this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2023
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Proper HDD clear process? (poptalk.scrubbles.tech)
submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

Usually my process is very... hammer and drill related - but I have a family member who is interested in taking my latest batch of hard drives after I upgraded.

What are the best (linux) tools for the process? I'd like to run some tests to make sure they're good first and also do a full zero out of any data. (Used to be a raid if that matters)

Edit: Thanks all, process is officially started, will probably run for quite a while. Appreciate the advice!

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 10 months ago (7 children)

Usually, I use shred:

shred -vfz -n 2 /dev/device-name
  • -v: verbose mode
  • -f: forces the write permissions if missing
  • -z: zeroes the disk in the final pass
  • -n 2: 2 passes w/ random data
[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Shred is what I used when destroying a bunch of old drives.

Then I disassbled them to pull out the magnets and platters (because they're shiny and cool). A couple had torx screws that I didn't have the right end for so I ran a hdd magnet over the surface and scratched them with a screwdriver.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I have an inch-high stack of platters now. Kind of interesting to see how their thickness has changed over the years, including a color change in there somewhere. Keep thinking I should bury them in epoxy on some table top.

For extra fun, you ca melt the casings and cast interesting shapes. I only wish I were smart enough to repurpose the spindle motors.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Make sure you wear lung protection when you deal with those. They're terrible for your insides.

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