potentail score

After kicking myself for missing a free Craigslist score, I sent out a round of emails to local computer shops and consultants. I got 1 email back and a phone call. The phone call sounds promising. He has "maybe about a ton" of old computers, servers, etc. Currently, he pays to send them an hour away. The only downside is he some of the drives have medical info, so they need to he destroyed to Hippa guidelines, and he wants them destroyed, not just wiped with dban. Has anybody had any luck convincing clients that they don't need to be destroyed? If so, how did you do it? Since its a new client, I may just entertain him and take a hammer and drill with me and do as he wants the first time and try to convince him later after we have developed a working relationship.

listen to the client. If he wants the data destroyed then destroy it. Nothing worse than losing a client over something like that.

I offer a few levels of destruction services to my clients

$10.00 full destruction of the drive with certificate ( Few that deal with banks / medical )
$5.00 DOD wipe with certificate of destruction and the ability to resell good drives ( Most clients )
Free: I do what i please with the drive and they receive no insurance. ( Most craigslist users pick this )

Edit: that's per drive.

I plan on doing exactly what is requested and if I can get a ton of equipment from him for free, it probably isn't worth trying to convince him the drives don't need to be destroyed...

I agree. The medical (hippa) rules can not be messed with or gone around. You would not want you wife's medical history let out for others to read. Mike.

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You would not want you wife's medical history let out for others to read. Mike.

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Or my own, my medical history would read like a hardback novel the last 4 years.

Just a little side note, no wipe will completely remove the data from the hard drive. The data can always be recovered it is only a matter of time and expense.

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Originally Posted by duece2000

Just a little side note, "no wipe will completely remove the data" from the hard drive. "The data can always be recovered" it is only a matter of time and expense.

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how are these statements possible? If it can be "completely removed", how can it "always be recovered"?

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Originally Posted by Bear

how are these statements possible? If it can be "completely removed", how can it "always be recovered"?

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Don't you watch CSI? All you need is a spec of dust from the drive and bingo.

lol, i musta been misreading that

Drill press drill pres drill press lol!

The only sure way is dod wipe then throw them in a shredder and make them into confetti.

I plan on secure wiping with dban or hdderase then a hammer like in easy's video. just to make sure...
I'm heading that way right now to take a look at it all.

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

The only sure way is dod wipe then throw them in a shredder and make them into confetti.

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Any idea of an inexpensive shredder that would accomplish this? I see some are able to shred cd/dvd's but that is not a hd disc. Mike.

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Originally Posted by miked

Any idea of an inexpensive shredder that would accomplish this? I see some are able to shred cd/dvd's but that is not a hd disc. Mike.

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I would say probably a hammermill.

I place mine on a slightly opened vise and smash it with a hammer until it starts to bend, then finish the job crushing it in the vise, only takes a few seconds and does a great job.

do yall take the boards off of em first ?

Bear, I take the discs out of the hd. You can search for more info on hard drives and breaking them down. Some people remove the boards some say it's not worth it.

being as i have to ship, and hdd's aren't worth shipping, but the boards are :) I've opened them up before but never taken the discs out. Do you unscrew them, or pry them out somehow? Why do you take them out, do you sell them as aluminum?

23 computers including 2 servers (one with a windows small business server cal) and a supermicro superworkstaion with dual 3.2 xeon processors and some unidentified quad video pci card. I'm loading xp on it now. many of the computers are new enough to have SATA connectors. ill take s look tomorrow to see how many are worth rebuilding. I already dropped the 4 crt monitors off st the goodwill. also got 3 HP printers and 5 lcd monitors. the shop said they have this many about every quarter. I think I'm going to order them some pizza.

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the shop said they have this many about every quarter. I think I'm going to order them some pizza.

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Make sure it's a $5.00 Little Caesars Pizza, keeps the overhead down.

the only overhead was gas for the excursion. other than that, it was free

go thru craigslist and find a used home model tree branch shredded... I thought about doing this, but my neibours would probably kill me when it comes to noise... right now they are very tollerant about my back yard... the guy behind me gives me a bad time and calls me Sanford.... but he is laughing when he says it... he comes and gets lawn mower parts from time to time (he is a retired small engine mechanic) and the girl beside me doesn't care either, as long as I don't make noise too early in the morning on weekends..

Destructo, I don't think you would want to drop a metal HD into a wood chipper (although I'm sure someone has). Not to mention the noise, but the damage to the machine and the shrapnel flying everywhere.

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Destructo, I don't think you would want to drop a metal HD into a wood chipper (although I'm sure someone has). Not to mention the noise, but the damage to the machine and the shrapnel flying everywhere.

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I concur, but possibly the discs would shred in there