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Q: how do you destroy a mac hard drive?


Texas universities after removing the hard drive or degaussing recycle PC's and Mac's to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDJC).  How do you remove the hard drive in a Mac and/or degausse?

iPhone 3G, Windows XP

Posted on Jul 8, 2015 2:03 PM

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Q: how do you destroy a mac hard drive?

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  • by Allan Jones,Helpful

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Jul 9, 2015 6:17 AM in response to normafromnacogdoches
    Level 8 (35,039 points)
    iPad
    Jul 9, 2015 6:17 AM in response to normafromnacogdoches

    Not a simple question. The removal of a hard drive depends on the Mac model. There is no generic instruction because Macs have been made since 1884 in hundreds of different form factors that require different techniques to access and remove the hard drives.

     

    Faced with different Mac models, I would use this collection of illustrated repair guides. If the hard drive can come out, this site will show you how:

     

    https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Browse/Mac

     

    An example of one of their index page for a given model:

     

    Screen Shot 2015-07-09 at 6.07.44 AM.png

     

    Realistically, faced with many different  models, I'd hire a student who knows about Macs and pay him a hourly rate to sit in a room and remove hard drives for a day.

     

    As for the drives' security once removed, the most secure way to avoid the possibility of later data retrieval is to physically destroy the drive. The same student can drill about three 1/4-inch holes through the drive on a drill press. You can crush the drive with a sledge hammer. I used to work in an ammunition plant; guess how the IT guys securely disposed of old hard drives there??

     

    Allan (Texas-born and raised)

  • by Billeastbank715,

    Billeastbank715 Billeastbank715 Jul 11, 2015 2:30 PM in response to normafromnacogdoches
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 11, 2015 2:30 PM in response to normafromnacogdoches

    Try OWC.com they maybe able to help you.

  • by much2learn,

    much2learn much2learn Jul 14, 2015 5:57 AM in response to normafromnacogdoches
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 14, 2015 5:57 AM in response to normafromnacogdoches

    Ask Hillary

  • by Kilgore-Trout,

    Kilgore-Trout Kilgore-Trout Jul 15, 2015 12:50 PM in response to much2learn
    Level 7 (32,519 points)
    iPad
    Jul 15, 2015 12:50 PM in response to much2learn

    Just don't ask Rick. No clue there for years.