Found this

Probably known about by the older hands but I found this interesting to use.

How to See if Your Hard Drive is Dying

- checking the SMART stuff.

I listen for sounds when they are being accessed... if you can even hear it, should be consistently same sound effects, if it goes louder/rougher, time to backup up IMMEDIATELY and/or buy a new one and move the data over/fresh OS install, is best.
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Then apply direct blows to the old hard drive with a sledgehammer until you can see the exposed platters, your sanitizing for disposal is now complete. [I have actually done this!]
No recovering YOUR data after that procedure and you might feel better too.

Faladu said:

I listen for sounds when they are being accessed... if you can even hear it, should be consistently same sound effects, if it goes louder/rougher, time to backup up IMMEDIATELY and/or buy a new one and move the data over/fresh OS install, is best.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then apply direct blows to the old hard drive with a sledgehammer until you can see the exposed platters, your sanitizing for disposal is now complete. [I have actually done this!]
No recovering YOUR data after that procedure and you might feel better too.

You forgot to mention to remove the very strong rare earth magnets they are marvellous for fridges and magnetising your screwdrivers etc - draw the tool down it's length to magnetise and to demagnetise rotate the blade on the magnet.
CAUTION keep finger skin form getting between them!!

Thanks for the tip on saving the magnets, I'm taking our old ATT box to the recyclers and I didn't know they were used inside a HDD. I did know about magnetizing tools though.

For fun a old disk drive works well on a rifle range.

Anak said:

Thanks for the tip on saving the magnets, I'm taking our old ATT box to the recyclers and I didn't know they were used inside a HDD. I did know about magnetizing tools though.

Yep they are attached to the fix point of the read arm see my pic.

You can get some good ones from the magnetron in a microwave oven but be careful as they are brittle and the ring between them often contains beryllium - toxic if the dust or particles are breathed in. However they are much larger than the HDD ones and are shaped like doughnuts:)

Thank you for the tutorial pixs , now I don't have go in like Dr. Destructo.

Anak said:

Thank you for the tutorial pixs , now I don't have go in like Dr. Destructo.

Hum someone has found out who I really am