Over the years I've accumulated various dead Mac Minis that either won't get past the initial boot screen or won't power on at all. I can't just ditch them because they contain a mix of business and personal data, but I can't wipe the data either because I can't access it. Assuming I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars enlisting professional aid from a data extraction service, what can/should I do with these things other than continuing to store them in my home until the end of time?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What do I do with my Mac "graveyard?"
- Thread starter GanChan
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You can open them up, pull out the drives and wipe them with another computer.
They're quite easy to get into and iFixit or OWC sells an inexpensive kit with all the things you need.
Or, use Target Disk Mode to get the data off with another computer:
Transfer files between two Mac computers using target disk mode
You can connect two Mac computers using a USB, USB-C, or Thunderbolt cable, then transfer files.
support.apple.com
I used to wipe the drive, yank it out of the machine, pull the drive apart and make clocks out of the discs.... Have not made clocks in a while, but still have disc platters lying around....... clocks and pen holders... forgot about the pen holders for a minute.....
I currently have about 40 of these darn things laying around. I never thought about making clocks out of them, but that's a neat idea.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Asking an Apple FAN crowd? Gather them together. Build a cathedral around them. Hold weekly worship sessions. 
Else, posts #4 & #5 seem to be best option. If the drives are actually in good shape, an enclosure could help you get any data off of them, wipe them and then use them as spare storage/scratch/etc. There are bare disc dock devices in which you can insert them as bare drives to wipe or use. There's also plastic cases that can be purchased for storing bare drives.
Else, posts #4 & #5 seem to be best option. If the drives are actually in good shape, an enclosure could help you get any data off of them, wipe them and then use them as spare storage/scratch/etc. There are bare disc dock devices in which you can insert them as bare drives to wipe or use. There's also plastic cases that can be purchased for storing bare drives.