HDD Destruction Challenges/Confusions

[ronbo613]

Another hundred posts or so and this issue should be figured out.

Or, smash the hard drive to bits with a hammer.

 

[readymix]

Another hundred posts or so and this issue should be figured out.

Or, smash the hard drive to bits with a hammer.

not yet!!!

encrypt, hammer, pitch.

 

[skankinstein]

Hammer drill would make quick work, but why the mechanical mayhem? Stop the sweat, tears and blood...just change it's physical state. Burn 'em, they melt fast.

 

[Virgorising]

Another hundred posts or so and this issue should be figured out.

Or, smash the hard drive to bits with a hammer.

It's a JOURNEY. An organic one. Always.

And the two drives I finally felt I had mangled sufficiently for my neighbor and then carried to the recycle bin.....were impervious to smashing with a hammer.

 

[Virgorising]

Hammer drill would make quick work, but why the mechanical mayhem? Stop the sweat, tears and blood...just change it's physical state. Burn 'em, they melt fast.

O M G.

 

[Virgorising]

I like to just remove the cover then run sand paper on the platter as it's running. I'll also score the platter from centre out using a screw driver. This will render it completely unreadable using traditional methods (spinning), the sand paper will help corrupt most of the data if the platter is read using some kind of magnetic scanner where it does not have to spin.

I do think this is the best way....I jus did not have the torx bits, and, then, nowhere to get them.

You can also pile the platters up and use thermite to destroy a whole bunch at once. I kinda want to try that, I have a pile of old drives myself that I need to destroy. Just need to find an efficient way of grinding pop cans and rusty nails into a fine powder without having it actually go off on me. (probably safe to do one powder at a time)

Please.....I am asking you not to do this.

 

[Virgorising]

not yet!!!

encrypt, hammer, pitch.

I could be wrong, but I will bet the biggest guy I know wielding any hammer could not have made a dent in these.

 

[Virgorising]

The Torx bolts on HDDs are often stainless steel, not kind to most drill bits

Ahah! I feel less bad I did not think to try that now.

 

[KingFatty]

You could do more than just burn them, you can melt them down into slag:

http://eecue.com/c/driveslag

(see full album link at website above for more pics)

 

[Virgorising]

Am I really the only person here who owns a sledgehammer?

But, Dave, even had I borrowed one from the workshop had it been open, I would have had to use it in the workshop in the basement, cause anything I would have put them on to use it, would have been hurt.

Let's say, I put them in the vice in the workshop....and struck it.......bet it could have hurt the vice and nothing much would have happened to the drives. The would have had to have been secured to something fixed to the floor......I mean, a concrete floor.

Bet an acetylene torch with them in a proper crucible would have worked. But, come on......

 

[Virgorising]

You could do more than just burn them, you can melt them down into slag:

http://eecue.com/c/driveslag

(see full album link at website above for more pics)

 

[Virgorising]

The device -- which I hope can still be found at Radio Shack -- is slightly smaller than an electric iron and about equal in weight. Thing is, I KNOW I should still have the device . . . . somewhere.

 

[Virgorising]

This. OP, for future reference for your friend, you could show them how to encrypt the drives with a true-crypt volume and a strong password. Then when they're done with them, the most anybody will be able to pull off of them is garbage, and you could donate them.

Pls know, this is one of many smart, educated friends I have who do not wanna learn diddly about their computers, tho they use them every day.

I try to accept that, but I just don get it.

It sounds liek that seagate is a tough cookie.

That, is the understatement of the century. No way did I think I would have to invest the time I did when I agreed to do this.....forget having to post!

I also think those two drives were too obsolete to donate.

I think I messed them up sufficiently to preclude worrying. But, I now get, removing and abrating the actual platters is the ideal solution.

When Muriatic acid struck me, I was kidding....but, the more I think about it, the more I like it. Not sure if regular humans can get that stuff, tho. Not exactly environmentally friendly. But, if you can drill thru to the platters, and just pour a little acid in.....that would sure do it.
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Edit: OMG! I just delved and you can get it at HOME DEPOT it says online!!! Seriously? Also, I just saw, on ebay!!!!

OMG.....I think that might be a really good strategy!!!!! You would not need much, right? But, guess you would have to wash them before you put them in the recyling bin.
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WAIT!!!!!!! See what I just found!!!!!! OMG!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1o_B1hrD74

See? What came to me was not that crazy!!!! Cept clearly, that guy did that outside......in winter.

Scary video!!!!!!! Gaseous cloud! Scary bubblings!!!! But....I kinda like it! No drilling, no torx bits, no sledge hammer.

I did not think of emersing one....I just envisioned drilling to the platters and pouring a tiny bit of the acid into the holes to mess them up.

