5 Best Ways to Destroy a Hard Drive

Over the years, we’ve witnessed a significant rise in cyber-attacks, with thieves trying to exploit the sensitive information they find on our devices, such as hard drives. These drives contain our sensitive information, such as addresses, credit card details, bank details, and so on.

Therefore, individuals and businesses must protect their hard drives and destroy those no longer in use. There are multiple ways to destroy a hard drive, from degaussing to wiping. Here, we will discuss the five best ways to destroy a hard drive.

5 Best Ways to Destroy a Hard Drive

Here are five ways you can destroy your hard drive:

1. Disintegration

This renowned hard drive destruction technique involves a type of data destruction tool called a disintegrator. Over the years, disintegrators have been widely used to destroy numerous devices, including hard drives.

Disintegrators cut the hard drive into tiny pieces so that they are small enough to pass through their screen using knife milling technology. Though this process is slower than shredding, it offers higher security levels by producing a much more refined residue. This is crucial because even a tiny portion of a hard drive can hold confidential data.

2. Drilling

Drilling is another effective way to destroy a hard drive and make its data unusable. In this method, the hard drive is destroyed by putting holes in its platter so that the data inside it becomes unreadable. This technique stands out among other hard drive destruction methods because it does not involve complex tools.

All you need is a hammer or a nail gun to help you drive a nail through. You can also use a hand drill if you want.  

3. Wiping

If you do not want to physically destroy your hard drive, wiping is perfect for you. Wiping helps you permanently remove the data stored in your hard drive without destroying the hard drive itself. However, you need to ensure that you do it right, or some data might remain.

One of the downsides of this technique is that you have to overwrite data more than once to completely wipe it out from your hard drive.

4. Degaussing

This is another highly effective way to sanitize a hard drive. This is also one of the most secure hard drive destruction methods. Degaussing involves finely tuned magnets that destroy stored data when they come into contact with other magnetic media (hard drives).

It’s no secret that degaussers are incredibly effective when it comes to destroying a hard drive. Today, you can find several types of degaussers in the market whose prices can significantly vary.

5. Shredding  

Shredding is one of the best hard drive destruction methods to ensure that data stored in your drive is beyond retrieval. This method is also ideal for those who don’t want to resell their hard drives. One thing to note is that it’s best to hire a professional shredding company for this job since they have certified experts with specialized tools.

The Final Verdict

We have been trying to protect confidential data stored on our computer hard drives for as long as we can remember. The rise in criminal activities like identity theft has made it essential for everyone to take every possible step to safeguard their sensitive information. Many businesses and individuals tend to destroy their hard drives to avoid data breaches. You can try one of the methods mentioned above if you want to destroy your hard drive.