How to completely wipe out the data on a CD or DVD
From ArticleWorld
If your CDs hold personal information which you want to destroy completely, chances are you may not be happy to simply throw the disk away. Even when scratched quite badly, modern CDs can still be read, at least partially. Here are a few ways to destroy a CD or DVD completely:
- Take a towel and wrap the CD or DVD in it. Using a heavy hammer or a powerful kick, crack it. It is important to use the towel, because the CD shatters into a lot of sharp pieces that may hurt you. You can throw the pieces away.
- Place the CD into a microwave oven for a few seconds. Leave it there until you see a few sparks along the disk's surface. This may be dangerous though, and you should do it only if you do not need the microwave oven for anything else.
- Many discs have the data layer protected with a supplemental plastic layers. Some do not have this extra layer, and simply scrapping it with a table knife may be enough.
[edit]
Notes
The vapors resulting when baking the CDs in the microwave ovens are dangerous for your health. You should not bake a CD in a microwave oven which you use to cook food, as vapors may remain trapped inside or cling to the walls of the oven. If you really do not need the microwave oven, you can risk leaving the CD in until it literally melts or explodes.