Best way to destroy a hard drive?

- Take it to an auto junkyard where they have one of those huge electromagnetic hooks, let that zap the drive for awhile. Then take the drive to a construction site and have them trash it with a jackhammer, then run it over with a steamroller, and finally dump the remains into wet cement and leave it there. Let them dig up the whole highway to get your hard drive.

Is it really worth all this just to keep your wife from finding your porn???

 

Sheessh, I guess some folks missed the part where the OP said "easy way"

http://www.thefreecountry.com/security/securedelete.shtml

Just a download a free secure disk wiper program, let it run for a while and then throw the drive in the trash.

I havent used it myself but I would go with SDelete, SysInternals makes top-notch utilities (and its free...)

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Security/SDelete.mspx

 

Take it apart.

Most have small phillips screws holding the halves together.

You can get the platter out and wham on it if you like.


But the really cool thing inside, is the magnets.

You guys every play around with those little bastids?

Freakin super strong! Don't pinch your finger with the things...

 

I wouldn't do that with a 9mm, nor with a shotgun as mentioned in another post. You risk getting a ricochet. A .308, on the other hand, would pass cleanly through all platters.

 

It's an honour for me to share in your
knowledge

 

There was a Law & Order episode where they seized a computer from some apartment. The dude had a couple of huge magnets on each side of the door frame. Supposedly, the magnets were strong enough to erase the hard drives when the cops walked out with the computer.

Not sure if that equates to a real life scenario, but would not be a bad idea if the OP's place was raided while he was having a double mocha capuccino vanilla latte at the corner starbucks.

 

Only if they are home-made and you are the leading actor and your two 23 year old maids are putting in some serious OT.

 

Install windows. Or just hold a magnet up to it..either one works.

cm69

 

It must suck to have all your magnetic media (including the strips on your credit cards) erased each time you pass through your door, not to mention if the magnets were that strong and you tried to walk by carrying anything iron you would end up with it stuck to the magnets.

I liked the self-destruct scene in Enemy of the State myself (Brill's place).

 

A simple format a reload of windows unfortunately won't stop hard drive forensics from recovering potentially incriminating data