In some cases, computer user may finds themselves in a position where destroying their hard drive is an absolute necessity. Although this is not something most everyday consumers will run into, it is always good to know what can be done, just in case. As it turns out, there are some cool and creative ways to ensure your hard drive is physically destroyed. Always perform these actions at your own risk, though.

#5 Watch It Burn

Electronics and fire usually do not play well together, and hard drives are no exception. Heat alone is incapable of destroying data on the hard drive, but physically melting your hard drive is a good way to go about things. Using a blowtorch is perhaps the most effective way of completing this process, albeit it requires some preparation. Do keep in mind a burning hard drive produces toxic fumes that can kill a human rather easily.

Using sugar and salt on the other hand, is quite fun. Put both ingredients into a soda can, and put the can on top of the hard disk. Make sure you are conducting this experiment in a sand-based environment to avoid accidents. After all, mixing salt and sugar creates a bomb-like cocktail, and when it goes off, it can inflict quite some damage on the human body.

#4 Take Potshots At Your Drive

Remember all of those times when you were tempted to shoot your hard disk. When the time arises to get rid of the thing, shooting it is a quite stress-relieving and excellent way to destroy it once and for all. It is advised to take the drive to a local firing range or a safe location, though. Neighbors may frown upon loud gunshots coming from your backyard.

#3 Melt it All!

If burning the hard disk in your life is not satisfying enough, melting the thing could be a more than viable alternative. Several methods can be used to condemn your hard disk to a slow and agonizing death, including the usage of battery acid or a microwave. Don’t use your regular microwave for this sadistic experiment, though, as chances are very real you will destroy it, alongside the hard disk. Not as fun as shooting the thing, but it still gives a nice pop.

#2 Sandblaster Action Intensifies

Depending on your access to a sandblaster, it can be worthwhile to see how long your hard drives survives this device’s onslaught. Just keep blasting at it until you are satisfied with the result. The “cool” factor while wielding a sandblaster should not be disregarded, even though the hard drive will look nearly identical after the process. All this does is remove the material layer storing the data.

#1 Hammertime!

For ultimate stress relief, make sure you have a screwdriver and hammer with you when attacking the hard disk in question. Unscrew the HDD casing, and take the hammer to the 

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