THIS MONTH THE DOCTOR TACKLES...

> Smashing Laptop

> Boot Screen Repe

> Make a Leap to SSD

Secure Dead Laptop My Lenovo Yoga laptop died last year and is still sitting in a drawer at home. I’d like to recycle it, but it contains lots of personal data that I can’t delete because I can’t boot it up. I thought of removing its internal storage but that’s easier said than done because the unit is glued together. I’ve seen YouTube videos in which people use a heat gun to soften the glue so they can prise the back off. Is that really what you have to do these days to disable a redundant device? Or would you advise using a hammer?

— Roger Hughes

THE DOCTOR RESPONDS: Taking a hammer to your Yoga might be tempting, but we wouldn’t recommend it. The lithium-ion batteries in modern mobile devices are energy dense and, if pierced, can explode into flames and produce toxic fumes.

Your question highlights a real concern, however, and there’s no single solution. In your case, the best option is the one you suggested: open the device and remove the hard drive or SSD. You didn’t say which model of Yoga you have, but iFixit hosts hundreds of illustrated guides that explain how to take apart various devices. The Yoga section is at (tinyurl.com/3rrrehyk).

When you get to the drive, you could remove it and smash it. But as it probably still works, a better option is to connect it to a PC using a cable. If it’s a SATA drive, for example, you need a SATAto-USB cable for around $10 (tinyurl.com/5dfxsh58).