Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> In comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage Jolly Roger <
jolly...@pobox.com> wrote:
>> On 2024-01-24, VanguardLH <V...@nguard.LH> wrote:
>>> Jolly Roger <
jolly...@pobox.com> wrote:
>>>> Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> What do you do with your personal home dead/broken storage drives
>>>>> (e.g., old HDDs) that you want to get rid of? Do you physically
>>>>> destroy them at home and toss the pieces into trash? Go to a place
>>>>> that have drive shredders (can't find many around my location)?
>>>>
>>>> There's a local non-profit company here that takes hard drives and
>>>> destroys them for you. If they are operational, they securely
>>>> sanitize them, overwriting all data multiple times and then repurpose
>>>> them for free or low cost to the community. If not, they physically
>>>> destroy (shred) and recycle them.
>>>
>>> Some cities have shredding events, and include drives (HDD, SSD, USB).
>>> These are events, so you have to wait until the next one.
>
>> Luckily, this organization lets you drop off items whenever you want.
>
>>> Considering how easy HDDs can be dismantled, I wouldn't bother
>>> waiting.
>
>> It does take time away from doing other things though, so for me
>> dropping off a bunch of drives every once in a while is more convenient.
>
> For me, I can't due to my disabilities. I don't mind paying a little to
> shred them. Some places are crazy expensive like $25 per drive.
Are these non-functional drives, so you cannot run wiping tools on them?
Over 40 years of using PCs, I maybe have had 2 non-functional units.
Typically they get replaced with bigger or faster drives, but they are
still functional. My workplace would have a lot more dead units that
cannot be erased, but then having them shredded would be part of their
operating costs.
Jolly doesn't mention this "company" that will shred drives for free in
order to see if there are other branches that'll do the same work, or if
they accept mail-ins (so the cost to you is the shipping cost). An
unindentified "company" is of no use to anyone except Jolly.
https://www.recordnations.com/hard-drive-shredding/
That's one of the places I found in an online search for doing drive
destruction. Looks like they are an overseer for many participating
providers. They get a quote from a participant, and you can determine
if the cost is okay, including how to get it to them. You can stockpile
your dead drives, and then submit them at once to see if a bulk order is
cheaper per drive.
If you can use a torx screwdriver (it'll be a small one) or a drill with
bit, you should be able to disassemble your drives to destroy them.
Hell, you don't even need to take the case apart. Use a 1/4" drill bit
to drill several places through the case. That level of destruction
will probably even deter the NSA from bothering to reap anything off the
damaged platters. A sledgehammer, if you can wield one, is sufficient
for anyone picking through the piles at the dump site. If you have a
strong large vise, crush the drive. Use a pneumatic nail gun, or a .22
caliber powder actuated nail tool. Or a hammer and some very strong
nails that are unlikely to bend. A sawsall with a metal cutting blade.
An angle grinder. A hydraulic press, like using a floor jack with drive
atop to jack up your car (pick a lift spot on the car with small surface
area, like a tow hook). Use a large strong vise with long handles to
give you leverage.
If you're an old-timer doing TV repair, or you wanted to wipe your old
VHS or cassette tapes, you might have a degausser. You'll probably
still have to remove the top plate off the drive enclosure to ensure the
magnetic flux penetrates through the platters.
With your disabilities, we don't know what tools you can handle. Maybe
not even a drill and bit, or screwdrivers, and why you need someone else
to destroy the drive. You could do an online search on "hard drive
destruction" to see what someone charges in your area, or farther away
where you pay for shipping.
Just unscrew or pry off the PCB attached to the HDD. A hacker would
need to find a replacement for that brand and model to salvage for use
with your HDD, but then the bad sector map wouldn't match. There are
shops that will find and test a replacement PCB, but they cost money.
How is your data worth to someone else? Programs can be obtained
anywhere, and they're not unique to you, so it's your data you need to
protect. If that data is really that sensitive and not obtainable
elsewhere (your file drawer, other paperwork, your postal mail), you
might consider to start using encrypted containers (e.g., TrueCrypt) or
use Bitlocker (or other whole-disk/partition encryption, again Truecrypt
is an alternative). Secure before rather than after.