Rendereing Old HD Unreadable for Recycling

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill
I have some Alnico supermagnets that I place on the hard drive case
and leave them in position for a while, then flip them over to the
opposite polarity. I think this eradicates any information that might
be on the hard drive discs. Gordon

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 17:03:53 -0500, Wolf K wrote:

On 2015-11-19 16:56, Farmer wrote:
On 11/19/2015 4:34 PM, Bill wrote:
I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill

I use mine for target practice 45acp works well.

LOL.

What about ricochets?

With a 45 there is no need for worry. The bullet will likely
go straight through it. I would be concerned about what was
on the back side of the hard drive.

--
Wildman GNU/Linux user #557453
The cow died so I don't need your bull!

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bake it in the oven.
Heating to above 100 degrees C (212 F) should kill all semiconductors.
Dont know if 100 degrees C is enough to melt the platters, but the
harddisk will be totally dead for all attempts to read it.
--
Jesper Kaas -

"Bill" wrote in message
...
Many thanks to all that responded! Shooting a hole through it sounds
like a good idea, but I don't think the neighbors would appreciate
that! Thanks again!


I have only just seen this. We put a hammer through ours.

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Gordon wrote:
On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill
I have some Alnico supermagnets that I place on the hard drive case
and leave them in position for a while, then flip them over to the
opposite polarity. I think this eradicates any information that might
be on the hard drive discs. Gordon

No.

If this actually worked, it would be used by government.

There are some modern drives, where the feeling is,
external magnetic fields just aren't enough.

There is vertical and horizontal recording. Some of the
horizontal ones are pretty resistant. According to the
HGST site, the vertical ones are more exposed, but Hitachi
has "taken steps to mitigate the issue" and so the
sensitivity is roughly the same as the horizontally recorded
ones.

In vertical recording, there is a magnetic layer below the
surface that functions as a "keeper". So the magnetic circuit
has a vertical orientation. It's possible for an external magnet
to tap into that. Whereas the older horizontal recording format,
resists that attack.

Governments only consider shredding as good enough.

The drive already has powerful magnets in the voice
coil actuator. They're protected by keepers. (On
some newer drives, you can actually detect that
magnetic field externally!) But that should be a
hint to you, that the company making the drive, isn't
all that concerned about neodymium magnets being near
the platters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium_magnet

Paul

"Ken1943" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 14:51:18 -0800, Bill
wrote:

Many thanks to all that responded! Shooting a hole through it sounds
like a good idea, but I don't think the neighbors would appreciate
that! Thanks again!

Bill

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill

I usually just destroy the power ,data pins and circuit board. Like
who would want my information ??


Yes, snapping off the data and power tabs (for a SATA drive) or mashing up
the pins with a screwdriver (for an IDE drive) is a pretty good way of
making the disk unreadable, but drilling a hole through or hammering a 6"
nail through into a block of wood on the other side will make pretty damn
sure!

Use the tools you've got: many people have access to an electric drill and a
suitable drill bit; here in the UK, guns are much harder to get hold of.

On Fri, 20 Nov 2015 06:15:22 +0100, Jesper Kaas
wrote:

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bake it in the oven.
Heating to above 100 degrees C (212 F) should kill all semiconductors.
100C is not enough to completely kill the semiconductors.
If you heat it much higher poisonous gases will come out of somewhere.

Get Torx and take apart. Then scratch up the surface of the
platters.
Dont know if 100 degrees C is enough to melt the platters, but the
harddisk will be totally dead for all attempts to read it.
by normal people, not by experts or experts 50 years from now
when you are being sued, getting divorced, or accused of a crime
that isn't a crime now.

pjp wrote on 11/19/2015 7:25 PM:
In article , says...

Bill wrote:
I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill

I would actually buy the screwdriver for it.

There are Torx and tamper-proof Torx. The drives
don't all use the same screws to hold on the HDA
cover. The tamper-proof Torx has a "tit" in the
center, and the screwdriver you buy has a "hole"
so it can set itself into the Torx screw. I was
surprised they were available at my hardware
store. I bought the Tamper-proof, so I could
take the cover off my shiny microwave oven.
The Tamper-proof are 1/4" drive, so there
are no messy handles for them. My regular Torx
are a set of Fuller screwdrivers, so a bit
nicer. I received those as a gift.

Now that I have the Tamper-proof, if I ever
need to take the cover off my WD-RE drive, it'll
be no problem at all :-) I just checked, and the
smallest one, fits.

*******

You can peel the gray sticker off the servo writer
port, if you want to view one or more platters
edge-on. But I don't think that gives sufficient
clearance for applying destructive force.

There are some drives, which no longer have a
servo writer port. Those drives are self-formatting
(because the tolerance for writing servo wedges
is so small, an external servo writer is no
longer accurate enough). I haven't seen an explanation
for what law of physics is used to define track
pitch and so on, when the drive defines its own
set of concentric circles.

The drive is not under vacuum. It is at atmospheric
pressure. There is a breather hole with a hepa-filter
underneath it. The only drive currently that violates
that description, is the Hitachi 6TB drive that

I just grind them off using a mini grinder, works well enough with
little effort. I salvage the magnets inside.

I was going to say the same thing.
If you're destroying it, then a drill bit even should drill off the heads of the screws. You're not interested in
getting them to unscrew, just remove the lid.

