# How can you physically destroy a hard drive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-physically-destroy-a-hard-drive/149059 "2003-01-16T21:07:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-physically-destroy-a-hard-drive/149059/61 "2003-01-18T15:06:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SandWriter \* > \*\*p.s. Desmostylus - Fuck Off Asshole > p.p.s. Don’t get excited! 🙂 It’s a quote from the same movie you quoted… \*\* Personal attacks against other posters are not permitted in this forum, whether you’re quoting a movie or not. Do not do that again. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-physically-destroy-a-hard-drive/149059/62 "2003-01-19T02:09:59Z")
Two items: Bench Grinder Really Heavy Gloves Keep Grindin’ 'till nothing is left larger than a politician’s concience. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-physically-destroy-a-hard-drive/149059/63 "2003-01-19T03:58:14Z")
## quote: ## Originally posted by Novus Opiate I hear there are utilities which will completely erase files from disk. I think PGP may be one of them “Nonsense; somebody would have mentioned it if this were the case” i’d like to get sailor’s opinion on all of this. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-physically-destroy-a-hard-drive/149059/64 "2003-01-19T04:24:08Z")
Oh, can I contribute too? PGP has utilities called “Wipe” and “Freespace Wipe” which are available via the “PGPTools” which come with it. ---
**Author:** ![JoltSucker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@JoltSucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoltSucker)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-physically-destroy-a-hard-drive/149059/65 "2003-01-19T19:13:53Z")
Back in 80s I was working for DoD. Back then the standard was to sandblast the platters and then put the platters in a blast furnace. Way overkill if you ask me. Anyway, someone came to me sheepishly admitting that they had written classified information onto the hard drive of his unclassified machine. He wanted to destroy the information, but he obviously didn’t want to get in trouble, and we didn’t have the facilities to properly destroy it. First I ran a disk utility (Norton Utilities Secure Delete, or something like that) on it’s most rigorous setting (write all 1s, then all 0s, then all random), three times. However, that’s only good enough for the casually interested. I then took the hard drive out and took it apart, until I had just platters. I got a bulk tape eraser from Radio Shack and picked up each platter off the table for at least a minute on each side. I didn’t have sandpaper handy, so I used a push pin to scar each side. And finally I bent the platters in half with a hammer, which was really hard to do. I took the results to our security officer and handed him the folded over drive platters, telling him what had happened. He just started to laugh, and said he thought they were pretty much declassified. If you wanted to go the heat route, just mix up some sugar and saltpeter, put the platters in that, and light the mixture with a match. Be extremely careful though, as I found out the hard way in my teen years that mixture is hot enough to melt asphalt! Definitely don’t try that inside, you’re likely to burn the house down! ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-physically-destroy-a-hard-drive/149059/66 "2003-01-20T04:06:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gassendi \* > \*\*As the author of the OP, I would like to reiterate my desire to know how I can destroy a hard drive with items found around the house. I don’t want to bring it out to a wrecking yard magnet, or sub-contract for the use of a small nuclear weapon. > > An overnight soak in a Drano solution was mentioned. What else might do it? \*\* Uh, you mean a handgun _isn’t_ household equipment? Dang. Try a big hammer or something. Sandpaper is good, too. A bonfire will work. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-physically-destroy-a-hard-drive/149059/67 "2003-01-20T05:11:31Z")
I think we’re done here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-physically-destroy-a-hard-drive/149059.md?page=3)