Wiping old HDD by scratching platter?

[DiamondCubeMiner]

Hello LTT!

 

I am currently trying to wipe old drives before shipping them to a recycling center.

 

I want to wipe nonfunctional HDD cheaply without any fancy tools.

 

I tried to open one of them, mutilated the armature, ran them by plugging it into a broken HDD dock, so the disk spins, and scratched the platters with a screwdriver.

Should this render the drive unreadable? Or do you think that the unscratched areas are somehow still readable?

[PlayStation 2]

Wipe it with a cloth.

You probably will render the drive unreadable by damaging it with a scratch.

[Himommies]

just drive a spike or something through it

or stab it with a electric drill 

If your just recycling then I wouldn't bother taking it all apart.

[Kodiak.]

The only thing that can truly render a drive 100% of the time unreadable is incineration, where all molecules from the ash and smoke are collected, sealed in a lanthanum case, and plunged down into the deepest ocean. 

 

But you'll probably be good with a couple scratches.

 

 

[W-L]

1 minute ago, DiamondCubeMiner said:

-SNIP-

Just take a metal chisel and punch through the casing and into the platters, that's pretty common practice once shattered or bent it's pretty much unreadable unless you're really determined to try to get any usable data off. 

 

You can also take out the platters themselves, you get a nice coaster    

[DiamondCubeMiner]

1 minute ago, W-L said:

You can also take out the platters themselves, you get a nice coaster    

Good idea, considering that it's Christmas in the next few months...

Also, I'm thinking about giving the magnets away like candy this Halloween. Children like magnets 

[Razor Blade]

A couple whacks from a sledge hammer should do the trick...make sure you wear safety glasses though...

 

You could use a software solution such as DBAN

[TopHatProductions115]

Take the platters and smack'em with huge magnets  

[Egg-Roll]

Nothing has to be destroyed just re purposed

[vanished]

34 minutes ago, DiamondCubeMiner said:

Good idea, considering that it's Christmas in the next few months...

Also, I'm thinking about giving the magnets away like candy this Halloween. Children like magnets 

that's probably not a bad idea   They're likely more powerful than anything they're used to so it'll be really cool, and they're powerful enough to teach them to respect the strength without being too truly dangerous