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mzeno
Joined: 12 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 6:33 pm Post subject: erasing data |
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How do you erase all personal data when selling a computer?
Is it a pretty simple procedure?
Or should I take it to a shop?
This is for an LG Desktop. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 6:50 pm Post subject: Re: erasing data |
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| mzeno wrote: |
How do you erase all personal data when selling a computer?
Is it a pretty simple procedure?
Or should I take it to a shop?
This is for an LG Desktop. |
Quickest way is a hard format (full format not quick format) then re-install windows.
Next would be to repartition the drive, format and re-install windows.
These are NOT however 100% effective and a trained person ( the tech section of your favorite police service or commercial data recovery center) can usually recover some or most of the data with some time and effort (even from a re-partitioned drive).
Next more complete would be a format, re-install windows and then overwrite the drive (copy multiple images of your favorite DVDs to it until it is full). Then simply erase the data. In recovery all they will find are the copies of the DVD.
You can buy software that will do essentially the same thing.
Next would be an induction coil to erase the drive (but may damage some of the electronics on the drive) 100% effective in erasure. 25% risk to the HDD itself.
Easiest solution (fastest - 10 minutes) would be to replace the drive and destroy the old one. (depending on drive size would be about 50-100k won).
Can a novice to it = yes.
Does it take some time = yes.
Will it cost = YES. You will pay with time (formatting and and re-installing windows), buying software to scrub the drive or replacing the drive.
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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The engineers at the computer sales and service company I used to work for would just go outside to the back yard with a big hammer and smash HDD's with sensitive data to bits.
They claimed it was the only sure way. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
The engineers at the computer sales and service company I used to work for would just go outside to the back yard with a big hammer and smash HDD's with sensitive data to bits.
They claimed it was the only sure way. |
The only 100% sure way is to burn it (warp the platters) after you let it sit on a VERY LARGE magnet (more than 5000 gauss) for a period of time.
just using a hammer will still leave the data on the platters.
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cmster
Joined: 03 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Why don't you just take out your hard drive and sell the computer as is or with a new hard drive? You can then plug your hard drive into your computer at home or turn it into an external and use it to store stuff. |
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languistic
Joined: 25 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 12:51 am Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
| eamo wrote: |
The engineers at the computer sales and service company I used to work for would just go outside to the back yard with a big hammer and smash HDD's with sensitive data to bits.
They claimed it was the only sure way. |
The only 100% sure way is to burn it (warp the platters) after you let it sit on a VERY LARGE magnet (more than 5000 gauss) for a period of time.
just using a hammer will still leave the data on the platters.
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Right...just like a blown out tire leaves bits of rubber all over the highway, but good luck putting it all back together into a working state.
Perhaps you missed "to bits". I don't think he was just being punny. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:55 am Post subject: |
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I found dropping laptops worked. The one I had two years ago feel twice, my foot got stuck in the cord, I couldn't even turn it on, took it to a couple guys, they couldn't fix it. Lost my tax records as well. Of course, I backed everything up, put it on my husband's laptop, but he neglected to tell me that he had reformatted. I lost everything. Kowing my luck, the IRS will audit me  |
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mzeno
Joined: 12 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:59 am Post subject: helpful |
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Wow!
Lots of great advice here.
Thanks everybody! |
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Xylox
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 5:47 am Post subject: |
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When you delete stuff, its not really deleted. Instead, the sector of the drive is just marked for new data. Follow these easy steps to a clear political career:
1. Format to destroy home made secratary porn.
2. Fill hard drive to 100% with charity events, and letters written to sick kids telling them to get better.
3. Format hard drive.
4. Sell computer.
Anyone who recovers your data will think you are the nicest person in history. |
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Giant
Joined: 14 May 2003
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 1:32 am Post subject: |
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Guys, you are all correct, but... the best way to is to 'wipe' the data from the drive. Google DBAN and then burn the .ISO to a CD. Its an opensource app that will write random 0 and 1's to the drive that will destroy any data on the drive.
You can choose the method of wipeing, from basic writing 0 over the whole drive or some other more complex ways.
http://www.dban.org/ |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 2:33 am Post subject: |
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| Giant wrote: |
Guys, you are all correct, but... the best way to is to 'wipe' the data from the drive. Google DBAN and then burn the .ISO to a CD. Its an opensource app that will write random 0 and 1's to the drive that will destroy any data on the drive.
You can choose the method of wipeing, from basic writing 0 over the whole drive or some other more complex ways.
http://www.dban.org/ |
Ya, but not as much fun as huge degaussing coils, fires from Hades, huge hammers and charity events.
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Giant
Joined: 14 May 2003
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 2:50 am Post subject: |
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LOL!! For sure....  |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 3:39 am Post subject: Re: erasing data |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
These are NOT however 100% effective and a trained person ( the tech section of your favorite police service or commercial data recovery center) can usually recover some or most of the data with some time and effort (even from a re-partitioned drive).
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I realize the only way to be 100% sure data is erased is to take some of the extreme measures listed above(including baseball bat).
But what if the data is only semi-private and the buyer is just an average untrained person? Shouldn't the average browser history clearing and data scrubbing programs suffice?
Please say yes or I may have some explaining to do! |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 4:53 am Post subject: Re: erasing data |
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| Sector7G wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
These are NOT however 100% effective and a trained person ( the tech section of your favorite police service or commercial data recovery center) can usually recover some or most of the data with some time and effort (even from a re-partitioned drive).
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I realize the only way to be 100% sure data is erased is to take some of the extreme measures listed above(including baseball bat).
But what if the data is only semi-private and the buyer is just an average untrained person? Shouldn't the average browser history clearing and data scrubbing programs suffice?
Please say yes or I may have some explaining to do! |
In that case, NO.
Best bet would be to simply re-partition the drive, reformat and re-install the O/S.
It starts like new, behaves like new and it would take some training to recover anything from the drive. (nothing gets left behind in the registry either).
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crossmr
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 7:42 am Post subject: |
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The military writes over the drive in 1s and 0s repeatedly. 7 times is the standard for them I believe.
At that point it's more or less impossible to pull anything off the drive
you can actually get applications that will do it for you if you really want. |
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