HDD Destruction Challenges/Confusions

[Virgorising]

Hi.

A while back I made a thread asking how to render my old HDDs useless to potential sleazoids. I learned I should drill thru the platters. So, I did. I also mangled the pins before I put them in the metal recyling bins.

My neighbor....I once replaced her Dell lappy mobo before she caved and went mac (all mac, every device); I hated it, but did it.....just gave me two VERY old IDE drives she has been afraid to throw out for years, to destroy. I said, no problem, done and done. BUT.....

...First, I never saw drives like these; I am not sure where the platters are. Are they as usual, at the bottom end opposite the pin end?

Next, the all steel enclosed Seagate....no depressed sections and the steel is so dense (feels like drop-forged!) I am actually having trouble drilling into it. U think I should try a masonry bit?

Next, the very old WD with the open, visible board, I drilled into with pilot bit, hoping to then move up to bigger bit, but I think I am not shattering the platter! Shouldn't I feel the platter shattering?

I think they don make drives as amazing as this anymore. They are really impressive in the materials used, unlike my new wee SSD which is very fast but, bet it costs $7 to make, and I could drill thru in like buttah.:sneaky:

I feel like a WUS.:|

Thanks for any and all feedback/advice.

PS: Can't open the fully enclosed drive which I thought to do..... cause I don't have the right torx bit.

 

[MrPickins]

Yes, the platters are in the same spot (you'll feel them as you drill through).

For the harder metal, use a titanium or cobalt bit.

 

[alzan]

As a general rule most platters are located opposite from the pins. But if you kept your drill bit to the middle half of the drive(s) you're likely hitting platters.

Wow, a WD Caviar series; been awhile since I've seen one of those.

 

[Virgorising]

Yes, the platters are in the same spot (you'll feel them as you drill through).

For the harder metal, use a titanium or cobalt bit.

I knew someone would say this!:sneaky:

Local hardware store is closed....but I will put a couple on my shopping list.

 

[Virgorising]

As a general rule most platters are located opposite from the pins. But if you kept your drill bit to the middle half of the drive(s) you're likely hitting platters.

Thanks for this. Re the one she gave me with the open back, I drilled and can see shiny platter, but can't seem to drill thru the platter, nor do I feel the platter shatter. No poem intended.:sneaky:

I do not want this neighbor I agreed to help with these, come chase me with a knife in coupla weeks saying her life has been stolen.:'(

 

[Virgorising]

I give up. Well, temporarily.

Let me tell you, aliens made this ancient Seagate drive. I manged to kinda pry it open, at least the top protective metal plate I bent back under the label and then plastic......I then ruined THREE bits trying to drill into this stupid thing.

When I drilled into my own, older, but newer than these drives a while back, was a no brainer. No ruined bits, not one.

I gotta learn to say NO. Or, sure, no problem, pls run up to Willy when you can, and get me the three bits on this list: Cobalt: 1/8th; 1/4; 3/8th. Course, I would never do that last one......

 

[alzan]

Thanks for this. Re the one she gave me with the open back, I drilled and can see shiny platter, but can't seem to drill thru the platter, nor do I feel the platter shatter. No poem intended.:sneaky:

I do not want this neighbor I agreed to help with these, come chase me with a knife in coupla weeks saying her life has been stolen.:'(

Depending on the platter sub-strata and thickness, it may not "shatter". Sub-strata are usually aluminum or glass; I'm no expert but would think glass platters would shatter easier than aluminum. That and the Caviar drive is old enough where it's aluminum platter(s) are thick enough to not shatter.

I give up. Well, temporarily.

Let me tell you, aliens made this ancient Seagate drive. I manged to kinda pry it open, at least the top protective metal plate I bent back under the label and then plastic......I then ruined THREE bits trying to drill into this stupid thing.

When I drilled into my own, older, but newer than these drives a while back, was a no brainer. No ruined bits, not one.

I gotta learn to say NO. Or, sure, no problem, pls run up to Willy when you can, and get me the three bits on this list: Cobalt: 1/8th; 1/4; 3/8th. Course, I would never do that last one......

That was probably made when Seagate was doing 5 year warranties on drives

Since you'll be doing this procedure on mostly newer drives, it might not be a bad idea to invest in a degausser, like the type used on CRT's. Those things will scramble the bits such that your average and above average hackers will lose interest in trying to capture meaningful data.

 

[Virgorising]

Depending on the platter sub-strata and thickness, it may not "shatter". Sub-strata are usually aluminum or glass; I'm no expert but would think glass platters would shatter easier than aluminum. That and the Caviar drive is old enough where it's aluminum platter(s) are thick enough to not shatter.

Ahah! ALUMINUM!!! And THICK aluminum! Who knew? No wonder on the WD nothing shattered!

Thank you!