 

[Virgorising]

Just found this....pretty funny:

clarkplOct 18, 2012Put a couple .308 slugs through it. Then smash the thing with a sledge hammer. Place it in an old Weber grill with charcoal already burning. [Okay, fine, do this part outside if you must . . . ;-) .] Place remaining bits of melted, charred, scarred, and [probably] unreadable drive in empty paint can. Fill paint can with Quikrete. Replace lid of paint can. Weld shut with arc welder. Place radioactive material warning label on can. Take can to middle of large body of water and drop over side of boat. Fill area with sharks--large, hungry, foul-tempered sharks--fitted with frickin' lasers on their heads. When back at home, send a message to the sharks saying that anyone after that paint can will be a sworn enemy of all sharks and distantly related to Peter Benchley. Open cold beer. Enjoy.

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OMG!!!! This is an actual INDUSTRY!!!!!!

http://howtodestroyaharddrive.com/

And, they include video logs to prove wut they did!!!!
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O NOOOOOOOO! I missed the most obvious thing! If you can drill thru, which I managed, you then just use a big nail and hammer in the hole to mess up the platter!!

Too late now.....but I hate I did not think of that obvious.

Why did I not get that?:'(
http://askbobrankin.com/how_to_destroy_a_hard_drive.html

 

[aigomorla]

Just found this....pretty funny:

clarkplOct 18, 2012Put a couple .308 slugs through it. Then smash the thing with a sledge hammer. Place it in an old Weber grill with charcoal already burning. [Okay, fine, do this part outside if you must . . . ;-) .] Place remaining bits of melted, charred, scarred, and [probably] unreadable drive in empty paint can. Fill paint can with Quikrete. Replace lid of paint can. Weld shut with arc welder. Place radioactive material warning label on can. Take can to middle of large body of water and drop over side of boat. Fill area with sharks--large, hungry, foul-tempered sharks--fitted with frickin' lasers on their heads. When back at home, send a message to the sharks saying that anyone after that paint can will be a sworn enemy of all sharks and distantly related to Peter Benchley. Open cold beer. Enjoy.
?

shotgun solid slug > .308 round.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOHCksyk8hc

 

[Virgorising]

shotgun solid slug > .308 round.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOHCksyk8hc

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

Torx, open, steal the magnets for fun and make wind chimes from the platters. Problem solved. The only issue would be if the NSA is really intent on getting data back, they could take the platters and maybe put them back together...you could help solve that by just scratching the film...in either case it's very unlikely anyone would get any data back...and you get some usable parts.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Torx, open, steal the magnets for fun and make wind chimes from the platters. Problem solved. The only issue would be if the NSA is really intent on getting data back, they could take the platters and maybe put them back together...you could help solve that by just scratching the film...in either case it's very unlikely anyone would get any data back...and you get some usable parts.

YES, don't forget to take the magnets out first, they're a lot of fun.

Be careful though they're kinda fragile, don't let them slam against each other, and watch your fingers! They are ridiculously powerful. You can also use them to build an alternator or something for fun.

 

[MrPickins]

shotgun solid slug > .308 round.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOHCksyk8hc

Meh, I bet the .308 would go right through.

I'm positive my Mosin Nagant would (fires as Ruskie round that is damn close to a .308)...

 

[MrPickins]

Several years ago I tried the Bulk Tape Eraser method on some old HDs I had and believe it or not, that was the most useless method to try to destroy data on a HD. They work OK for video tapes but due to the large amount of metal and the design of the HDs, even after several passes with the Eraser since after a short time the device automatically shuts off due to heat issues, I was able to still read and recover data easily from the drives. For a working drive, I have used Ontrack and Acronis to wipe a drive. Sandpaper or a grinder for the platters in a non-working drive for me.

This doesn't surprise me too much; the drives' case acts as a faraday cage.

I suppose if the eraser generated a strong static magnetic field, then it might work, but I'm guessing the generated field is not static.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The very expensive degausers are suppose to work, but personally, I want to SEE that it's destroyed. Passing it through a machine, then plugging it in and seeing that I can't read it is not enough for me. In theory, those machines could easily simply trigger a switch in the hard drive to tell it to act dead. Not saying it is, but it is theoretically possible. The best destruction is physical. You want to completely eradicate the surface of the platters.

 

[imagoon]

Meh, I bet the .308 would go right through.

I'm positive my Mosin Nagant would (fires as Ruskie round that is damn close to a .308)...

I would bet that most things .223 > would go right through personally.

 

[Virgorising]

Torx, open, steal the magnets for fun and make wind chimes from the platters.

See this is interesting. Why? Cause I luv wind chimes, would not be without windchimes. But, while the HDD platters are metal, so maybe could make some out of them, what I do is replace the Less Than wind catchers/sails they come with, with blank CDs I paint black. Boy, does that work!!! So much surface they chime in a tiny breeze. But, kinda look like platters!

 

[Virgorising]

The very expensive degausers are suppose to work, but personally, I want to SEE that it's destroyed. Passing it through a machine, then plugging it in and seeing that I can't read it is not enough for me. In theory, those machines could easily simply trigger a switch in the hard drive to tell it to act dead. Not saying it is, but it is theoretically possible. The best destruction is physical. You want to completely eradicate the surface of the platters.

Yes! I wanna see it too!!!!!! Or else.... I would not believe it.

 

[exdeath]

DoD 7 pass overwrite. Then do whatever you want with it.