Storage forum: Can I erase my HD with a big magnet?

Since the thing is unusable anyway, what you need to do is destroy the platter itself. As long as that platter is around it CAN be forensically decoded by a motivated/determined entity. Therefore complete platter destruction is most definitely preferred.

Platters are made of extremely hard metal alloy making the hammer method uselss. All a hammer does is break the components of the hard drive AROUND the platter, possibly but not likely, leaving any real marks on it. It (the platter) can always be re-installed in different housing with a working "reader" to allow it to be read.

Erasers, can be effective, but work on the priciple of over-writing the data with any number of layers of random patterns 1s and 0s. Data forensics have been known to be able to retrieve data even through all those layers.

As mentioned it would take one '7734' of a magnet to affect the magnetic field on the drive. How many people have access to one of these UberMagnets anyway? And the results can be dubious at best?

Yes, drilling of holes in the platter can help but there will still be portions of the platter left and who can tell if the holes drilled are in the places on the platter where the sensitive data is?

This is why one should dismantle the hard drive and physically destroy the platter itself.

Now is when a welding torch, preferably a "plasma cutter", can come in very handy. If you know someone who is a welder or mechanic ... someone who has a torch capable of extremely high heat ... all that needs to be done is to instert the platter into a vise (after you've taken your frustrations out on it with at least an eight pound sledge hammer ;)) and melt it into oblivious ashes with that torch. Just be sure you either do this yourself or WITNESS it being done and you'll have nothing to worry about because it's pretty hard to "read" ASHES!!!