I have harddrives from 1995-1999 and 1997-2005 that I want to destroy. I don't have the computer components needed to boot these disk drives up to wipe them clean.

I want to ensure there is no data left.

What temperature do I have to bring the harddrives up to in order to kill them?

10/24/2011 5:36:48 PM

The platters are actually water-soluable and will break apart in boiling water.

Or maybe not.

Really though, open the case of the HDD, grab a hammer, and smash. But be careful, the shards of disk are sharp.

10/24/2011 5:41:51 PM

put the platters in the microwave for a minute

10/24/2011 5:51:52 PM

I hear a pizza oven does wonders on pc parts... with cheeze

10/24/2011 5:53:01 PM

^beat me to it.

10/24/2011 6:03:00 PM

you have to throw it into molten metal ala Terminator or else your data is still readable.

10/24/2011 6:08:08 PM

Smash the circuit board on the bottom of the drive with a hammer. Unless the NSA is after you, no one is going to bother to get your data after that.

10/24/2011 6:10:13 PM

Quote :

"put the platters in the microwave for a minute"

No thanks.

10/24/2011 6:23:02 PM

Buy one of these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_O7-rqcHc

10/24/2011 6:25:08 PM

lets be frank here... anyone who even gets the data on those drive to steal your identity will probably just mail the drives back with a note saying "damn brother, your life sucks" with a $20 giftcard to cc's pizza.

10/24/2011 6:27:57 PM

I have treasure maps on the drive leading to my buried treasure. I don't want people to find it until I die.

10/24/2011 6:35:49 PM

you mean buried pizzas...

10/24/2011 6:44:32 PM

Nah brah, I spin pizzas into solid gold

10/24/2011 6:52:46 PM

should send your pizza's to gold-for-cash.

10/24/2011 6:58:56 PM

1. load old hard drives into cardboard box
2. drive them out to your friends land in the country
3. shoot them with guns

10/24/2011 6:59:25 PM

Quote :

"1. load old hard drives into cardboard box 2. drive them out to your friends land in the country 3. shoot them with guns"

Awesome idea!! But I'm a city slicker!! I don't have any country friend except for you guys!

I decided against putting it in my oven and am taking gs7's advice and boiling them. I drilled holes in it first to make sure no trapped air would blow it up.

10/24/2011 7:06:44 PM

1. Get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/USB-SATA-Drive-Converter-Cable/dp/B003MQG1UW
2. Mount each drive in turn.
3. Reformat and then delete partitions.

Also that thing I told you to buy is great for moving your data to new computers or upgrading a laptop hard drive.

10/24/2011 7:08:01 PM

Okay I microwaved it and recorded it.


here is the youtube video: http://youtu.be/h0Ft2IFUbV0

10/24/2011 7:30:37 PM

LIES

that video was uploaded almost 2 months ago

10/24/2011 7:34:42 PM

^okay you got me.


But I did boil it... nothing melted or anything

so I baked it at 550 degrees... nothing melted or anything. Not even the waferboard or whatever you call it.

so I took a hammer to it and I broke my damn hammer.


They need to make hammers out of hard drives. WIN

10/24/2011 7:53:09 PM

Quote :

"Smash the circuit board on the bottom of the drive with a hammer. Unless the NSA is after you, no one is going to bother to get your data after that."

i've changed out controller boards with success and i barely know what i'm doing half the time. i'd advise attacking the platters as well.

10/24/2011 7:57:13 PM

It's tough to attack the platters when you lack the proper-sized Torx screwdriver, so if you have a drill that's the best option.

[Edited on October 24, 2011 at 8:38 PM. Reason : or the drive designers could have been stupid and used Phillips screws

10/24/2011 8:38:02 PM

I'm just saying... if they made cars as strong as they made harddrives... I wouldn't mind paying the price they ask for a new car.

10/24/2011 8:41:50 PM

at work, when we have drives we can't boot due to mechanical failure or weird connectors, we send them down to the machine shop, where they put them on a drill press and punch them full of holes.

If you don't have a drill press, buy a cheap torx screwdriver (go to home depot, you can get a multiple-bit little one for less than $10), open the drives up, and go to town on the platters.

10/24/2011 9:25:26 PM

the magnets are really strong for their size. I save them to use as refrigerator magnets

10/24/2011 10:55:42 PM

The answer to the riddle is: Hard drives.

10/25/2011 12:37:00 AM

^^^^I somehow doubt that a pair of hard drives could survive a direct collision at 20MPH

10/25/2011 3:33:41 AM

...if black boxes can survive airplane crashes... then...

10/25/2011 4:52:28 AM

its like in Mass Effect 2, the cargo crates that you use for cover stops even the most deadly attacks in the game... need to make shit out of that.

10/25/2011 5:07:06 AM

I have used a drill and punched three holes in the plater. Should do the trick.

10/25/2011 8:21:41 AM

Quote :

"It's tough to attack the platters when you lack the proper-sized Torx screwdriver,"

It's not rocket science. There are tons of options.

1) Hammer it
2) Drill it
3) Shoot it
4) Drop it of a building

Hell any trip to someones yard shed or workshop should yield a dozen options that's get you to the platters.

10/25/2011 9:07:50 AM

You need these to ensure total destruction:

10/25/2011 9:53:33 AM

Thermite should do the trick.









Lots of thermite.

10/25/2011 11:32:53 AM

Quote :

"...if black boxes can survive airplane crashes... then..."

Flight recorders are made to be much more durable than hard drives.

10/25/2011 4:21:53 PM

i took a hammer to the platters of my old one, it took a lot of violent hits but they finally broke.

10/26/2011 11:25:24 AM

10/26/2011 1:44:35 PM

Quote :

"you have to throw it into molten metal ala Terminator or else your data is still readable."

LOL, I came in here to post this...

10/26/2011 9:20:15 PM

microwaving hard drives is why we can't have nice appliances at work

10/27/2011 12:57:10 PM

lol foreshadowing

5/11/2018 9:27:00 PM

shit, i unknowingly gave advice on how to destroy child porn

5/11/2018 10:55:54 PM

5/11/2018 10:57:24 PM

Apparently in jail only until 2026, he got off light

5/12/2018 7:42:51 AM

nvm lol

5/13/2018 8:47:31 PM

I don't know why, but this thread makes me sad. I guess it is now knowing why those hdd's needed to be destroyed.

He probably almost got caught then, and needed to backtrack.

5/15/2018 12:03:00 PM

best bump of 2018

5/16/2018 8:25:45 PM

This thread.

5/17/2018 7:37:56 AM

fuck this guy

5/18/2018 6:53:41 AM