HowTo: Put that tough-to-reach screw in perfectly!

[Boy'nBlack]

I wouldn't get a rare earth magnet (NIBs) near a hard drive or a CMOS. Just me. Getting near is ok, but let it touch and a huge section is gone forever. It's OK to have them in the drive, but not ok to introduce another.

NIBs are fun. Put one in your pocket and you don't need a hammer loop. Just snap the hammer to your thigh :D

[screwballl]

never had issues with a magnetic screwdriver either... but great idea fellow penguin!

[Zambini]

I think I know what I'm gonna do next. Who's got an old hard drive they won't mind dieing? Send it my way, I've got an idea for a test :D

ps: I edited the intro of the how-to. :P

[Boy'nBlack]

Let me dig around a bit. I have one that's already dead if you need the magnet, but think I have an old IDE that's alive somewhere around here.

[Zambini]

I was gonna see if magnets actually did something.

First I was gonna put some small magnets, then other hard drive magnets, then with Electromagnet Copper coil (both wrapped and in an Iron bar + coil) and see if that b0rks it. :P

[Boy'nBlack]

Well, let's gang up on it. I have an IDE drive in the kid's SFF that has whined for about 2 years. I want to kill it.

So I'm looking around to replace it. I'm following along with PrOLifIC_onE's WTB thread to get some small capacity S/ATA drive before buying one new. If I can't find a cheap alternative, I gotta upgrade one computer and hand down a drive. Can't kill it until that happens. Well, don't want to anyway.

What's a good order at trying to kill a drive via magnets? If I can't kill it, you can give it a shot. I just think I can but don't have all the magents you do. I've got two HDD magnets and a bunch of speakers. Just snap one to the case and let 'er rip? I think I'll be getting errors listed in 24 hours. Should I chkdsk a lot, or just let it run and keep reading SMART?

[Zambini]

I'm gonna assume that the electromagnetic wire I wrap around it will have something to say.... keke..

I've got a transformer somewhere around here..... :)

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Boy'nBlack

Just snap one to the case and let 'er rip? I think I'll be getting errors listed in 24 hours. Should I chkdsk a lot, or just let it run and keep reading SMART?

If you've got a steel case, you could try putting the magnets right on the HDD cage. I had a computer science professor in college tell me about this girl who claimed she kept having lots of problems with her computer. So he had her bring it in so he could look at it and the entire case was covered with those pizza shop delivery magnets! He took the magnets off and supposedly it was working ok after that... :dontknow:

[Reloadron]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

If you've got a steel case, you could try putting the magnets right on the HDD cage. I had a computer science professor in college tell me about this girl who claimed she kept having lots of problems with her computer. So he had her bring it in so he could look at it and the entire case was covered with those pizza shop delivery magnets! He took the magnets off and supposedly it was working ok after that... :dontknow:

Without really getting into magnetic fields in detail, it takes an extremely strong magentic field to damage or wipe the data on a HDD. Personally I doubt the labels we place on our fridge or whatever would come close to having enough field strength to do any damage.

Winding a coil of wire around a drive and energizing it is another of those things where I suggest plenty of wire to get enough amp turns to really wipe the drive.

Wiping a drive using magnetism is possible but it is really surprising how strong the field needs to be.

Ron

[Zambini]

Originally Posted by Reloadron

Wiping a drive using magnetism is possible but it is really surprising how strong the field needs to be.

Ron

I should ask Edward Norton and Brad Pitt how to get one of those magnets....