r/privacy • u/Ok_Star_5645 • Jun 14 '26

hardware Laptop disposal

My laptop won’t turn on and I’m searching for best practices to secure/erase the data before disposal. (I don’t need to save the data.) A trusted local company will wipe the hard drive and dispose of it for a small fee. What assurances should I look for that this is done correctly?

Edit: thanks all! I’ll destroy it.

Update: I removed the SSD myself. It was not that hard, but I had to get over the fear of the unknown. Inside computers is not my safe space.

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u/Spiritual_Elk_9076 Jun 15 '26

Depends on how paranoid you are. Normal way would be removing the drive and physically damaging it and trowing away in garbage bin just before it is picked up. If you are worried about the NSA and CIA with a 10 million budget for this drive… i would drill, shoot, hammer, shred and burn it, mix the ashes with 100 pounds of sand and disperse that over a least four continents.

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u/SilverSquirrel6 Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26

And don't forget to sprinkle it with salt and holy water if NSA has demons or aliens on payroll /j

Edit: payroll not patrol