Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 10: Erase the data and remove the hard drive
• Method 2 of 10: Working the hard drive with a hammer
• Method 3 of 10: Burning your hard drive
• Method 4 of 10: Shooting the hard drive
• Method 5 of 10: Working the disk with a magnet
• Method 6 of 10: Compressing the hard drive
• Method 7 of 10: Melt the hard drive
• Method 8 of 10: Editing the hard drive with a tool
• Method 9 of 10: Shred the hard drive
• Method 10 of 10: Using electrolysis to fix the hard drive
• Warnings

Do you have a hard drive with sensitive information that no longer works? Do you want to make sure that no one ever sees the content? After erasing your hard drive, it is wise to choose one of the options below to keep your data out of the hands of others. It doesn't matter whether it's pornography or information stolen from security services, the methods below will help keep your data safe.

To step

Method 1 of 10: Erase the data and remove the hard drive

1. Back up your data. It's easy to forget what music and photos you had stored on your hard drive, especially if you're now worried about more sensitive data you want to get rid of. That's why it's a good idea to make a good backup of everything on the drive, because after following the steps in this article, there is no going back.
2. Erase the disc. Always erase all data on the drive before destroying the drive. If all goes well, the data cannot be recovered after the disk has been destroyed, but there is of course no guarantee (especially if the government does everything possible to find out your secrets). Erasing and destroying your disk gives you a little more peace of mind.
   • Let's be realistic: properly erasing the drive will most likely solve your problem. Only someone who has very powerful resources at their disposal will be able to recover the data, and even that is not much proof.
3. Open the computer case. Open the case and look for the hard drive. Depending on your computer, you can find hard drives in different places; sometimes they are in a metal formwork. Search online for the details of your type of computer to find out its location.
4. Open the hard drive. Open the hard drive housing. You will probably have to remove some small screws here. You may need to cut some tape. The screws are often hidden under labels, so look under those too.
5. Remove the magnets. Remove the arm and magnets to get to the plate (your actual goal). You will also have to remove some screws for this, but it is not complicated. Remove the magnets carefully as they are very powerful.
   • You will have a hard time getting such a magnet off a refrigerator. You can even break your fingers. And what you should definitely not do is eat the magnets, for whatever reason. Do not let your pet and your small children come near it.
6. Remove the plate. This is the thing that looks like a mirror. You will likely need to unscrew the round centerpiece first to remove the plate. This record (or disc) is the thing that has your sensitive information on it. So this is the thing you will have to destroy. Sometimes there is more than one record, so pay attention to that.

Method 2 of 10: Working the hard drive with a hammer

1. Use a hammer. The hammer method is fast and direct. Place the plate on a surface that can withstand blows in a place that you can easily tidy up, put on safety goggles and gloves, and hammer away. Let your aggression run wild.
   • Make sure that no one else is present where you are doing this. You could injure someone with flying particles, and they could start to worry about your mental state and maybe get you admitted.
   • Some plates are made of metal, others are made of glass and ceramic. Glass and ceramics will shatter with this method. Metal will deform, making the plate difficult to repair, but if you are still concerned you can continue with one of the methods below.
2. Discard what is left of the disc. As soon as the plate is broken into pieces, you can sweep everything up neatly and throw it in the trash. If you're really paranoid, consider dividing the remains into different piles and disposing of these parts in different places.

Method 3 of 10: Burning your hard drive

1. Burn your disc. Heat alone is usually not enough to destroy your data, but if you heat the plates until you have created melted piles of dirt, you will probably be safe. Whichever burn method you choose, always make sure you do it in a place with adequate ventilation, as the fumes released from melting a hard drive can be life-threatening.
   • Use a normal fire. You can use a fireplace or light a fire outside (the latter option is preferred); chances are you can stoke the fire hot enough to melt your hard drive. Toss the plate on top of the fire and let it sit for a while as it may take a while.
   • Use a gas burner. Protect your head and body, hold the plates at some distance with heat resistant tongs and watch the plates melt. Do this in a place with a floor that can withstand heat.
   • Use thermite. If you are more of the adventurous type, you can fill a large barrel with sand, place the plates on the sand and light thermite above the plates. This creates a chemical reaction that releases a lot of heat and a small explosion, so always watch out. Never do this indoors, in a forest or with small children nearby. And if we're honest, don't do this with yourself around.
   • Use sugar and nitre. Mix sugar and nitre in a soda can and place the can on the plate in a bucket of sand. This is actually a small bomb, so be very careful when firing and think carefully about where you can stand when it goes off.

