Cleaning a computer before discarding

[connie]

I have several old computers that I want to donate to a
local school. What is the best way to make sure I have
deleted all files from them? What if the computer won't
boot up? Is there still a way to erase the information?
Not all have XP - only one. Others have win 98 or Win 95.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I have several old computers that I want to donate to a
local school. What is the best way to make sure I have
deleted all files from them?

It depends on how paranoid you are. There is software you can
download which will overwrite the data multiple times. However
very sophisticated recovery techniques can sometimes recover it
even after that. The US government melts hard drives containing
sensitive information in a furnace.

Most of us who aren't international spies don't have data that
sensitive and don't need to be that concerned. A program like the
one I described above is probably more than sufficient for almost
everyone. Even just formatting the drive should be sufficient for
most people.

What if the computer won't
boot up? Is there still a way to erase the information?

Not unless you put the drive in a computer that will boot .

 

[Hy]

As Ken state, format the drive is good enough.
Unless you have some informations such as credit cards, etc. take out the
hard drive or don't donate the hard drive.

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

In


It depends on how paranoid you are. There is software you can
download which will overwrite the data multiple times. However
very sophisticated recovery techniques can sometimes recover it
even after that. The US government melts hard drives containing
sensitive information in a furnace.

We just drilled holes through the platters, or crushed them. 8>.

Most of us who aren't international spies don't have data that
sensitive and don't need to be that concerned. A program like the
one I described above is probably more than sufficient for almost
everyone. Even just formatting the drive should be sufficient for
most people.

Low level format is OK .. high level format in 'quick' mode is rather
easy to undo. But, as you said, it depends on the confidentiality of the
data.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Bitstring <[email protected]>, from the wonderful
person Ken Blake <[email protected]> said

We just drilled holes through the platters, or crushed them. 8>.

Low level format is OK .. high level format in 'quick' mode is rather
easy to undo.

Yes it is. But it requires both that somebody has access to the
drive and wants to do this. This is rarely the case. The risk is
small, but whether it should be taken depends on what you have to
protect.

But, as you said, it depends on the confidentiality of
the data.

Yes. My view is that there's always a risk of someone breaking
into my house and stealing my computer. He would then have access
to everything on my drive. For that reason, there's nothing I
keep there that I consider a serious security risk.

The risk of theft is probably greater than the risk of someone
unformatting the drive if I give away the computer, so I see no
reason to apply extra security to the given-away drive.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

Install Linux that will do it ;-)

Seriously you can usually get by with a simply FDISK and Format but if you
really want to wipe the drive then download a DOS based wiper like Nuke 1.11
http://www.stack.nl/~galactus/remailers/index-wipe.html , copy the
executable to a bootable floppy and run it to overwrite the data rendering
any information that was on the drive extremely difficult to retrieve
without very specialized forensic software.