The drives are old and small, and some of them might not even spin up when plugged in, if I still had a computer old enough to use them.
The drives are mainly in the box because I decided it was faster (and easier) to pull the drives from the computer rather than try to wipe them.
I tend to hang on to things way too long.
There is also a part of me that thinks perhaps I’ll go back through those drives some day and stumble across a forgotten directory of photos or movies that I’ll be delighted to discover. I think that ship has sailed.
I’m reasonably sure I’ve saved off all the files I’ll need or want.
So what to do with a shoebox full of old hard drives that will never be used again but are full of personal data?
The logical choice would have been to wipe the drives when I was finished with them, but now that they have served their purpose and are just doorstops full of my data, I think destroying the drive platters is the way to go.
Since we don’t want the drives to fall into the wrong hands, the best choices are to find a drill (or even better, a drill press) and drill a few holes in the drive through the platters to render them unreadable. Remember to wear eye protection.
If you don’t have access to a drill, or you’re not handy with power tools, I recommend finding the biggest hammer in your garage and whacking the drives until the platters are no longer usable.
I’ve talked to some friends who suggest using a framing nailer to pump a few nails into the platters.
Or you could just take them out to the country and shoot them with a rifle for target practice (safely, of course). This is Texas, after all.
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Jim Rossman writes for The Dallas Morning News. He may be reached at jrossman@dallasnews.com.
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