Random Feats of Destruction

What happens to a hard drive when it dies? I hear people asking me this question all the time... actually I don't, but just bear with me for storytelling effect here.


At my company, when hard drives die and go to that big motherboard in the sky, we beat them until they cry like a dachsund eating a hot dog.... just to make sure that the data is completely irrecoverable.

FYI: The goggles are for my protection, not just to show off my studly good looks.



















The problem with this technique is that hard drives can be tough little blighters. We had to bash them with a small sledgehammer for several minutes before they opened up. Then we salvaged the super-powerful neodynium magnets for our fridge and made sure the shiny drive platters had a few final dents in for good measure.

Here's the finished product: Two irreversibly damaged hard drive platters. You can also see the needle from one of the drives. Incredible engineering!