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Possible Duplicate:
Dispose or Recycle Hard Drive

I have some old hard drives that I want dispose. I don't have access to compatible hardware to erase the contents. What is a simple, safe and effective way to ensure that the data can no longer be read?

Also, how do I recycle hard drives? Do they require special handling for environmental reasons?

Community
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Super Chicken
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1 Answers1

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Strong rare Earth magnets should thoroughly erase the contents. Then a hammer or electric drill will effectively ruin the platters.

They should be disposed of along with all other computer equipment. They contain heavy metals and rare Earth elements themselves that should not be spread in the environment.

Abraxas
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