Reply to: Do you do this?

[Ravello]

One of which is liable to happen if you do that.

I have decommissioned CDRoms in the MW: just a few seconds does it, they suddenly do an electrical storm all over, and the foil is totally crazed.

I'm sure they showed that on Tomorrow's World once, they also showed on the same program the effects of microwaving a tea cup with that annoying gold/silver trim around the top.

[TheFaQQer]

After a few years of service a hard drive is worth bugger all anyway.

All depends what's on it

[LegendsWear7]

ClientCo degausses them before shredding to dust. Max size of shrapnel is specified at less than 1mm at longest point.

That's secure.


Heard stories of the lads from Lagos paying people to go over rubbish tips for any storage media that they can then examine with automated software and potentially exploit.

[GreenerGrass]

I used to take a hammer to old laptops but now we have a nice chap called Julius who comes around and takes donations, "PCs for Africa" or something like that.

[bobhope]

Just keep them in the loft forever.

You never know when that 50 meg drive might come in useful.

[Lockhouse]

I always hammer them before chucking. Most satisfying.

[minestrone]

I know an IT manager that keeps a bag of nails for the task, drives a couple through the hard drive with a hammer.

After a few years of service a hard drive is worth bugger all anyway.

[expat]

Not sure how true this is - but a certain government body places hard drives in a special Microwave for like 50-60 seconds? Apparently its the most reliable way of ensuring the data is never recovered [aside from hammer, chisel and fire]

One of which is liable to happen if you do that.

I have decommissioned CDRoms in the MW: just a few seconds does it, they suddenly do an electrical storm all over, and the foil is totally crazed.

[chris79]

I've used DBAN in the past, I'm sure it has some crazy "35-pass" method used by the military (or so it claimed/claims)..? I thought anything after 7 passes rendered it unrecoverable?

[DiscoStu]

I just give them a wipe with DBAN.

I'm willing to concede that there's a chance you may be able to recover somthing under an electron microscope once a drive's been overwritten several times, but I can't see your average identity thief going to the trouble and huge expense involved.

[TheFaQQer]

That would at least stop the data from getting any further north than Watford Junction.

That's the best place for them - we don't have computers, or even elektrikity in't north, ya knaa.

[dinker]

Strangely enough my neighbour recently asked my advice about disposing an old PC, I took the HD out and we spent an enjoyable five minutes hitting it with sledgehammers.

[thunderlizard]

I thought you just left them on the train?

That would at least stop the data from getting any further north than Watford Junction.

[Liability]

Not sure how true this is - but a certain government body places hard drives in a special Microwave for like 50-60 seconds? Apparently its the most reliable way of ensuring the data is never recovered [aside from hammer, chisel and fire]

[TheFaQQer]

When I worked at the revenue - yes sorry, we destroyed the hard drives by driving a hammer through them - yey!

I thought you just left them on the train?