I refuse now to ruin more bits.
__________________________________________
Edit:
See below, circled in red, what this made by aliens old Seagate did to this bit!!!! Incredible.

 

[Virgorising]

That was probably made when Seagate was doing 5 year warranties on drives

Seagate gave 5 year warranties on HDDS? Like my WD Black? See???? I keep telling everyone, the newer the component, the crummier it is made!

This ancient Seagate....I mean it, made of some kinda alloy far beyond human intelligence.

BUT, I got annoyed, I hate giving up... so, tried couple more bits, and hung in with one NEW 1/4", small but NEW (not new anymore, see drill tip)....and slowly, it got thru. Did I hurt the actual platter? I have no clue. AND....if my neighbor comes at me with a knife down the road, I do not care. I mangled the data pins into oblivion too, broke half of them off.

I searched degaussers.....OMG, they cost a ton! How much are those WITHOUT the '67 numbers matched, big block Vette?:sneaky:

I am now finished mangling for friendship for the day. Many thanks for yr help!

 

[C101]

Easier to just remove the top cover. Should be torx bits, T6 or T8 if things haven't changed too much.

 

[KingFatty]

I wonder if it would have been faster and less ruinous for the drill bits if you instead had just drilled through the heads of the torx bolts, without bothering to even try to unscrew them?

I like to keep the strong magnets from old hard drives.

But it's SOOO nice to have a set of torx bits/screwdrivers handy. You can buy a very cheap set on eBay for just tossing into a drawer or something. It takes very little time and effort to unscrew hard drives.

Also you are making me feel very old. When you were describing the hard drives I expected to see some early 80s monstrosity like what they used to connect to supercomputers, like the following. But noooo, the drives you show in the picture look like something I am still using

 

[Virgorising]

Easier to just remove the top cover. Should be torx bits, T6 or T8 if things haven't changed too much.

As I posted somewhere above, thought of that right off.....but knew I din have the right size torx bit.....then posted the workshop in the basement is closed, the day guys all home.....but I borrow everythng I don have from the guys.....they have every size torx bit there is.

I think I mangled sufficiently, tho.

Too bad I din have some nice Muriatic acid to pour into the hole.:sneaky:

 

[Virgorising]

I wonder if it would have been faster and less ruinous for the drill bits if you instead had just drilled through the heads of the torx bolts, without bothering to even try to unscrew them?

O! Outstanding thought!!!! I did not think of that!

But it's SOOO nice to have a set of torx bits/screwdrivers handy. You can buy a very cheap set on eBay for just tossing into a drawer or something. It takes very little time and effort to unscrew hard drives.

Is true! I have tons of tools.....but the Staff guys adore me, and I have carte blanche to borrow anything from the workshop in the basement when it is open. Well, cept such as the air hammer.

Also you are making me feel very old. When you were describing the hard drives I expected to see some early 80s monstrosity like what they used to connect to supercomputers, like the following. But noooo, the drives you show in the picture look like something I am still using

No! You are not using old 80GB IDE drives!!!!! NOT... forget that, I think even older WD....it appears is like one GB if that is possible.

I saw something online just before re keeping the magnets!!

That GORGEOUS machine.....how much did that cost??????

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Excuse my interjection here.

I used to have a "bulk Tape Eraser" that I'd bought at Radio Shack. Very heavy. You plug it in, and the magnetic field is strong enough to destroy any recordings. I had once used that bulk-tape eraser to zap my hard disks.

I've seen a web-page of "ten ways to render your Hard disk useless and unreadable." Now that I think of it, nothing was mentioned about a bulk tape eraser.

Isn't such an implement strong enough to render your HDD "safe" for disposal??

 

[Virgorising]

Excuse my interjection here.

I used to have a "bulk Tape Eraser" that I'd bought at Radio Shack. Very heavy. You plug it in, and the magnetic field is strong enough to destroy any recordings. I had once used that bulk-tape eraser to zap my hard disks.

I've seen a web-page of "ten ways to render your Hard disk useless and unreadable." Now that I think of it, nothing was mentioned about a bulk tape eraser.

Isn't such an implement strong enough to render your HDD "safe" for disposal??

No! GOOD interjection!

That sounds amazing and makes total sense!

How come we don all use those? Only thing which might worry me....so many of our devices are vulnerable to magnetic everything. How far away from our devices would we have to be to use one of those?? And, would one get thru the alien alloy that old Seagate is made of?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I like to just remove the cover then run sand paper on the platter as it's running. I'll also score the platter from centre out using a screw driver. This will render it completely unreadable using traditional methods (spinning), the sand paper will help corrupt most of the data if the platter is read using some kind of magnetic scanner where it does not have to spin. (not sure if such device exists but when it comes to government agencies you do want to think 100 or so years into the future). Remember platters have two sides! Destroy the surface of each one. Depending on how data is spread out, I think just 1 is a safe bet as it's like killing a raid 0, but just to be safe, do each one.

