Hard drive eraser?

[Wayne Smith]

We have a couple of old laptops and one upright computer to recycle - which can be done locally quarterly. At least the laptops need to be erased, I have confidential information from years ago on both laptops, no idea what LOML has put on the home computer but I know that no financial information is still on it.

Years ago a friend had a large magnet in a frame you can hold that was adequate to wipe a hard drive. Are these still available? I think I am capable of tearing the laptops apart to find the hard drive, no problem with the home computer. Neither of the laptops have been used for years, not sure I even have the charges any more. A manual (magnetic) scrambling is the best option for me.

I find nothing like what I remember on Amazon. What is availble that would do the job?

(Obviously a computer user, not expert!)

[dragon813gt]

A few bullets will take care of them. And no, I'm not joking. A lot more messy than a magnet but also a lot more fun

[Lead pot]

Just take the drive out and drive a punch or old screw driver through it a couple times and you might take the memory chips out and smash them too.

[wch]

Remove the hard drive and put a couple of your favorite caliber bullets through it; unless an intelligence service or law enforcement agency is interested in those hard drives they'll be well "erased".

[Hickory]

Remove the hard drive and burn it.

[funnyjim014]

Old microwave, bonfire, shoot em, drive over them...the possibilities are endless lol

[Grmps]

if you don't want to damage the laptop, you would need a DOD (Department Of defense) erase program. it deletes all the data on the hard drive then writes phony data on the whole drive multiple times making it practically impossibile to retrieve info from the drive.

If you want to salvage the laptop (keep it in 1 piece) remove the hard drive and memory sticks, destroy them and recycle everything (they can still melt the destroyed memory and Hard drive for the elements/material in them.

OR use the whole thing for shooting practice and finish off with a few rounds of 00 buck to make sure you got the HD and memory

[ascast]

any good magnet will do like the one Home depot sold a few years ago, the closer you get to the drive, the weaker the magnet can be
or try Grmps suggestion to get wiping software that rewrites over the whole disk

[meotai]

I don't think a magnet would do anything to the hard drive. There's already a super strong magnet inside the hard drive itself. You can destroy it physically, or use a software like dban or western digital's erase tool.

[tommag]

Dariks boot and nuke (DBAN) used to be a free download and worked. Not sure if current versions work, though. It would erase, then overwrite the disc several times with random data.


http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrTc...GgBjhu1pUgmpA-

[DerekP Houston]

Dericks boot and nuke (DBAN) used to be a free download and worked. Not sure if current versions eork, though. It would erase, then overwrite the disc several times with random data.


http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrTc...GgBjhu1pUgmpA-

I've used DBAN myself, I also have access to enterprise software though and have used it in the past for 7 write overpasses that require a certificate after wipe (blancco). Keeping the harddrives and recycling the rest is much easier.

[ShooterAZ]

I used a sledge hammer on mine.

[Alstep]

Let Hillary handle your hard drive destruction, she's an expert!!!

[SciFiJim]

Disassemble the hard drive to get to the magnets. There are a couple of strong magnets in each hard drive. Use the magnets for another project and smash the plates with a hammer.

[MaryB]

Pull the drives, take them apart and use the platters in the garden as bird repellers. Or toss the platters in a fire, the heat will change the magnetic surface and wipe it. Or tear the magnet from the hard drive motor and run it over the platter surface in a crisscross pattern to wipe them. The magnets are handy in the shop, they have mounting holes on the backer so you can put one on a stick as a retriever, screw them to the wall to hold tools...

[popper]

I just format them.

[retread]

250 grain SWC's.

[mjwcaster]

Popper, just a quick format will not make the data secure.
A simple format just basically clears the table of contents, leaving all the data in place.

That is the reason for special programs or physical destruction.
I have secured a few drives myself with the proper application of lead at high velocities.


Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

[sparkyv]

Our IT department uses a sledge hammer. No joke.

[Houndog]

My two best friends, Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson, do a superb job taking care of hard drives I need to get rid of.