Hard Drive Destruction in Exeter: Secure Data Disposal by Drilling
When you delete a file from your computer, it doesn't actually disappear. The data stays on the hard drive and can be recovered with freely available software. For businesses and individuals in Exeter and across the South West, physical hard drive destruction is the only way to guarantee your data is gone for good.
Why Deletion Isn't Enough
When you "delete" a file or even format a hard drive, the data remains physically present on the magnetic platters. Recovery software can retrieve this data in minutes. Even a factory reset doesn't guarantee data removal.
This means old office computers, laptops, servers, and backup drives all contain recoverable data unless they're physically destroyed.
How We Destroy Hard Drives
At Cross Cut Shredding, we destroy hard drives by physically drilling holes through the drive platters. This is a direct, effective method that makes data permanently and irreversibly unrecoverable.
The Drilling Process
- • Drive serial number is recorded
- • Multiple holes drilled through the platters
- • Magnetic surfaces physically shattered
- • Data becomes permanently unrecoverable
- • Certificate of destruction issued
- • Destroyed drives sent for recycling
Why Drilling Works
- • Physically damages the storage platters
- • Shatters the magnetic coating that holds data
- • Makes read heads unable to access any surface
- • No software or hardware can recover data
- • Quick, definitive, and verifiable
- • Meets GDPR physical destruction requirements
Drilling vs Other Methods
There are several methods for disposing of data on hard drives. Here's how they compare:
Physical Drilling
Holes drilled through platters, destroying the magnetic surface permanently.
Our method — 100% effective, verifiable, cost-effective.
Data Wiping Software
Overwrites data multiple times using software tools.
Time-consuming, may not work on damaged drives, harder to verify.
Degaussing
Uses strong magnetic fields to scramble data on the platters.
Expensive equipment, doesn't work on SSDs, harder to verify.
What We Can Destroy
Our destruction service covers all types of data storage media:
Hard Drives & Storage
- • Desktop computer hard drives (HDD)
- • Laptop hard drives
- • Server hard drives
- • External hard drives
- • Network attached storage (NAS) drives
Other Media
- • Solid state drives (SSDs)
- • USB flash drives
- • CDs and DVDs
- • Backup tapes
- • Memory cards
GDPR and Digital Data Destruction
GDPR applies to digital data just as much as paper records. If your old hard drives contain personal data — customer records, employee information, financial details — you are legally required to dispose of them securely. Simply throwing a hard drive in a skip is a data breach waiting to happen.
- Physical destruction is the ICO's recommended method for end-of-life hard drives
- Certificate of destruction provides your audit trail
- Serial numbers recorded for complete traceability
- Destroyed materials sent for responsible recycling
Check If We Collect In Your Area
Enter your postcode to see our services available near you
Covering Somerset, Dorset and into Devon & Wiltshire
Areas We Cover
We provide hard drive destruction services across the South West. Hard drives can be collected from your premises or dropped off at our Yeovil facility:
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I just delete files from a hard drive?
Deleting files only removes the reference to the data — the actual data remains on the drive and can be recovered with freely available software. Even formatting doesn't fully erase data. Physical destruction is the only guarantee.
How do you destroy hard drives?
We physically drill holes through the drive platters. This damages the magnetic surfaces where data is stored beyond any possibility of recovery. Each drive is drilled in multiple locations.
Do you provide a certificate of destruction?
Yes. Every hard drive we destroy comes with a certificate recording the serial number, date of destruction, and method used. This provides the audit trail needed for GDPR compliance.
Can you collect hard drives from our office?
Yes — we offer collection services across the South West. We can also accept drives at our Yeovil facility if you prefer to drop them off.
Need Hard Drives Destroyed Securely?
Don't risk a data breach from old hard drives. We'll physically destroy them by drilling and provide a full certificate of destruction.