The following recipe is to acquire the latest in geek technology; the Hard Disk Shaving Mirror. We are going to take that staple of the average geek's working day - the failed hard disk - and turn it into a shaving mirror that your wife will have difficulty breaking, and that's very handy.

Required:

1/2 hour spare time

Assortment of small screw drivers: Torx 6,7,8,9,10. Philips 1, Slotted.

Old failed hard disk.

NOTE: A hard disk (HDD hereafter) that has failed contains sensitive data occasionally. Once this process is complete that data is GONE. In some cases you can take the printed circuit board off a failed drive, and replace it with a PCB from the same model drive, in order to get it started and lift the data off it. This is a long shot, as many disk manufacturers have multiple revisions of the same model, and the revised PCB is different internally. Data can be retrieved by specialist data recovery firms that have clean labs, and the equipment required to remove the platters safely, then read them.





Put the HDD on a flat surface, and examine it for the screws holding the (usually aluminium) cover onto the main body. There is usually one or two screws hidden under the drive label, with "Warranty Void" warnings.



Remove the screws (usually Torx 8 or so, the Torx driver is shaped like a sunburst), and remove the cover.





Remove the internal screws holding down the actuator arm. slide the actuator arm out, and dismantle if you like. It has some very strong magnets in it's assembly.



Remove the screws holding the machined ring on top of the reflective disk platter. These are usually Torx, sometimes as fine as 6. Take the ring and the platter off.



It is the platter that you want; with it's beautifully reflective surface, and strength, and thumb-hole in the middle; it makes an awesome shaving mirror.