Do-it-Yourself Destruction

Jul 13, 2022

So, you have an old computer, laptop or hard drive lying around and you figure that with a little elbow grease and a bit of DIY know-how, you’ll save a few bucks by destroying it yourself. Maybe you’re even considering one of the following popular (albeit, misguided) internet suggestions:

Smash it (anyone else picturing that scene from “Office Space”?)
Drop it
Bedazzle it with industrial strength magnets
Drown it
Burn it
Soak it in acid (honestly, who came up with this one?)

BEFORE YOU GRAB THE HAMMER

Bear with us as we take a seemingly unrelated detour to revisit a heartbreaking moment in NASA’s recent history:

At approximately 9:00 AM on February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia, on return from a 17-day space flight, exploded above the state of Texas in a horrific disaster caused by a single piece of thermal insulation that had dislodged during takeoff. It was a tragic event resulting in the disintegration of the shuttle and the loss of all those who were onboard.

It was a full six months later when a NASA recovery team made an incredible discovery. A hard drive that was aboard the shuttle when the explosion occurred was discovered in a muddy, dried-up riverbed. Charred and borken nearly beyond recognition, the hard drive fell through the atmosphere, careened 40 miles to earth and crashed into the ground below.

Data specialist from Kroll OnTrack, led by senior engineer, Jon Edwards, immediately went to work to recover much of the hard drive’s data as possible. Edwards stated:

“It was a very complex task, and I have to admit when I first saw the drive, I wasn’t sure I could get anything out of it.”

And yet, as unbelievable as it sounds, the engineers were successful in recovering 99% of the data contained within the obliterated hard drive!

THE TAKEAWAY

Save yourself time and risk of injury. Trust your data and media destruction needs to the professionals at Altitude DocuShred. We are your locally-owned leader in IT asset destruction. We guarantee our AAA NAID Certified team will safely and securely render your desktop computers, laptops and hard drives fully and properly destroyed.

Call us today for your free quote!