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Technically, you should assume that data is never truly removed from a hard drive. That’s because, for the most part, when you delete a file from your computer’s drive, only the reference is removed from something called the master file table (MFT). It keeps a record of that data, and the location, until it’s deleted. At which point the MFT frees up that section, allowing the computer to overwrite it. But, it can be restored with the right tools, which may be concerning for sensitive files or information.
If you throw that drive out without a complete wipe or destroying it with tools, someone could access the files. However, a $30 USB gadget from Destruct is designed to completely destroy drives using military grade methods — just note that the process could take awhile. It plugs into the USB port on your device and will destroy the old hard drive, allowing you to sell or trade your old PC without worrying about data being recovered.
It’s not a quick solution, as the process can take up to a day, with one user review noting that the Destruct device actually required three days to completely wipe their old hard drive. To use it, just boot your computer from the device at startup and allow the Destruct gadget to do it’s thing.
How destroying old hard drives works
It turns out, there are several methods of military grade data removal, most of which involve wiping the original data and overwriting it with random characters or zeros, across multiple passes, to make recovery almost impossible. Destruct isn’t clear on which method is used, however, in the FAQ, the company does say it will wipe everything including the operating system. Keep that in mind, because even if your drive is about to fail, it is still possible to recover data.
Tossing it as-is could put that data at risk, so it’s a good practice to wipe any drives you’ll be throwing out, trading in, or giving away. The Destruct USB gadget offers a definitive way to do that. Looking at nearly 500 user reviews on Amazon, with 71% rating it four stars or higher, the comments are largely positive and note that in most cases, it does in fact destroy old hard drives. If you end up using Destruct’s USB device on an external hard drive, consider repurposing it into a portable boot drive, as this is one gadget you might regret just throwing away.
