Magnets and Hard Drives

 I don't know why I get these Quora questions and answers. Usually I just delete the email with them but sometimes one catches my eye. I think this one is useful and is not what I thought. 

Dhirgham Murran

Works at Artists and Creative Professions4y

I’ve heard that a magnet can seriously damage an SD and hard drive. Is this true?

Originally Answered: I’ve heard that a magnet can seriously damage an SD and hard drive is this true?

Once, the myth busters on the Discovery Channel dealt with this issue. They tried all kinds of the strong magnets, but none spoiled the hard drive in a laptop. But, when they exposed it to a commercial high powered magnet which is capable of lifting a car, the hard drive was entirely damaged. So the answer: it is unlikely to be damaged by any available magnet except the one used in shipyard to lift cars.

Which led me to wonder about

Is the magnet scene in Breaking Bad possible?

Final verdict. While destroying a hard drive using magnets is highly plausible, 'The Magnet Scene' from Breaking Bad appears unfeasible. The same scene was also investigated by MythBusters in the final episode of their spin-off series MythBusters Jr.