How do I wipe the hd on an old iMac that is pretty well bricked? I have an old iMac that I got probably sometime in 2000. It's the kind that has a big old CRT monitor built into it, so I dare not take it apart myself. I haven't used it in a very long time, but it has been taking up valuable space for a while. I don't think there is anything sensitive on the hard drive, but I want to wipe it to be sure. After plugging it in again I've discovered that the level of difficulty is as follows:


A long time ago, around 2004 I think, I tried to install ubuntu on it. This was a failure, but I can't remember why. The practical effect of this is that the old OS will not boot when powered on.
There is no firewire port.
I burned to cd a program that would wipe the HD on boot up, but the cd drive will not accept any disk. It is unknown if there is already a disk in there. I've tried several methods of removing a stuck disk and while they produced a lot of mechanical noises from the drive, no disk was ejected. Probing with a paperclip gives the impression there is something blocking the slot on the inside.
When I power it on now the screen flickers continuously in a way that makes me nervous. 


Has anyone had a similar experience, or know of another way to get at the HD?

Or is this a Kobayashi Maru scenario?
I would suggest, that assuming you can physically--and safely(!), taking note of the comment about voltages and CRTs--removing the hard drive and taking it apart. Most times you can get the actual platters/discs out without too much trouble and carefully smash them. Most are, I think, a metal coating on glass of some sort, so watch splinters wear eye protection, etc. This can be easier than smashing the metal case of the hard drive which might not actually destroy the platter(s).