Easy transfer

[technofobe]

This is probably a very simple question, transferring from xp to vista using
easy transfer, over the years theres been a lot of stuff duplicated and
deleted on my xp machine. I believe all these deleted copies and all the
other deleted stuff stays on the computer, just not visible. Does esay
transfer transfer all this deleted stuff as well,and if so is there anything
special I should do to my xp machine to stop these copying. Don't want to
fill the vista before i've used it with deleted stuff.

 

[solon fox]

This is probably a very simple question, transferring from xp to vista using
easy transfer, over the years theres been a lot of stuff duplicated and
deleted on my xp  machine. I believe all these deleted copies and all the
other deleted stuff stays on the computer, just not visible. Does esay
transfer transfer all this deleted stuff as well,and if so is there anything
special I should do to my xp machine to stop these copying. Don't want to
fill the vista before i've used it with deleted stuff.

Deleted files would not be moved with easy transfer.

-solon fox

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

No. The contents of the recycle bin are not transferred, in fact easy
transfer lets you choose exactly what you want or don't want. I would run
cleanmgr.exe on the XP system first, in any case, just to hold down the
errata. Another good step is to run Error Checking on the XP drive, to
assure good files. (Drive Properties. Tools tab)

 

[Nonny]

This is probably a very simple question, transferring from xp to vista using
easy transfer, over the years theres been a lot of stuff duplicated and
deleted on my xp machine. I believe all these deleted copies and all the
other deleted stuff stays on the computer, just not visible.

You believe wrong.

 

[technofobe]

As a technofobe I always take the easiest route and was just concerned that
all my deleted stuff was going to bre transferred if i followed the easy
transfer recommennded route. Thanks for the information that it won't be.

 

[technofobe]

Sorry to be thick but I was warned about disposing of my old computer even if
I deleted the information as personal information could still be extracted
from it, not easily but possibly, which with problems like identity theft
could be an issue.

 

[Nonny]

Sorry to be thick but I was warned about disposing of my old computer even if
I deleted the information as personal information could still be extracted
from it, not easily but possibly, which with problems like identity theft
could be an issue.

That's different than it keeping "years" of deleted stuff as you
originally said.

 

[solon fox]

Ah, well. that is true. Before you ditch your old computer you should
shred the drive. There are several file shredders out there. I used
DBAN http://dban.sourceforge.net/ to wipe my old XP machine clean. But
there are many different ways to do it.

If you're not up to it, then I recommend finding a friend to help
guide you through it.

-solon fox

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Sorry to be thick but I was warned about disposing of my old computer even if
I deleted the information as personal information could still be extracted
from it, not easily but possibly, which with problems like identity theft
could be an issue.

"Deleting" a file doesn't actually delete it; it just marks the space
as available to be used. There are third-party programs that can
sometimes recover deleted files. The problem is that the space used by
the file is likely to become overwritten very quickly, and this makes
the file unrecoverable.

So your chances of successfully recovering this file are decent if you
try recovering it immediately after deleting it, and rapidly go
downhill from there.

Some people worry about this when disposing of old computers; others
don't. Those who worry about it will often run special software to
overwrite everything on the drive with zeros before disposing of it;
sometimes they even do the rewrites multiple times.

My view is that any such risk is extremely small, and is way
overstated. First, the only deleted files that could readily be
retrieved are those which had been deleted recently. Second, very few
people would have the inclination to, or take the time to, undelete
every deleted file that could be found, then search through them
looking for some confidential data of value. Considering how many
hours of effort it would take to do this, and how seldom it would
yield any result, the return on investment would be tiny.

 

[solon fox]

"Deleting" a file doesn't actually delete it; it just marks the space
as available to be used. There are third-party programs that can
sometimes recover deleted files. The problem is that the space used by
the file is likely to become overwritten very quickly, and this makes
the file unrecoverable.

So your chances of successfully recovering this file are decent if you
try recovering it immediately after deleting it, and rapidly go
downhill from there.

Some people worry about this when disposing of old computers; others
don't. Those who worry about it will often run special software to
overwrite everything on the drive with zeros before disposing of it;
sometimes they even do the rewrites multiple times.

My view is that any such risk is extremely small, and is way
overstated. First, the only deleted files that could readily be
retrieved are those which had been deleted recently. Second, very few
people would have the inclination to, or take the time to, undelete
every deleted file that could be found, then search through them
looking for some confidential data of value. Considering how many
hours of effort it would take to do this, and how seldom it would
yield any result, the return on investment would be tiny.

The risk is small, but it's hard to put a price on peace of mind. As
an experiment, I used a simple recovery tool on a discarded machine
and I was amazed at how easy it was to recover so much data and a lot
of it was personal information including tax returns, socials, bank
statements, etc.

So, the risk is small, but only technofobe can judge the value of what
might be left on the drive if it isn't overwritten several times. The
simplest little recovery tool can often recover partial data from
files that were overwritten three times. I'd be real hesitant to tell
someone it isn't worth it, even though the odds be a million to one
that it should fall into the wrong hands.

And, I say this with the utmost regard for Ken and all the great
advice he gives as well as the terrific contributions of the the other
MVPs. Thanks.

-solon fox

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

On May 31, 1:16 pm, "Ken Blake, MVP"


The risk is small, but it's hard to put a price on peace of mind. As
an experiment, I used a simple recovery tool on a discarded machine
and I was amazed at how easy it was to recover so much data and a lot
of it was personal information including tax returns, socials, bank
statements, etc.

So, the risk is small, but only technofobe can judge the value of what
might be left on the drive if it isn't overwritten several times. The
simplest little recovery tool can often recover partial data from
files that were overwritten three times. I'd be real hesitant to tell
someone it isn't worth it, even though the odds be a million to one
that it should fall into the wrong hands.

I certainly have no objection to anyone doing this. The cost of doing
so, even just in time, is small. My only point is not to be paranoid
about the risk (and some people seem to be); it's very small.

And, I say this with the utmost regard for Ken and all the great
advice he gives as well as the terrific contributions of the the other
MVPs. Thanks.

You're welcome, and thanks very much for the kind words.

 

[Charlie Tame]

When I got rid of my last machine, I removed the HDD and put it in a
plastic bag. I then hit it several times with a sledgehammer.

This achieved two things. First it permanently removed all data, and
secondly I felt that I had paid it back for all the BSODs it had given
me

Actually that is the method I use for drives from company machines. Not
really any choice...

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/

Of course most are pretty old and so they would not be terribly useful
anyway.

 

[Not Me]

I have a blowtorch that works well for making sure a drive is unreadable.
10 seconds of cutting and no one with ANY tools could ever recover the data.

Ah, well. that is true. Before you ditch your old computer you should
shred the drive. There are several file shredders out there. I used
DBAN http://dban.sourceforge.net/ to wipe my old XP machine clean. But
there are many different ways to do it.

If you're not up to it, then I recommend finding a friend to help
guide you through it.

-solon fox

 

[technofobe]

Thanks everyone for the help. To summarise am I correct in thinking that the
files etc which have been deleted and partially or wholly reamain on the xp
machine will not be transferred by easy transfer, and it may pay (though
there is little risk) to deal with the xp hard drive before I get rid of the
machine (like the hammer idea myself!!)