After wiping a disk at least once, if you want to be absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt sure that the disk and its now forgotten data are gone forever, you should physically destroy the disk drive. There are a number of ways to do this. The following are only a few of the ways that you can use to be confident that the disk will never be read:
- Remove and destroy the disk platters: Assuming that the hard disk drive we are looking at stores its data on ferrous oxide coated platters, we can use a star screwdriver to open the drive's case and the collar that holds the disk platters on the spindle. Remove the platters and break them into pieces, burn them, or use whatever method you wish to otherwise destroy them. If you wish, you could also just hammer the platters without removing them. In either case, take the drive case, any loose electronics...