Hard drives

AlZimmerman

I was wondering if I could ask you a question about computer recyclers.? I am starting a data recovery business and im need of hard drives for donors.Do you have any sources for hard drives that you would share? Thanks Al

John

Hi Al! Thanks for posting!

The problem with recyclers in this case is that they are generally responsible for wiping drives and insuring that data cannot be recovered. So they will sell you good drives that have been properly wiped, but not damaged drives that potentially have fragments of data on them. In most cases they are going to be required to scrap/destroy those drives.

I would suggest checking out eBay, where lots of people sell quantities of dead and problematic drives that might be good for practice in your situation. People on eBay are less likely to be bound by restrictions. Search for something like "500GB 2.5" SATA hard drive lot", and you'll find tons of people selling piles of problematic drives. And they're generally pretty cheap too -- you might pay $100 for 30 various drives.

Thanks, and good luck!

John