How to Wipe HDD When Click of Death Comes?

[axelfox]

I had a HDD that clicked to death on me recently. I would like to completely wipe it out (write zeros) so that no one could obtain the info on the HDD.

Since it is clicking, with no signs of coming back to life, can I still wipe it? If so, how can I?

 

[robertk2012]

smash it with a sledge hammer.

 

[imported_wired247]

Big +1 to that.

 

[ddarko]

Although the suggestions would work, I assume the original poster may want to send the hard drive in for warranty service and is concerned his porn will be found (just kidding). So I dunno what to do in that case. Obviously, sending in a smashed up hard drive for servicing is only going to get warranty service refused.

 

[axelfox]

Hammer it is!

 

[Nathelion]

If the CIA are after the information, melting the platters is the only thing that will help. Even platters that have been bent and splintered into pieces can be read, with effort.

 

[Rubycon]

Text

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Text

Now where's Rossman to post the hawt deal for one?

 

[Foxery]

How large of a magnet does it take to scramble today's hard drives?

I still remember my father's office erasing audio tapes in the 80s by sandwiching them between two magnets

 

[cretinbob]

gasoline and a match can solve many problems.....

 

[humanure]

tie a little rock around it and throw it in the river?

 

[pallejr]

Originally posted by: humanure
tie a little rock around it and throw it in the river?

That didn't work for michael scofield

 

[BakaTsuchiro]

Originally posted by: pallejr

Originally posted by: humanure
tie a little rock around it and throw it in the river?

That didn't work for michael scofield

lol scofield didnt tie it to the rock tho

 

[Modelworks]

Look online for a source for degaussing coils.
Used normally for fixing crt problems, but are very very good at erasing hard drives.
Plugging one in near anything you value that is magnetically stored would be bad.



Or you can do what the government and industry do.
They shred the drives then melt the shreds.
The melted drives are then stored in a secure location.

I'm not making that up.
Its how we did it in the Navy.
When I questioned about storing melted down drives, I mean its a hunk of metal from shredded drives, I was told there are ways to recover the data.
I smarted off with the remark "Yeah, maybe if your God"
And thats how I ended up polishing plumbing in the head for the month

 

[Germonicus]

Aint nothing as paranoid as the Navy,they'll be worried that someone might find proof of "what sailors get up to at sea"

 

[mmc4587]

Originally posted by: axelfox
Hammer it is!

 

[Jedi2155]

Did I just hear what I think I heard

Hammer time!!!

 

[Tweakin]

visit you local tv/stereo repair shop and use their demagnatizer. This will wipe out all the chips and change the polar orientation of the disks making them useless. This is a recommended format procedure from the NSA.

 

[ericlp]

uh, screw the hammer literally ! The only secure way is a 1.5" drill bit and drill about 10 holes in your drive... They will never get the data that way....

9 time out of 10 the reason why it is clicking (Western Digital) is because the controller board went bad... If you put on a new controller board you may be able to access and format your drive. Maybe you can do a cross ship, where they send you a new drive. Take new drive if it's the same dismantle swap boards format then swap back.

Good Luck!

If it's really an old drive don't expect the same drive you'll probably just get a newer drive scoring a bigger drive. Next time encrypt your shit...

Use locknote it's fast and very secure...