On 11/19/2015 5:03 PM, Wolf K wrote:
On 2015-11-19 16:56, Farmer wrote:
On 11/19/2015 4:34 PM, Bill wrote:
I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill

I use mine for target practice 45acp works well.

LOL.

What about ricochets?

No worry for me I own a 80 acre farm plenty of places to shoot

--
Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin

On 11/19/2015 01:34 PM, Bill wrote:
I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill


Wear a pair of safety glasses and smack the crap out of it
with a very large hammer.

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill

Smash the hell out of it with a hammer. Or set fire to it. As long
as you do some significant physical damage to the disks inside no one
will ever be able to read it again unless they are willing to spend
very large sums of money. So unless you are posting for Jared Fogle,
a good smash or burn will take care of it.

On Sat, 21 Nov 2015 14:08:32 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill

Smash the hell out of it with a hammer. Or set fire to it. As long
as you do some significant physical damage to the disks inside no one
will ever be able to read it again unless they are willing to spend
very large sums of money. So unless you are posting for Jared Fogle,
a good smash or burn will take care of it.

Would a strong alternating current electromagnetic field, produced by
a coil wound about an iron core, provide a magnetic field that would
destroy any data on the hard disks? I'm talking about opening the hard
drive case then moving the electromagnet around over the disks' flat
surface then along the disks' edges as they are rotated. If this
electromagnet field was strong enough it seems it would alter or
destroy any data that was on the disks. Gordon

On 11/21/2015 3:35 PM, Gordon wrote:
On Sat, 21 Nov 2015 14:08:32 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill

Smash the hell out of it with a hammer. Or set fire to it. As long
as you do some significant physical damage to the disks inside no one
will ever be able to read it again unless they are willing to spend
very large sums of money. So unless you are posting for Jared Fogle,
a good smash or burn will take care of it.

Would a strong alternating current electromagnetic field, produced by
a coil wound about an iron core, provide a magnetic field that would
destroy any data on the hard disks? I'm talking about opening the hard
drive case then moving the electromagnet around over the disks' flat
surface then along the disks' edges as they are rotated. If this
electromagnet field was strong enough it seems it would alter or
destroy any data that was on the disks. Gordon


We used to call them Bulk tape erasers back in the day of Reel to Reel
tape recorders. Also Cassettes.


Regards, Rene

On Sat, 21 Nov 2015 15:35:47 -0600, Gordon
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2015 14:08:32 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill

Smash the hell out of it with a hammer. Or set fire to it. As long
as you do some significant physical damage to the disks inside no one
will ever be able to read it again unless they are willing to spend
very large sums of money. So unless you are posting for Jared Fogle,
a good smash or burn will take care of it.

Would a strong alternating current electromagnetic field, produced by
a coil wound about an iron core, provide a magnetic field that would
destroy any data on the hard disks? I'm talking about opening the hard
drive case then moving the electromagnet around over the disks' flat
surface then along the disks' edges as they are rotated. If this
electromagnet field was strong enough it seems it would alter or
destroy any data that was on the disks. Gordon

I would think so but I"m just guessing. I've been told they can read
at least three layers deep of the recordings over recordings if you
want to spend many thou$and$ on their time. If you have it open I'd
be more inclined to just smash it then pour some gas on it and light
it on fire. They need to be able to get to the surface material to
read it, if you literally destroy the surface materials continuity or
structure there's not much they can do to read it.

Gordon wrote:
On Sat, 21 Nov 2015 14:08:32 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

On Thu, 19 Nov 2015 13:34:22 -0800, Bill
wrote:

I have an old Samsung 120MB HD that has been determined to be
defective and I want to recycle it for destruction. What is the best
way to insure that it is totally unreadable prior to recycling it?
I've been told that scoring the disk will do but I don't have the
appropriate screwdriver bit to open the case. Suggestions, please!

Bill
Smash the hell out of it with a hammer. Or set fire to it. As long
as you do some significant physical damage to the disks inside no one
will ever be able to read it again unless they are willing to spend
very large sums of money. So unless you are posting for Jared Fogle,
a good smash or burn will take care of it.

Would a strong alternating current electromagnetic field, produced by
a coil wound about an iron core, provide a magnetic field that would
destroy any data on the hard disks? I'm talking about opening the hard
drive case then moving the electromagnet around over the disks' flat
surface then along the disks' edges as they are rotated. If this
electromagnet field was strong enough it seems it would alter or
destroy any data that was on the disks. Gordon

I think you'll like this quote.

http://superuser.com/questions/56833...or-a-hard-disk

"I tested this theory of HDD erasure and computer hardware sensitivity
(not very scientifically, but effectively nonetheless) with an
80GB Maxtor 7200 RPM HDD that was in good working condition. I ran
an 8 pound speaker magnet (from a large Cerwin Vega speaker) every
which way that I could, around the HDD, then installed and tested
the drive. I was surprised that it did exactly nothing at all.

The same could not be said for the monitor. It had to be degaussed
immediately!!"

So that didn't even *begin* to erase the drive.
Let alone guarantee that all bits were flipped and
your secrets were safe.

This is why government reports on the topic, hedge their
bets, and don't bother using magnetism as a protection
for secret-level hard drive disposal. They shred them, to be
absolutely sure. A magnetic field just doesn't offer
the guarantee that the application requires.

Once the magnetic field level reaches a certain
level, it would begin to affect the mechanical
bits of the drive, so could damage the thing,
rather than erase it. And that Maxtor didn't
even sustain that level of damage.

Paul