Arno Wagner wrote:
If there's a hole in the top of the drive and a hole in the bottom, it's a
fair bet that all platters have been damaged.
I'd be very surprised if any .30 caliber firearm on the market was incapable
of penetrating completely through a disk drive.
I had the opportunity not long back of shooting up some old HDDs,
mostly in the sub 1GB range. We shot them with quite an assortment of
guns, and it's safe to say that pretty much any modern centerfire
rifle cartridge and any handgun cartridge over .38 caliber will damage
a HD to the point that only high-power spooks can get your data off,
and I'd have my doubts about that. Shotgun slugs would be effective
too, but I'd be concerned about birdshot or buckshot unless you're
very close.
We did compare the effects of a .223 rifle (Keltec SU16) and a .357
magnum revolver (S&W 586 6"). The .223 punched a neat hole in one
side, dished both platters, and stayed in the dent in the first
platter. The case was not deformed much. The .357 punched a much
larger hole, mangled both platters, and exited the back side, leaving
the case resembling a jagged potato chip. A Weatherby .300 magnum
trashed them the most thoroughly, but it's a bit expensive to shoot.
It was fun, but when I need to destroy a pile of HDs, I take a 3 lb
drilling hammer (like a mini sledge hammer) and whack them until
they're bent - usually 3-4 whacks - then throw them in the trash.
This is far faster than anything else I've tried, particularly
anything that involves opening the case. It's less fun than shooting
them, but I have to drive a few hours to be able to shoot drives. If
I could shoot them in my back yard, that would be my choice.
