Cleaning Hard Drive To Dispose Of Box

[Kazal]

I read on here a while back of how to clear the hard drive in order to dispose of box etc. I can remember it said to unscrew the cover on the box but nothing else and I can't find it now. I need to dispose of my old desktop.

[hc4361]

If you are sending it to the tip, open the box with a screwdriver and remove the hard drive. Make sure the computer is unplugged from the mains first!

Take the hard drive in to the garden and beat to death with a hammer.

What is the make/model of your pc?

[Togo]

Kazal the on two occasions that I have had a hard drive to dispose of, I have removed it and smashed it to bits with a big hammer.

[Togo]

Haha snap hc.

[Buenchico]

The most popular software route to wiping a hard drive is to use DBAN:
http://www.dban.org/
Instructions here:
http://tiptopsecurity.com/how-to-securely-wipe-your-hard-drive-with-dban-erase-your-data-for-good/

However, as other have suggested, purely physical means will suffice. Getting inside the case of a desktop computer is usually dead easy (unless it's a Dell, which can be a bit trickier). The hard drive can be removed simply by undoing a couple of screws, pulling off the connecting cable and sliding it out (or you can simply attack it 'in situ'). Rather than using a sledge hammer, my own preferred method is simply to prize the hard drive casing open with a screwdriver and squeeze an entire tube of superglue (8 for a tenner, from Poundland) into it.