I bent the metal disk platter in half, left it on fire over a gas range for 5 minutes....

[Wolfcastle]

...I also made dents on it. This is as much as I could do at home without a home foundry.

Now is there any tool that can still extract data from the platter?

 

[l0cke]

Time machine maybe.

Take it to your local gun range and ask them to finish it off.

 

[Wolfcastle]

The bullet shots would only make localized dents. But seriously, with what I've done so far, would there any tool in this world that might be able to extract data from the platter?

 

[twjr]

Why, is there something that you don't want people to know..........

 

[Wolfcastle]

I've lost the opportunity to use a software data shredder.

 

[EarthwormJim]

Steel wool?

Would running a strong current through the platter disrupt the magnetic signature?

 

[Wolfcastle]

Originally posted by: EarthwormJim
Steel wool?

Could work if it can be used to scrub off the coating.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: Wolfcastle

Originally posted by: EarthwormJim
Steel wool?

Could work if it can be used to scrub off the coating.

Use a dremel. Or thermite. Or a needle gun--now that would do wonders to it.

 

[twjr]

If destruction is what you want then i can think of many ways. Set it on fire, run a large electrical current through/over the platter, home made electro-magnet....the list goes on.

 

[BigPoppa]

Acronis Disk Director running DoD standards. But so much less fun.

 

[Rubycon]

Search for induction heater on youtube. That will destroy just about anything you want.

 

[DSF]

Of all of the suggestions so far, thermite would probably be the most fun.

 

[Wolfcastle]

I never considered the induction heater. I could actually see myself making that while the other options don't seem very accessible to me.

Apparently, sanding the coating with a 100grit sandpaper works, too.

 

[lucky9]

Plain old cutting torch would fix it to a puddle.

 

[DSF]

Honestly, I bet if you stick it in a McDonald's bag and toss it in a dumpster you'll be good to go. Anybody going through dumpsters for McDonald's isn't going to know what to do with a hard drive platter, and anybody going through the trash for hard drive platters isn't going to look in McDonald's bags.

 

[Quiksilver]

A good soak in sulfuric acid(eg. car battery)?

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: Wolfcastle
The bullet shots would only make localized dents. But seriously, with what I've done so far, would there any tool in this world that might be able to extract data from the platter?

from what i hear, the marine corps also degauss them, shatters them, and then MELTS THEM INTO LITTLE BALLS...
And then it locks those balls up and posts guards so that nobody steals it and recovers the data from it...
Some guy here said he was one of those guards, he asked "why are we guarding that"... and was told "data can still be recovered", he answered "yea, if you are God, maybe"... he was then disciplined for his "outburst"... but really, that approach is stupid...


Anyways, why destroy it? just put it next to a degauss machine (AKA, a VERY LARGE MAGNET). The data will be gone for good.

 

[myocardia]

Buy a drill and a 3/8" drill bit, and in 10 minutes, nobody on Earth will be able to recover data from it. Well, not any usable data, anyway.

 

[PianoMan]

The high power tape eraser I purchased from Radio Shack awhile ago to erase my magnetic tapes does wonders to a hard drive.

Short of completely obliterating the platter, there are limits to mechanical solutions on rendering a hard drive unreadable. You need to get a very strong magnetic field for a short time on the disk to make all the poles shift to one direction.

 

[Sheninat0r]

...

Will it blend?

 

[Wolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Wolfcastle
I never considered the induction heater. I could actually see myself making that while the other options don't seem very accessible to me.

Apparently, sanding the coating with a 100grit sandpaper works, too.

Correction. It seems that aluminum does not heat well with induction heating. Too bad, it sounded like a great idea. But at least I have another alternative for efficient food cooking.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: PianoMan
The high power tape eraser I purchased from Radio Shack awhile ago to erase my magnetic tapes does wonders to a hard drive.

Short of completely obliterating the platter, there are limits to mechanical solutions on rendering a hard drive unreadable. You need to get a very strong magnetic field for a short time on the disk to make all the poles shift to one direction.

exactly, if you shred it you cut it into tiny pieces, each one contains its data (which is not individually useable), but the data is there, a strong magnetic field annihilates the data while leaving the hardware intact. You might even be able to format and use the drive afterwards

 

[dboxmeyer]

Wouldn't something like "Secure Erase" or "Boot and Nuke" be the most effective method of ensuring the data was gone for good? It would have the benefit of not destroying the drive as well...

(see here for details: http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=129)

 

[uberman]

I was looking at a hard drive that was heated to 1700 F. DriveSavers recovered the data. A Hard Drive Degausser would be nice. This one is $30,000.00. Better to find one as a hot deal.

Hard Drive Degausser

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: Wolfcastle

Correction. It seems that aluminum does not heat well with induction heating. Too bad, it sounded like a great idea. But at least I have another alternative for efficient food cooking.

It does not matter since the drive would be "crucibled". The crucible temp can exceed 4000°C. I'd like to see someone recover data off the remains. :laugh:

Degaussing a drive is permanent and the drive cannot be used again. Erasing allows for future use. There's drive destroying presses that bend the entire thing in half for those in a hurry - i.e. a spy plane crash landing in China.