Wednesday, July 5, 2023 – Is it really dangerous to store files on thumb drives? – How (and when) to physically destroy a hard drive

If you ever find yourself needing to recycle an old computer, remember that it’s important to remove the hard drive (or SSD) first and destroy it to prevent someone else from retrieving your sensitive files and info from it.

I receive messages from folks on a regular basis asking for advice on the best way to physically destroy a drive. There are several ways to do it, but the simplest, ands most effective way is to “beat the living daylights out of it”.

And when I say ‘beat it’, I mean that literally. This is how I do it:

1 – Remove the drive from the computer.

2 – Put on a pair of safety glasses.

3 – Place the drive on a hard surface (be sure not to choose a surface that you don’t want to damage by following the instructions below).

4 – Wrap the drive in an old towel or some other type of thick cloth to prevent shrapnel from flying all over the place, then proceed to beat it with a hammer.

Most any type of hammer will do the job, but the heavier it is the better. Simply keep smashing the drive until it’s fairly flat and you’ll be all set.

As I mentioned above, there are several ways to destroy a hard drive and render it unreadable. The ‘hammer’ method is my favorite because it gets the job done in an efficient manner (and most everyone has access to a hammer).

If you use a different method I’ve love to hear about it. Just click ‘Reply’ on this email and tell me about it.

Tech news that caught my eye…

• Microsoft hints at Windows 12, explores a new floating taskbar design

• ChatGPT pauses Bing integration to stop people from bypassing paywalls

• New TweetDeck requires a Twitter Blue subscription

• Microsoft denies data breach, theft of 30 million customer accounts

• RustBucket malware: A PDF could finish your Mac

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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.

Your tech buddy,

Rick Rouse
https://www.RicksDailyTips.com