2
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mister790
2.1k
Asked
Recommendations for where to shred a hard drive?
I have a small stack of dead hard drives I'd like to have shredded. I've found a few places online that provide that service, but the best quote I got was $10 a drive. I'm curious if anyone has any recommendation of anyone who provides the same service for a cheaper price.
(And I know I could just drill some holes in the drives, which is what I may end up doing, but I like the idea of total information destruction that shredding provides and I like the idea that they'll recycle the remains properly afterwards.)
7
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rdklinc
15.3k
Answered
Accepted Answer
I agree with MacHead -- do it yourself in order to make sure it's been done.
Always be wary of recyclers that claim they will erase your data, because most don't bother (believe me, I buy hundreds of laptops a year from recyclers and on a daily basis I come across personal data that should have been deleted).
Another option is to use Disk Utility's "security options" under the erase tab to do a full write on the drive after formatting. I am not a shredding expert and I am not aware of how this compares to a 3rd party tool that does shredding, but Disk Utility with these settings turned on basically writes to the disk for a matter of hours, so it's hard to believe there would be much left afterward. And using this method you'd still have a usable drive afterward.
The "do it yourself to make sure it's been done" thought wins. I didn't think through the notion that I wouldn't necessarily be able to observe the drives actually being shredded if I'm sending them in to a service.
rdklinc use the disk utility as you describe or a 3rd party tool, have fun use both, repartition it, do what you like. If you haven't physically totally destroyed the hard drive the odds are I can recover what was on it. If you apply the order of operations from Algebra, technically those are laws, to the hard drive function you will know why. Everything on/in a computer is based on mathematical principles.
4
Score
machead3
12k
Answered
Drill your holes
(or smack with a hammer) and take it to your local hazmat recycle site.
N.
Hmmm - I answered first, my answer is agreed with, but I'm not the "accepted answer"? I guess this site is like High School - it's not what you know but who you know.
doesn't work that way for me..your answer is good but rdk's has better information in it. yours is a little succinct? no highschool shennanigans here...x
i am in high school people, i am TIRED of it ALL! i cannot stand that your social status depends on who and how many people you know! I will be so glad to get out of high school and do technical school for half a day next year, get past the childish games for a good amount of time
nick,
2
Score
rab777hp
12.6k
Answered
Smack it with a hammer, but that's pointless, because 7 pass is what the DoD recommends, and Mac OS X let's you go all the way to 35-pass. More than enough.
However, another fun way is to take them apart with a star screwdriver.
That does sound kind of fun. But is there anything inside the typical hard drive that could be toxic if I open them up like that?
Nah, when I dissected an ancient PC of mine I took them apart no problem; you may want to wear gloves however for two reasons, 1)there are still strange powders around in there (not toxic, but still) and 2) two words: sharp and pointy. It's actually really fun, you look at all the components and stuff. And why not do a teardown of a HDD while you're at it for iFixit?
I did this already.... used a old 6.5GB one i was asked to get the data off, removing and destrouing the platters seprate is the best way
nick,
2
Score
nick
12.3k
Answered
Get a gun and drill holes in it, and whack with a hammer after
shoot it a few times, I recommend a .12 gauge shotgun or some sort of rifle if possible
drill holes in it after that
now whack with a hammer
If you need access to a gun and don't have one, ask to go to the shooting range with a friend and shoot it, get access to a gun in some way
A word of warning about using a gun: THEY ARE NOT TOYS! YOU NEED TO HAVE SUPERVISION IF YOU ARE NOT 18 OR HAVE A GUN PERMIT, OR UNFAMILIAR WITH GUNS! I REPEAT, GUNS ARE DANGEROUS IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL!
Here is a video on the 12 gauge slug thru a harddrive(this guy has the right idea where to shoot it), but shoot it more then him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pZD99lTf...
Because I DID bring up the use of guns, I have to bring up some obligatory safety warnings
Do this in a shooting range if you possibly can(if you have lots of acres, I suppose that would work, make LOTS OF room for the slug to land in a predictable spot), go with a shooting range tough
WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!
Keep who is watching behind you at ALL times and make sure they have safety glasses and hearing protection
Make sure there is PLENTY of room for the slug to land so nothing is hit, or there is a slim to none chance of it happening
GUNS ARE NOT TOYS! YOU NEED TO HAVE SUPERVISION IF YOU ARE NOT 18 OR HAVE A GUN PERMIT, OR UNFAMILIAR WITH GUNS! I REPEAT, GUNS ARE DANGEROUS IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL!
I know these warnings are old news to seasoned shooters, but I had to do this for the new shooters or teenagers who want to do this, but not needed for some, nonetheless, review them for your own good anyway
Again, I cannot stress safety enough, follow my tips and warnings all over this post, they are for your own good
+ lmao, you do want to kill it. You also need to worry about where the slugs will go after they hit the metal. I've seen a number of STOP signs get shot and the bullet not go through the metal, but they went somewhere. With the rest of your scenario, hammers and drills, I think you have the right idea.
I recommend shooting the back, it is weak back there, then go through the front a few times. You do not want to cheap out on slugs either, get 2 boxes minium, and shoot the back and front, in reguards to being careful where slugs go, do it on acres of land or a shooting range, make sure there is PLENTY of space for the slug to land and not hit anything
nick,
0
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Answered
0
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Answered
In support of ifixit mind-set, though, it would sure seem preferable to WIPE your drives with an appropriate utility (DBAN (http://www.dban.org/) comes to mind), and then donate them to a re-use center, who could very well have great need for your drives.
I know that doesn't answer your specific question (which is over 2 yrs old anyway at this point), but felt that the wipe-and-donate option should be mentioned here, at the very least.
the issue with that is if i buy a used drive, it's very possible to recover the old owner's data, destruction is best, and i go on the curb and recyclers for parts for my own use, nobody wipes the HDD's too(even recyclers forget!), so i have to. my way of doing it(drill, hammer, shotgun) is the best to do it
nick,
Since they are dead hard drives I would follow macheads advice. Ralph
rj713,