You can also pile the platters up and use thermite to destroy a whole bunch at once. I kinda want to try that, I have a pile of old drives myself that I need to destroy. Just need to find an efficient way of grinding pop cans and rusty nails into a fine powder without having it actually go off on me. (probably safe to do one powder at a time)

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Am I really the only person here who owns a sledgehammer?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

No! GOOD interjection!

That sounds amazing and makes total sense!

How come we don all use those? Only thing which might worry me....so many of our devices are vulnerable to magnetic everything. How far away from our devices would we have to be to use one of those?? And, would one get thru the alien alloy that old Seagate is made of?

There was this episode in the "Breaking Bad" TV series, in which Jesse comes up with the idea you'd think would have initiated with Walt White -- the science teacher. The poe-leese had obtained an incriminating laptop computer and locked it in the evidence room on one side of the building. So Jesse, Walt and Mike contrived to fit an old delivery truck with an array of batteries and a giant magnet. They drove up to the police station, and flipped the switch. However, the magnetic force was so strong, that the truck tipped over, and the perps had to scatter!

I'd say . . . . just activate the button on the eraser while standing 20 feet away from any hot-swap drives or computers that you don't want to destroy. Probably, 20 feet is excessive, but why test your luck?

The device -- which I hope can still be found at Radio Shack -- is slightly smaller than an electric iron and about equal in weight. Thing is, I KNOW I should still have the device . . . . somewhere. But if I can't find it after an hour of looking, I'll just buy a new one. Sooner or later, I'm going to have quite a handful of drives that need . . . . "treatment."

 

[Red Squirrel]

Am I really the only person here who owns a sledgehammer?

That's good to get it open if you don't have a torx screwdriver set, but you still want to scrub the platters as much as possible or turn them into a molten metal goo.

 

[jjsbasmt]

Several years ago I tried the Bulk Tape Eraser method on some old HDs I had and believe it or not, that was the most useless method to try to destroy data on a HD. They work OK for video tapes but due to the large amount of metal and the design of the HDs, even after several passes with the Eraser since after a short time the device automatically shuts off due to heat issues, I was able to still read and recover data easily from the drives. For a working drive, I have used Ontrack and Acronis to wipe a drive. Sandpaper or a grinder for the platters in a non-working drive for me.

 

[bryanl]

I wonder if it would have been faster and less ruinous for the drill bits if you instead had just drilled through the heads of the torx bolts, without bothering to even try to unscrew them?

The Torx bolts on HDDs are often stainless steel, not kind to most drill bits.

The fastest way to destroy the data is by physically drilling, bending, shattering, or abrading the platters. But if time is not an issue, it's no more effective than a single pass that zeros out the sectors, and there are people who need old HDDs in working condition.

 

[Essence_of_War]

The fastest way to destroy the data is by physically drilling, bending, shattering, or abrading the platters. But if time is not an issue, it's no more effective than a single pass that zeros out the sectors, and there are people who need old HDDs in working condition.

This. OP, for future reference for your friend, you could show them how to encrypt the drives with a true-crypt volume and a strong password. Then when they're done with them, the most anybody will be able to pull off of them is garbage, and you could donate them. If you want to be super-secure, encrypt with true-crypt before use, then use secure ata erase after they're done with it. Then you can donate them if you'd like with peace of mind.

re: destruction, I concur with dave_the_nerd's sledgehammer suggestion. It sounds liek that seagate is a tough cookie.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Interesting. So the bulk tape-eraser is ineffective.

It just seems like a lot of work to destroy an HDD -- by the methods discussed here. A lot of trouble.

So what do "Mainstreamers" -- your average, casual computer-users -- do? Probably not all that much.

Me -- I probably still have every IDE and SATA drive I've purchased since 2005. That's a lot of drilling, smashing and shattering. Some handful of others are probably rusting and rotting in a landfill, or they've been absorbed by the recycling industry.

I guess if the hard drive still works, you'd apply the "driver-wiper" software before disposing of it. Then beat it to death with a sledgehammer.

 

[DrGreen2007]

Why drill it...
I have 4x 5gal buckets in the garage.
Copper, Aluminum, Brass, wire

Just take the drive apart and plop the cases and platters into the alum bucket
heatsinks into the copper or aluminum
brass from MB standoffs, etc
wire from anything into the wire bucket.

takes me about 10 minutes to take one drive apart (including the time to use a punch and bang out the motor)

 

[imagoon]

Drilling metal... no cutting oil.... wondering why the bits are wrecked. I think I found your problem. Also all I do is 7 pass erase drives. I only drill if the drive is defective and generally I don't even do that, I just remove the platters and do things with them. Shatter if glass, throwing stars out of the aluminum.