methods to recover the structures and reassemble files are basic recovery tools, not a big problem at all. If you want to destroy the data you use fire as it destroys the magnetization or you shredder the disks into small pieces.

Of course those recovery methods are expensive and will be used only if it can be expected the data have a high value.

Just like getting rid of a body. Dig a deep hole in a remote area in the dark of night and bury it, or dump it in the deep blue sea. Preferably after burning, soaking, and smashing it. See 'The Sopranos' for technique tips.

Unless the data is seriously incriminating, opening the disk and smashing the platters is more than enough.

But if your friends at the C*I&A or N^S#A have an interest, then you are best putting the platters into a blender and then sprinkling the resulting fairy dust over an open fire.

You can't trust anyone. Anyone.

Originally Posted by keda

I want to destroy a couple of (200gb IDE) hard disks so that the data on them is irretrievable.

Give them to a Thai, tell him they are important and he must take good care of them.

^No good. Would pawn them immediately!

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^No good. Would pawn them immediately!

No, he'd want to look at the pictures and videos first.

now why would you need to go to such length to destroy a simple hard drive ?

something very illegal to hide maybe ?

One must be suspicious of someone who will go to such lengths to conceal stored data.

Terrorism?
Made loads of porn with the ex?
Evidence to prove it wasn't suicide?

^HINT: Check OP avatar.

creepy. I will keep my knowledge to myself.

You can rent my idiot dog. He'll eat it as he has several remotes. Doubt after his digestive juices dissolve it into large pile of poo anyone will be able to recover or attempt to recover data.