Not sure how to erase a device? I guarantee you that if you get a big enough hammer and spend enough time hammering, this will work on anything!
This method also works great if you just want to destroy drives before you take them to the recycling plant. It's also a great stress reducer!
You will need:
- A hammer (I use my trusty 32oz "fine adjustment" hammer)
- A thick nail (a 6-inch nail will do fine)
- Thick gloves - because you're going to be hammering that nail through the drive using the hammer, and hammers seem to be magnetically attracted to thumbs
- A block of wood -- so you don't nail the drive through your floor (it's preferable to do this outside if you can)
- Eye protection -- you've only got a maximum of two to start with, so it's silly to take chances!
Now you apply brute force. Ideally you want to put a nail through the platters of the drive, going all the way through (it's actually not as hard as it sounds). I aim for the spot marked by the red X on hard drives.
Alternatively you can use a power drill to make holes, but make sure that you have a way to securely hold the drive, for example, using a vice. Don't hold the drive in your hand because if the drill bit catches and the drive starts to spin -- or helicopters -- then there's a real risk of injury.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the data in SSDs is held on small flash storage chips rather than large platters, and to securely erase the data you need to smash the chips. Usually, this means taking the cover off the drive before you start swinging.
If you're not sure which are the flash storage chips, just drive a nail through all the large chips to be on the safe side.
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