How to make a hard drive unrecoverable
So, I bought a new computer. Transferred all data over to the new one. The hard drive (among other things) was failing on the old one, wasn’t really worth salvaging. And the hard drive has lots of saved passwords and personal info, so I didn’t want to just chuck it.
First, I formatted the drive.
Then, I took out the RAM, to keep as spares:
I removed the battery, as it fits my new computer, and I can keep it as a spare:
I figured the best tool for the job of making the hard drive absolutely unrecoverable was the shotgun:
My wife came home during this phase of the operation. She’s smarter than I am, and reminded me that we have neighbors who might not like the sound of a shotgun blast. She suggested an alternate tool:
I hammered away at the hard drive for a minute or so:
(A good-sized hammer would also work. But a crowbar is a lot more fun.)
It reduced the drive platter to glass dust. (Modern platters are made of metal-treated glass, not metal.) A little bit of it fell out, but I could hear a sandy shake of glass chips and glass dust when I shook the case. (Note the sticker that reads “Warranty void if seal is broken.” I guess the warranty is now void):
I threw the drive full of powdered, deleted data into the trash on top of the coffee grinds:
I covered that with used kitty litter (not pictured) and took the laptop to the recycling place (not pictured).
I won’t guarantee that the drive is 100% unrecoverable, if one had NSA-level resources, but I’m not that important. And I still think it would be a hell of a challenge. If anyone knows a way to turn about a thousand tiny chips of glass back into data, let me know. This process is good enough for me.
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(Note….I wouldn’t REALLY have used a shotgun like that, especially without hearing and eye protection, and not where it could ricochet and hit me or the house. But if I lived in the country, I certianly would have set it up further away and tried it.)
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 am
haha this made me laugh.
illuminating the hard drive.
you seem to be quite fond of your new toy.
nice work.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:32 am
Yup! like a new guitar, but has more uses.
What are gun laws like in Australia? Are guns banned like in your founders, the UK, or everywhere, like the old US Wild West, which Australia seems to resemble in some ways.
MWD
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
You could have simply installed Windoze Vista onto the old drive. This would have been equivalent.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 pm
True! But this was more fun and took less time!
July 24th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
i think guns in australia have to be registered as a sporting equipment through thorough licensing procedures that keep strict tabs on shooters and make it very hard to own firearms.
making it easier for criminals and such to invade your home.
yes its very strict in australia. if you do own one, it has to be locked up and out of sight.
(i had to do a bit of research..) otherwise they ll hound you down like a bunch of hounds and cease your weapons.
if you own a gun, your basically labeled as a terrorist.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Here in the USA, you’re just labeled as an unstable lunatic.
MWD
July 26th, 2008 at 12:15 am
same thing i guess..