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16 points

I’m assuming this is actually to render an old drive inoperable, in case of sensitive contents?

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14 points

Just spit balling, but it might be possible to flatten the platters out to recover some of the data, maybe even enough to piece together what was on there. The proper method for destruction is to wipe the drives, then shred them.

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6 points

The proper method for destruction is to wipe the drives, then shred them.

Yes for spinny drives.

For SSDs, when you delete something TRIM + physics ensures it’s really really gone all the time

Please stop shredding SSDs that can go on to a 2nd life…

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4 points

Indeed. I was only speaking to HDDs considering OP’s image meme.

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5 points

Aren’t the discs made from a material that shatters like glass?

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1 point

In principle yes but I never managed to shatter or break a disc platter… But then I never had a sledgehammer

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1 point

That I’m not sure, I know the premise is that data is read and written magnetically, which would lead me to believe there is some kind of ferrous metal in there somewhere, but I couldn’t tell you the actual composition of the platters.

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1 point

It depends.

With tearing apart drives over the years, 3.5" always used aluminum platters, while the 2.5" ones used glass. (With greater data density and higher speeds however, this may have changed)

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6 points

Correct, and it uses magnets to render the disks unreadable. One of those devices services https://at-rack.co.uk/ LTT using it https://youtu.be/4dR5lbF5-wo

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5 points

Yes.

Although disks are also legitimately shredded.

It makes the most awful sound.

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1 point

Trust me, that data is very definitely not destroyed.

(See this talk for some entertaining data disposal techniques :)

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2 points

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

this talk

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.

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1 point

Good Bot

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