Posted on 06/28/2016 3:39:49 PM PDT by nickcarraway
I remove all old hard drives, take them apart, and then use a MAP torch to melt the actual platters.
I take 'em all apart for the magnets. We're approaching a day where everything in common use will be solid state and the magnets will be exhausted for the most part.
There will probably always be platters in enterprise devices since the data doesn't degrade over time like it can in an SSD. I've fired up drives that hadn't been powered on in 20 years and they still worked. Good luck finding an MFM/RLL interface these days though. IDE is getting harder as well.
I destroy mine. Typically they are old and outdated enough not to be much of a concern.
I did work for a company and a good bit of it was for Chase bank. I’d get a call telling me that a server drive had failed. The company would courier in a new drive and a degaussing machine. I’d pull the old drive pop in the new one and tell the guy on the phone it was done. Then I would fire up the degausser and put the drive into it. Had to have a witness watch while the machine built up a charge and then “POP” and the drive was toast. I’d drop the old drive off at a FedEx on my way home. Loved those jobs at most 20 minutes of work and it paid 3 hours @ $30/hr.
I have a fine collection of old hard drives and computers in my attic. None of them are reusable - most are tiny capacity by today’s standards. One of these here days I’m going to remove and smash the drives and put the computers out for trash pickup. I’m not getting rid of a usable drive, even if the personal information on it is outdated.
My hard drive crashed on my iMac a few years ago.
I took the computer to the genius store to have the drive replaced. They told me they keep the old drive.
I said that’s my data on there, I might pay someone to recover it.
They wouldn’t replace the drive unless I agreed to give them the old one, so I went to a third party tech store and had it done.
I use the drill press, drop some molten solder on the disc, hit it with a hammer a few times, pour some salt in it, and then bury it in a wet part of the back yard. In a few years, you won’t be able to get anything off it.
Five hard drives in the graveyard with room for more.
I sell mine to lois lerner
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