Destroying data on damaged hard disks

[m1ddy]

Hey Guys,

 

I have a number of laptop hard drives here that need disposing of. They have failed and are no longer any use. The problem is that obviously, I can't just chuck them as there is sensitive data on them. My normal method of using DBAN to wipe them fails as the disks are faulty but someone with a little knowhow will still be able to get data off them if they wanted to.

 

What do you suggest I do to destroy the data short of getting out the grinder and spending an afternoon in the DT workshop/

 

Ta!

 

Jon

[plexer]

Just do that or take a sledgehammer to them.

[Domino]

Belt saw in DT, cut them into quarters.

 

Bish, Bash, and indeed - Bosh.

[danrhodes]

I opt for storing them up, then when a member of staff P15535 you off take a hammer to them. It will sort the stress out easily!

 

Or collect them and make large dominos to topple over all round the office?

 

D

[Mcshammer_dj]

I opt for storing them up, then when a member of staff P15535 you off take a hammer to them. It will sort the stress out easily!

 

Or collect them and make large dominos to topple over all round the office?

 

D

 

surley taking a hammer to the member of staff would be far more enjoyable:D

[Andrew_C]

A drill is much quicker, and safer than a grinder. I drill through one of the controller chips, this will prevent the thing running and discourage random kiddies even trying, and then through the platter if its metal. I suppose it might be possible to read some of the data, but you would need to be trying very hard, with the facilities of CSI Miami!

 

If the platter is glass, ding it with a punch through the hole recently drilled. No way anyone will read that!

[Pyroman]

or do what i did as i was trying to make a display of computer internals and tap the platter with a screwdriver, shattered into nearly dust sized pieces... oops

[enjay]

Ask your Science tech about the possibility of setting up an electromagnet for you, do your dead backup tapes while you're at it.

[Mcshammer_dj]

We have a caretaker who has welded a metal box onto the school boiler.

 

Leaves disks etc in for a couple of weeks and then disposes of

[K.C.Leblanc]

Thermite.

[pete]

your language dept may have a bulk tape eraser lying around.

[elsiegee40]

Another vote for the hammer.

 

Very satisfying - they just shatter!

[mpe]

Hey Guys,

 

I have a number of laptop hard drives here that need disposing of. They have failed and are no longer any use. The problem is that obviously, I can't just chuck them as there is sensitive data on them. My normal method of using DBAN to wipe them fails as the disks are faulty but someone with a little knowhow will still be able to get data off them if they wanted to.

 

What do you suggest I do to destroy the data short of getting out the grinder and spending an afternoon in the DT workshop/

You could try a blowtorch, though make sure that the fume extraction is up to dealing with PCB "cooking".

[Mcshammer_dj]

why not follow the government lead and either.

1. Leave the on a train

2. Send them to some one in the post

3. Depend on a private company to deal with the problem without bothering to put any checks in place.

[Andrew_C]

your language dept may have a bulk tape eraser lying around.

Ask your Science tech about the possibility of setting up an electromagnet for you, do your dead backup tapes while you're at it.

You'd think that wouldn't you? I am in the Languages Dept, we do have two bulk erasers, and no they won't touch HDDs. I've tried!

 

Maybe a Van Der Graaf from Science?

[FN-GM]

We save them all for someone on work experience.

[Guest blacksheep]

why not follow the government lead and either.

1. Leave the on a train

2. Send them to some one in the post

3. Depend on a private company to deal with the problem without bothering to put any checks in place.

 

LOL I think we would definately do a better job than the government

 

We save them all for someone on work experience.

 

Yeh but then you have basically got to sit and watch them do it, unless you get a good one. Had to delete a load of floppys before which involved a 'dd if=/dev/null of=/dev/fd0' type thing. They had to put each Floppy in and then press up and enter on each Floppy. It wasnt long before I got whining that they didnt want to do the job, so chances are all the floppys didnt get done proper!

But.. if you drill them or something you can do a 'visual check'

[goaliepride]

A drill is much quicker, and safer than a grinder. I drill through one of the controller chips, this will prevent the thing running and discourage random kiddies even trying, and then through the platter if its metal. I suppose it might be possible to read some of the data, but you would need to be trying very hard, with the facilities of CSI Miami!

 

If the platter is glass, ding it with a punch through the hole recently drilled. No way anyone will read that!

 

I'll second this. I wound up going with a drill, it takes about 3 seconds per hard drive and is actually pretty fun (for a while anyways) with little mess. You don't need a beefy industrial drill, just a standard use one will work with a drill bit in it. On the chance that you do get a glass platter it's pretty interesting to see it disintegrate!

[yabbadabba]

Any hard drives working or not that are to be disposed of go too the DT teacher, she will then give them to pupils to drill holes through which they love doing.

Some times they are also stripped down for the magnets and disks.

 

The magnets are pretty useful, I use them as emergency key holders on mine and the partners car. Screw/rivet them to a nice location that people wont find and then get a spare key cut for the car. If you ever lose your car keys when out at least you have a sapre and can get home

Favorite location seems to be tucked inside the rear bumper, you cant see the key and can only really find it if you know its there in the first place.

[DrPerceptron]

with a drill bit in it.

 

I knew I was going wrong somewhere!

 

I made a Chair out of ours - after someone stole our real chair!

[enjay]

Fun though this is, surely it is only worth doing on laptop and server disks - "regular" workstations don't have anything all that sensitive on them, do they? I hope not anyway, as we had a PC stolen from our staff room last week...

[ICT_GUY]

.45 cal Black Powder Revolver, now that's stress busting.

 

I always take them apart and use the magnets inside as fridge magnets. Very strong fridge magnets.

[Guest blacksheep]

Fun though this is, surely it is only worth doing on laptop and server disks - "regular" workstations don't have anything all that sensitive on them, do they? I hope not anyway, as we had a PC stolen from our staff room last week...

 

No I wouldnt bother deleted them. If it was from the heads laptop or similar I might make more effort but standard workstations drives just hit the bin! Most stuff is on network drives, and some staff might dump stuff on C (where I havent protected it) and pupils desktops are mopped up after logoff

Obviously I am missing the fun with the magnets though!

[m1ddy]

Well....I ended up taking the shield off a couple and putting a screwdriver through the platter. *smash*. The other drives have the shield riverted to them so i just hit them REALLY hard with a good hammer. Now they rattle really well.

[sammy]

Driller Killer all the way buddy.