Destroy Your Data

Make sure there's no signs of your data on your hard drive.

Why do you want to destroy your data in the first place?

• To protect your privacy.


• To prevent others from seeing sensitive data.
  
• To cover your tracks in case you're performing
  confidential activities on your computer.

When it comes to wiping out data, forget about the
Recycle Bin, stupid shareware utilities, or fun little free files.
I'll show you hard-core software and hardware that absolutely,
positively, leaves no trace of the data (or makes the data
practically impossible to use).

Software solutions

Software-based data destruction is perfect for most people to use on
hard drives or floppy disks. If you have financial records, business
secrets, or other sensitive material, use one of the methods below.

• Eraser
  This open source application, perfect for deleting individual
  files, surpasses
  Department of Defense data deletion specifications.
  
• Pretty Good Privacy
  PGP is great for encrypting email, but it also has a file deletion
  utility. With PGP installed, all you have to do is right-click on
  any file and choose Wipe. This deletes and overwrites the target
  file.
  
• Autoclave
  Looking to sell your computer on eBay? Make sure you
  delete the data before you do. You can use Autoclave to create
  a bootable floppy disk that overwrites all hard-drive data.
  Autoclave can overwrite the hard drive with specific data patterns
  that exercise all the bits on the drive, making it extremely
  difficult to recover anything at all.

Software-based data destruction is never as good
as hardware destruction. Any three-letter government agency (FBI,
CIA, NSA) can recover data from software destruction using
high-power microscopes.

Hardware solutions

If you can afford to destroy the media that stores the data, you
increase your probability of maintaining your privacy.

• Fellowes
  PS70-2CD shredder
  Have you ever used a marking pen to write over the data portion of
  a CD you want to dispose? Or better yet, closed your eyes and
  flexed the CD until it shatters? You don't have to do that anymore
  if you buy Fellows' new paper and CD shredder. I haven't been this
  happy about a product since
  Big Nate's BBQ
  brought back the half-slab of ribs for $4.99 on Tuesdays.
  
• Hard drive/floppy degausser
  A degausser is a charged coil that removes all magnetic fields
  from a target device. To use the degausser, you set the hard drive
  or floppy disk upon the device and switch it on. Degaussers are
  expensive and can vary in price based on effective degaussing
  power. Degaussers should be used with a software tool such as
  autoclave.
  
• Acid and thermite
  Acid can be used to dissolve disks. Thermite creates a reaction
  that burns media to a crisp. Realistically, you aren't going to
  use these materials to destroy your media. It's too dangerous and
  not worth the hassle.
  Never attempt to use acid or thermite at home. Using these
  materials can cause severe injury. If you are a commercial company
  considering this method for disk and data destruction, please
  consult your local data destruction specialists.
  
  Thermite is a stable chemical compound that, when ignited, turns into molten
  iron and burns at approximately 3,000 degrees Celsius. This
  wonderful substance is used commercially to weld together railroad
  tracks. But even if you don't hang out in railroad yards, you've
  probably seen this substance in action already.
  
  Remember the Hindenburg? It was a big zeppelin filled with
  hydrogen. As it turns out, it was even more of an accident waiting
  to happen than originally thought. The geniuses who designed this
  diesel-driven death trap wanted to give its outer hull a pretty
  metallic sheen. And what better shiny ingredient to add to the
  paint than, you guessed it, thermite! A research study proved that
  it was indeed a thermite reaction that ignited the zeppelin's
  hydrogen, resulting in the deaths of 38 people. So, please folks,
  don't try this at home or your house may very well end up a
  smoking ruin.