Method 4 of 10: Shooting the hard drive

1. Shoot the disk. Take the disc to a shooting range and use it as a target.

Method 5 of 10: Working the disk with a magnet

1. Use a giant magnet. It is a myth that you can erase a hard drive by holding a normal magnet near a computer. If you want to destroy your data with a magnet, you need a very large magnet.
2. Buy a powerful industrial magnet. In principle, you should be able to erase all data with this. And who wouldn't want to be the proud owner of a super powerful magnet? You can probably come up with some more applications for it.
   • You can also take your hard drive to a car scrapyard, or any other place where they use cranes with giant magnets to move cars and other metal junk. The moment your disk hits the magnet, you can almost be sure that the data has been erased for good. Still, it is not the most reliable method, as discs are protected against magnetism. If you want to be sure, you better use a different, more destructive method.

Method 6 of 10: Compressing the hard drive

1. This method is easy. Take the disc to a press and crush the disc. It only takes a few seconds and the result is amazing.

Method 7 of 10: Melt the hard drive

1. Use acid. Immerse the disc in battery acid or a similar strong acid. You should see the disk dissolve. Dispose of the acid at the municipal waste point (the well on the street is not suitable for this, just so you know).
2. Melt the disc in a microwave. The microwave radiation on its own isn't strong enough to erase the data, so don't think a second in the microwave is enough. But if you heat the disc in the microwave until it is completely melted, the data will never be recoverable.
   • Buy an old microwave from the thrift store for this, preferably one where the door can be opened with the push of a button. Place the microwave outside with a long extension cord and set it for 10 minutes. Stand at a safe distance (glass plates can shatter under these circumstances, which can be life-threatening). Open the microwave from a safe distance with a broomstick or other long stick and also use the stick to shatter the disc further if it is not completely melted.

Method 8 of 10: Editing the hard drive with a tool

1. Use a sandblasting machine. Rent a sandblasting machine from a rental company, put the plate on the street and sandblast! Edit the plate until the reflective layer is off, then you know for sure that your data is gone. You also look very cool and now that you have the machine you can use it for more things.
2. Use an angle grinder. Rent an angle grinder if you don't have your own, secure the plate on a workbench and cut the disc in half. You will probably have to sharpen several times as the pieces will fly all over the place. It will be quite a mess.
   • Always use gloves and safety glasses when grinding. Just look online for grinder injuries. You wish you had never seen it.
3. Use a drill. This is a common way, but still a lot of fun. Take a powerful drill and drill holes in the plate. Make enough holes in different places to irretrievably erase the data. And you can also make art with it. Live it up. A hard disk plate with holes looks very nice in a Christmas tree.

Method 9 of 10: Shred the hard drive

1. Use an industrial shredder. Have you ever seen an industrial shredder? Just search online if you can find one nearby, ask what it costs to use the shredder and throw in your hard drive. Maybe you also have some other things that you would like to shred. Again: indulge yourself!

Method 10 of 10: Using electrolysis to fix the hard drive

1. Get a plastic container large enough to submerge the hard drive under water. Throw in a pack of baking soda. Use no table salt, because then the highly toxic gas dichlor is produced.
2. Grab a large pencil. Scrape off half of the wood, but leave the graphite intact. This will be your cathode (-) electrode. Also take two thick insulated pieces of wire.
3. Get a battery charger. Use never a car battery, these are too powerful. Put one wire between the hard drive plate and the positive terminal and the other wire between the graphite and negative terminal.
4. Completely submerge the hard drive. Turn on the battery charger. The water starts to bubble and oxygen and hydrogen are released. Provide good ventilation!
5. After 24 hours the reflective surface of the plate has disappeared (oxidized). It is dissolved into metal powder and salt water.

Warnings

• It is impossible to guarantee that any particular method will erase your data for good. Technology is changing rapidly and you never know how much money and resources will be made available to retrieve your stolen information. So you can only do your best and hope your last name is not Snowden or Assange.
• You destroy a hard drive at your own risk. But think about the resources used. Explosives in your shed are just as suspicious as the sensitive information on your disk.
• Do not be dumb. Pay attention to what you do. You cannot text while using the angle grinder. You cannot be tipsy and use the angle grinder. You get the idea, be careful.
• Protect yourself with the above methods. The methods are intended to cause harm; if you don't take precautions you can harm yourself. Wear goggles or a full mask, heavy duty gloves, and cover your limbs. Do everything you can to protect your body.
• If you are going to perform any of the above methods without precautions, call a psychiatrist. Because then it really isn't going well for you.