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Borg999

Join Date 02/2006

+59

Easy way to erase/ destroy broken laptop hard drive?

After 8 years of service my wife's laptop died.

I picked up a new one..and that's why I've been pissy lately about Windows 8.

We have an opportunity to dispose of it through an electronic recycling program, but I want to make sure all of the data is gone before I hand it over.

Since the laptop doesn't function at all, I can't just "format c:".

I don't have any powerful magnets, so is my only option to open it up and remove it?

If so, what does a laptop hard drive look like?

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Jafo

Join Date 03/2001

+1711

I don't have any powerful magnets

Wouldn't work, anyway....entirely a bigger order of 'powerful'...

Just snap the pins...and bin it...

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Jafo

Join Date 03/2001

+1711

Or better...slave it to your desktop PC and format it from there...for re-use...

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Check with your recycler. Many will remove and crush the HDD while you watch.

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Borg999

Join Date 02/2006

+59

Thanks guys!!

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DrJBHL

Join Date 04/2002

+3657

I'd definitely slave it if only to check it's viability.

If the 'death' was due to the hard drive going belly up, smashing it with a heavy sledge hammer should render it 'unreadable', without having to pay and stay to watch it being crushed.

Alternatively, opening it and removing the disks in the HDD body and peeling them/slicing them up would do the job.

There are DoD formatting programs for free which you could use as simple formatting won't destroy the data irretrievably.

http://www.diskwipe.org/

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Hard drives make good skeet shooting targets!

May not be environmentally friendly though...

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Borg999

Join Date 02/2006

+59

Quoting DrJBHL,

reply 5

I'd definitely slave it if only to check it's viability.

If the 'death' was due to the hard drive going belly up, smashing it with a heavy sledge hammer should render it 'unreadable', without having to pay and stay to watch it being crushed.

Alternatively, opening it and removing the disks in the HDD body and peeling them/slicing them up would do the job.

There are DoD formatting programs for free which you could use as simple formatting won't destroy the data irretrievably.

http://www.diskwipe.org/

Thanks! I think I'll take the sledge hammer option.

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LightStar

Join Date 12/2002

+1406

I'm with Doc, just sledge hammer it for sure.

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kona0197

Join Date 02/2003

+79

Drill press. Drill three holes in it.

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Borg999

Join Date 02/2006

+59

Quoting kona0197,

reply 9

Drill press. Drill three holes in it.

Sort of like the hit man motto? "three shots in the head and they're dead"

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I would have suggested getting an external enclosure for it but an 8 year old laptop harddrive has probably seen enough action to be at or near the end of its life cycle, not the best choice for keeping around for backups. If you want to be curious and take it apart, it has some super strong magnets in there that are a lot of fun to play with. (Fridge magnets from hell) Take a hammer to the shiny metal discs inside and your data problems will be solved.

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starkers

Join Date 05/2004

+1153

Yeah, I'd slave it to see if it is at all viable... could come in handy as an external storage drive.

If it is not viable, then the old sledge hammer trick usually works... or would you believe 2 small hammers and a punch being driven through the main casing

Quoting Jafo,

reply 1

Just snap the pins...and bin it.

Not a very secure method at all... could still be opened to access the discs, which could easily be relocated to another casing for data recovery.

Too much trouble? No, not at all! When the ill-intended choose to do the wrong thing, they can and will go the extraordinary lengths to acquire that which they covet... other peoples stuff. Not so long ago there was a gang here in Oz going through peoples rubbish bins and taping back together shredded documents to get bank account details, etc.

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the_Monk

Join Date 01/2008

+221

^^^ @ starkers

Jafo suggested that because while you think it would be 'as easy' as swapping the platter(s) to another drive casing it is actually the controller that matters (and without pins.......well....)

I have (and I believe Jafo alluded to in a previous post that he has as well) tried my very best to do exactly that for a family member who had accidentally fried the controller board on a drive. I even found I had a drive that was the same size, same firmware, same case lot even and even then when I swapped the platters I must have touched something wrong or allowed that single speck of dust or whatever but I essentially ended up with 2 non-functioning drives.

If the controller on the drive is borked in any way.........you have a better chance of winning the lottery........imo....

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Jafo

Join Date 03/2001

+1711

Quoting starkers,

reply 12

Not a very secure method at all... could still be opened to access the discs, which could easily be relocated to another casing for data recovery.

No...that's all you need to do. Finding a controller that can read the disc again is next to impossible...even with identical drives there is no likelihood of them electronically matched.

....and opening the drive is as efficient as neone6's suggestion of drilling 3 holes...

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kona0197

Join Date 02/2003

+79

Quoting Jafo,

reply 14

neone6's suggestion of drilling 3 holes...

You mean my suggestion? No one named neone6 has posted in this thread...

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Borg999

Join Date 02/2006

+59

Before

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/87241447/before.jpg

After

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/87241447/after.jpg

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Hard drives are hard.....hammers are harder.

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starkers

Join Date 05/2004

+1153

Quoting the_Monk,

reply 13

^^^ @ starkers

Jafo suggested that because while you think it would be 'as easy' as swapping the platter(s) to another drive casing it is actually the controller that matters (and without pins.......well....)

I have (and I believe Jafo alluded to in a previous post that he has as well) tried my very best to do exactly that for a family member who had accidentally fried the controller board on a drive. I even found I had a drive that was the same size, same firmware, same case lot even and even then when I swapped the platters I must have touched something wrong or allowed that single speck of dust or whatever but I essentially ended up with 2 non-functioning drives.

If the controller on the drive is borked in any way.........you have a better chance of winning the lottery........imo....

Quoting Jafo,

reply 14

Quoting starkers, reply 12Not a very secure method at all... could still be opened to access the discs, which could easily be relocated to another casing for data recovery.

No...that's all you need to do. Finding a controller that can read the disc again is next to impossible...even with identical drives there is no likelihood of them electronically matched.

....and opening the drive is as efficient as neone6's suggestion of drilling 3 holes...

Okay, so it can't be done and slimy bastards hoping for vital data won't get a thing. That's good to know, but neither of you are going to deprive me of some sledgehammer fun in the future... orright?

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Jafo

Join Date 03/2001

+1711

Quoting kona0197,

reply 15

Quoting Jafo, reply 14neone6's suggestion of drilling 3 holes...

You mean my suggestion? No one named neone6 has posted in this thread...

Altzheimer's ....

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starkers

Join Date 05/2004

+1153

Quoting Jafo,

reply 19

Quoting kona0197, reply 15
Quoting Jafo, reply 14neone6's suggestion of drilling 3 holes...

You mean my suggestion? No one named neone6 has posted in this thread...

Altzheimer's ....

Oi, stop pinching my excuse for eff-ups and other boo-boos.

And if you're thinking CRAFT Disease, that's an alternate name for Alzheimers... and mine, too.

It's like the 93 year old who said his doctor that his wife berated him for asking for a nookie.

The doctor then asks: "And what did she say?"

The 93 year old replied: "She said, 'don't be so bloody silly, you old fart, that'd be the fourth time today'"

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Uvah

Join Date 05/2006

+874

This is getting exciting...please...continue.

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ElanaAhova

Join Date 09/2008

+105

Yes, yes, yes, please continue.

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Borg999

Join Date 02/2006

+59

It's funny how off-topic a thread can go.

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DrJBHL

Join Date 04/2002

+3657

Quoting Borg999,

reply 23

It's funny how off-topic a thread can go.

Only mine.

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