Hard Drives

[joe.s-b]

I have two spare drives lopaded with XO. I cannot remember if I wiped them and I would like to give them away so how do |I make them safe or destroy. There is nothing I can do with the equipment I have now and they are good size drives. and too good to destroy

[Old_Geezer]

There are free programmes on the Net (unfortunately I can not recall the names but a web search will find them) which will write random garbage umpteen times over the disk to obliterate whatever was there before. It's good enough to stop all but the most determined government agencies seeing what was there.

Failing that a large magnetic field and a drill through them is rumoured to work, but seems very wasteful/destructive to me.

[Old_Geezer]

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=destroying+disk+data+download&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=0FhCVfXAMJfjavrWgcgC#q=destroying+disk+data+download+free

[joe.s-b]

Thank you but unfortunately I do not have any equipment to
which I can connect any more.

[Old_Geezer]

Then you need family or friend to do it for you.
Unless you have access to a strong magnetic field I'm unsure how you can wipe them without connecting to something. Destruction is always a solution.

[joe.s-b]

Thanks again. I will talk t a very good reliable friend.

[Daffy6543]

I would never give away an old hard drive. Whenever I've bought or built a new computer I have always taken the drive out of the old one and physically destroyed it with an electric drill and a hammer.

[joe.s-b]

Yes; they will be destroyed.

[TTG]

Physical destruction every time....don't give them away.