The University of Texas at Austin

Hard Drive Destruction

Overview

Old, used university computer hard drives may contain sensitive Category-I data and need to be destroyed correctly. It's not enough to discard this media by simply deleting or erasing it. The most effective way to ensure the complete removal of data on an old hard drive is to physically destroy it. The disk destruction service provides demolition of these materials by certified vendors and the safe removal of the debris. Safe removal is an important step as the resulting particles from smashed equipment can be hazardous or toxic. Drop off hard drives and other electronic media owned by UT for destruction at the Information Desk located in the first floor lobby of the Flawn Academic Center (FAC).

Hours and Location

Hours:

1-5 pm Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Thursdays.

Location:

Information Desk, Flawn Academic Center (FAC) Lobby.

Temporary Summer Location Change:
Due to a lobby construction project starting May 21, 2012 the ID Center, the Information Desk, and Laptop Check out will be temporarily located inside the Student Micro-Computing Facility (SMF) on the Second Floor of the Flawn Academic Center (FAC) Room 212.

Features

  • Centrally located on campus drop off location.
  • Local, third-party vendor handles secure physical destruction.
  • Vendor's "zero waste" policy means that 100% of destroyed media is recycled.
  • Toxic substances are handled safely according to EPA regulations and are re-used.
Green Leaf Denotes a Green IT feature. Learn more about Green IT.

Cost

Hard drive destruction is available at no cost to UT faculty and staff members for UT-owned equipment.

We Can Help

Get help from an expert at the ITS Help Desk!

* Call us at 512-475-9400

* Live chat is not available at this time

* Email your help request

* Submit a service request online

We also have a walk-in service in the first floor lobby of the Flawn Academic Center (FAC). Stop by and let us help you!