Best way to "clean up" new PC (remove any unwanted images etc)

[Jimmy]

Hi. Have just bought a second-hand PC from someone I
don't know. As you hear so many horror stories about
illegal pornographic images being found on computers when
they are repaired etc, I was wondering if there is any
way of "clearing" any such images that may inadvertently
be on my new machine. If I were to run the system restore
program to restore the PC to its factory settings would
this remove any images that might be lurking somewhere?

Also, if images have been viewed via websites but not
downloaded, are these stored anywhere on the machine and,
if so, would the above restore remove them.

Any advice and assistance would be much appreciated as
I'm not very technical and want to protect myself and my
family. Cheers!

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Jimmy;
It can be nearly impossible to clear all unwanted images without
knowing the name and/or locations.
You are better off using the computer restore disk and following the
directions closely.
Sometimes there are options to save data, you want to destroy all
data.
This will ensure not only those images are gone but also any possible
virus, worm etc is also completely destroyed.
Since the computer is new to you, you have nothing to lose by doing
this now.

If Windows XP is retail, follow this for a Clean Installation:
Clean Installation
Disconnect all peripherals (camera, printer, scanner, etc)
Disconnect network/modem cable.
Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
Insert Windows XP CD and reboot.
At "Press any key to boot to CDROM" quickly press a key and follow the
prompts for a Clean installation:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp
If you are installing using Windows XP Upgrade, insert qualifying
media in Step 4b.
Delete all partitions in step 5 if you desire to erase all data on the
hard drive.
Partitioning and formatting will be done automatically.
All data will be destroyed, back-up important data first.

Enable or install firewall BEFORE connecting network cable.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=283673

Install ALL Critical Windows Updates:
Start/All Programs/Windows Update

After you are finished, you will need to load the appropriate drivers.

If your computer was shipped with Windows XP, these procedures may or
may not apply.
Check your manual or contact the computer manufacturer for more
details.

 

[Jimmy]

Many thanks for the advice!

-----Original Message-----
Jimmy;
It can be nearly impossible to clear all unwanted images without
knowing the name and/or locations.
You are better off using the computer restore disk and following the
directions closely.
Sometimes there are options to save data, you want to destroy all
data.
This will ensure not only those images are gone but also any possible
virus, worm etc is also completely destroyed.
Since the computer is new to you, you have nothing to lose by doing
this now.

If Windows XP is retail, follow this for a Clean Installation:
Clean Installation
Disconnect all peripherals (camera, printer, scanner, etc)
Disconnect network/modem cable.
Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
Insert Windows XP CD and reboot.
At "Press any key to boot to CDROM" quickly press a key and follow the
prompts for a Clean installation:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.a sp
If you are installing using Windows XP Upgrade, insert qualifying
media in Step 4b.
Delete all partitions in step 5 if you desire to erase all data on the
hard drive.
Partitioning and formatting will be done automatically.
All data will be destroyed, back-up important data first.

Enable or install firewall BEFORE connecting network cable.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=283673

Install ALL Critical Windows Updates:
Start/All Programs/Windows Update

After you are finished, you will need to load the appropriate drivers.

If your computer was shipped with Windows XP, these procedures may or
may not apply.
Check your manual or contact the computer manufacturer for more
details.

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
An easier way to read newsgroup messages:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/newsgroups/s etup.asp
http://dts-l.org/index.html





.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

Hi. Have just bought a second-hand PC from someone I
don't know. As you hear so many horror stories about
illegal pornographic images being found on computers when
they are repaired etc, I was wondering if there is any
way of "clearing" any such images that may inadvertently
be on my new machine. If I were to run the system restore
program to restore the PC to its factory settings would
this remove any images that might be lurking somewhere?

Also, if images have been viewed via websites but not
downloaded, are these stored anywhere on the machine and,
if so, would the above restore remove them.

Any advice and assistance would be much appreciated as
I'm not very technical and want to protect myself and my
family. Cheers!

Do a search at Google.com on "wipe erase shred software
utility" and you will get loads of names of software that will
wipe a hard drive clean of residual data. What is left would
require a "national means of recovery" to glean hints of past
data. Read the user manual, though, as some OSes (e.g.
WinME/WinXP) keep system restore files that can be
untouched by wiping software, and some wipe utilities don't
remove file names, just the data within them.

Here is a handy PCWorld article about erasure software:
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,110338,00.asp .


*TimDaniels*