I have a 12" MacBook 2015 that died a few months ago. It still has my info on the SSD. I'm not sure what to do with it, as I want to make sure that my info isn't readable by anyone else, but I can't power it on to erase it. I am not looking to keep or refurbish this machine (apple quoted $450 to fix it), just looking for the best way to protect my personal data when I get rid of it.
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How to dispose of dead MacBook with personal info on SSD
- Thread starter mk313
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I guess the easiest way is remove the logic board and break it into pieces, since everything is soldered to the logic board. Here is how to remove it:
If you had FileVault turned on and a decent password, you're OK.
Otherwise, as mentioned pull logic board. Can just punch holes into the SSD chips, lower left and right on the two images here.
Otherwise, as mentioned pull logic board. Can just punch holes into the SSD chips, lower left and right on the two images here.
I would remove the SSD or otherwise take a hammer to it directly and completely.
If it has a reasonable password and the data on the SSD is encrypted with FileVault then unless someone could repair it and guess the password, no one can get anything from the SSD chips. If you didn't have FileVault enabled then since as far as I can tell the 2015 MacBook doesn't have a T1/T2 chip your data might be recoverable.
Glad I saw this! My question is not about Mac, but I have the same problem with my pre-Mac book Air Hewlett Packard windows machine. Bought my Mac in 2016 (I think) and promptly forgot all I ever knew about Windows. Now I have an HP sitting around with personal data on it. It does run with power plugged in, but the battery is bad and I have no intention of changing it. Was going to take it to a shop to have someone erase the hard drive but Covid has intervened. Other than a sledge hammer, what is a good way to clear it? (A sledge hammer is not out of the question.)
I've been told the best way is to wipe the drive several times and then overwrite with new replacement data and then wipe several times again.
The sledge hammer comes with piece of mind ... usually well worth the current value of the device.
I recommend using an electric drill instead of a sledge hammer. There's usually less debris flying around, and it's a common tool, so many people already have one. I would avoid breathing any of the dust, so do the drilling outdoors and wearing a mask.
On a platter drive, make sure to drill several holes entirely through all platters.
On an SSD, drill a hole through every chip of significant size. Use a 1/4" bit, and aim for the middle of the chip.
On a platter drive, make sure to drill several holes entirely through all platters.
On an SSD, drill a hole through every chip of significant size. Use a 1/4" bit, and aim for the middle of the chip.
Don't go over the line to destroy a disk. It's highly unlikely someone will attempt to recover data from a broken disk found in a random bin.
There's already plenty of data easily recoverable from perfectly working medias.... the stories I could tell you about disks, computers, and memory cards I got from second hand markets...
There's already plenty of data easily recoverable from perfectly working medias.... the stories I could tell you about disks, computers, and memory cards I got from second hand markets...
The actual platters in an HD are more like glass than metal - they're easily shattered. A 3-1/4" drive can be opened up with an ordinary screwdriver, and the platters busted with almost no effort. (Take the precautions you'd take if breaking up, say, a glass mirror.) If you take the drill route, there's no need to drill through them more than once - they'll be in pieces after the first pass.
If you erase an SSD, there's no recovering the data, so that's the obvious approach if you can mount it on the desktop. If that's not an option, opening it up and busting each chip is one approach. Or toast it in the coals next time you fire up the BBQ grill.
If you erase an SSD, there's no recovering the data, so that's the obvious approach if you can mount it on the desktop. If that's not an option, opening it up and busting each chip is one approach. Or toast it in the coals next time you fire up the BBQ grill.
I have used this method. I disassemble the drive and drill holes in the platter. In some earlier drives I could shred the platter.
I'm not opposed to FileVault & will likely use it on my next computer, but from everything I read, it creates quite a slowdown on machines without the T2 chip. Since the MacBooks don't have it, I opted not to use it.
It is probably a case of YMMV. I am using FileVault on my Late 2008 unibody MacBook with 5400rpm HDD and don’t feel any slowdown.
The HDD is so slow that even that old of a CPU will not have too much problems with keeping up.
I'd say "quite a slowdown" is a bit of an exaggeration. I've had it enabled for a long time on many machines without the T2 and it never was a problem. And as long as it's still "fast enough", well, I value my data and wouldn't want anybody to easily get at it in case my MBP got lost or stolen. That's way more important than a slight slowdown in disk access. I also buy my computers with enough RAM to not constantly page or swap or similar.
Good to hear that maybe it's not as bad as reported. Agreed on the Ram. I maxed out the ram on my 2015 MacBook, but it was still only 8 GB, which was fine for my needs.
What did you end up doing? I was going to say hammer with a thin nail the NAND chips.
Not something you would notice in daily usage. And if it that speed difference was relevant to your use case, you wouldn't be using that computer anyway
Nothing yet. It's still sitting in my closet. I had someone interested in the casing, but they live too far away to make it work (they offered to remove the SSD & send it back) . I'll still destroy it at some point, but it fell down the priority list with other household tasks.
If it's a laptop I'd just spill some coffee on the keyboard. That usually messes them up so bad that Apple will try to charge you ridiculous amounts of money to repair it.