remove identity

[MS News]

I've seen this before but can't seem to relocate how to remove one's
identity from a computer, other than going into the registry and searching
for 'name' and renaming all that it finds, and/or reinstalling windows.

I am donating my computer to a local library and want to clean any traces
of 'me'

thank you

 

[Gordon]

I've seen this before but can't seem to relocate how to remove one's
identity from a computer, other than going into the registry and searching
for 'name' and renaming all that it finds, and/or reinstalling windows.

I am donating my computer to a local library and want to clean any traces
of 'me'

thank you

then just format the HDD.

 

[John John]

A simple format or partition delete/rebuild is insufficient. Use
something like this:

Darik's Boot and Nuke
http://dban.sourceforge.net/

John

 

[John John]

then just format the HDD.

In most cases that is sufficient as not many people would bother trying
to recover files on a formatted drive. However, if you are donating the
computer to a public body you have no way of knowing who will be using
the pc and what they might have in mind. A simple file recovery utility
run from a diskette or cd-rom can very easily recover files from a
formatted disk. You can try the demo for this and see for yourself:
http://www.dtidata.com/recover_it_all.htm

John

 

[Gordon]

In most cases that is sufficient as not many people would bother trying
to recover files on a formatted drive. However, if you are donating the
computer to a public body you have no way of knowing who will be using
the pc and what they might have in mind.

I think the OP is pretty safe with a PUBLIC LIBRARY......

 

[Gordon]

A simple format or partition delete/rebuild is insufficient.

Cobblers. I'm sorry, I don't think anyone in a PUBLIC LIBRARY, where the
machine will be locked down, is going to be able to introduce software
to recover data from a formatted HDD.....

 

[MS News]

thanks for all the suggestions, sounds a bit overhwelming for a novice like
myself. I was hoping for a more simpler fix. But I think I will just
reformat the drive and reinstall windows, that should suffice.
thanks again

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I've seen this before but can't seem to relocate how to remove one's
identity from a computer, other than going into the registry and
searching for 'name' and renaming all that it finds, and/or
reinstalling windows.
I am donating my computer to a local library and want to clean any
traces of 'me'

There is no simple answer. It depends on how paranoid you want to be.
Realize that no matter *what* you do, there is always a remnant of what was
written still present on the disk, and using sophisticated techniques, a
determined invader can sometimes recover it.For that reason, the US
government doesn't rely on any software techniques to destroy really
sensitive data, but physically melts the drive in a furnace.

Most of us don't need that kind of security. Depending on what is on the
drive, and recognizing that most people will neither know how, nor want to
bother trying, to recover any old data on the drive, a simple format is
sufficient for most people. And for the enormous majority of people a
zero-fill utility is more than sufficient. If it were me, I wouldn't go any
further than that.

 

[MS News]

i agree, thank you again

There is no simple answer. It depends on how paranoid you want to be.
Realize that no matter *what* you do, there is always a remnant of what
was written still present on the disk, and using sophisticated techniques,
a determined invader can sometimes recover it.For that reason, the US
government doesn't rely on any software techniques to destroy really
sensitive data, but physically melts the drive in a furnace.

Most of us don't need that kind of security. Depending on what is on the
drive, and recognizing that most people will neither know how, nor want to
bother trying, to recover any old data on the drive, a simple format is
sufficient for most people. And for the enormous majority of people a
zero-fill utility is more than sufficient. If it were me, I wouldn't go
any further than that.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

i agree, thank you again

You're welcome. Glad to help.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I've seen this before but can't seem to relocate how to remove one's
identity from a computer, other than going into the registry and searching
for 'name' and renaming all that it finds, and/or reinstalling windows.

I am donating my computer to a local library and want to clean any traces
of 'me'

thank you

To protect your personal information and data from any future users
of average skills, you should, at the very least, format the hard drive
and reinstall only the OS and those applications whose licenses are to
be included in the sale/transfer. If you wishes to do a more thorough
job of protecting your personal data, WipeDrive 2.2.1
(http://www.accessdata.com/Product07_Overview.htm?ProductNum=07) meets
U.S. DoD standards for securely cleaning surplus unclassified hard
drives, and could be used before formatting and reinstalling the OS and
applications.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I think the OP is pretty safe with a PUBLIC LIBRARY......

Where anyone can walk in and access the computer? How does that
translate to 'safe?'


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Gordon]

Where anyone can walk in and access the computer? How does that
translate to 'safe?'

In that they are usually locked down to the nth degree, nobody other
than the library would know to whom the computer belonged originally,
and anyone trying to install any sort of data recovery software wouldn't
be able to. In my public library, users can ONLY surf the internet,
write documents and read web-based email. That's ALL they have
permissions to do.

 

[John John]

In that they are usually locked down to the nth degree, nobody other
than the library would know to whom the computer belonged originally,
and anyone trying to install any sort of data recovery software wouldn't
be able to. In my public library, users can ONLY surf the internet,
write documents and read web-based email. That's ALL they have
permissions to do.

You are making assumptions that may not necessarily be true to all
libraries. The security will only be as good as what the knowledge of
the person who configured it is. The security at the New York city
library might be a bit different than the security at the Smalltown
library that is mostly run by volunteers. It's your personal data so
you can do as you please, personally I would NEVER release my hard drive
to others without at least running a simple free wipe utility. Darik's
nuke disk is free,effective and it takes about 5 minutes to download
and create the disk. Then you boot the pc with it and tell it to "nuke"
the disk. If that is too complicated for users and if they wish to not
wipe the disk then I have no objection to that either, it's their
business not mine. That being said, I do agree that for most part a
simple format is sufficient, but to be really safe you have to wipe the
drive.

John

 

[Edwin vMierlo]

I fully agree with John John !

at least use one of the free utils to wipe your disk prior to donating your
pc.
Format is sufficient in most cases, but a freeware wipe utility will do the
job for you with miminum extra effort

(actually also wipe prior to disposing as well, hd's are being stolen from
rubbish dumps! and data from those hd's is used for identity theft/fraud !)


.... my 2 ruble ...

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In that they are usually locked down to the nth degree, nobody other
than the library would know to whom the computer belonged originally,
and anyone trying to install any sort of data recovery software
wouldn't be able to. In my public library, users can ONLY surf the
internet, write documents and read web-based email. That's ALL they
have permissions to do.

I'm not one who usually worries much about others finding my "secret" data
on a computer I give or throw away, but in the interests of accuracy, let me
point out three things:

1. Not all libraries do what your library does.

2. Some libraries may attempt to do what your library does, but the skills
of the library technicians may not be up to the task, and loopholes may
remain.

3. The technicians who do the locking down may be the very people who want
to steal your "secret" data.

If I donated a computer. even to a library, I would want to first take at
least some steps to remove any confidential data. Even I, who don't worry a
lot about it, at the very least would format the drive before giving to a
library or anybody else.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

In that they are usually locked down to the nth degree, nobody other
than the library would know to whom the computer belonged originally,
and anyone trying to install any sort of data recovery software wouldn't
be able to. In my public library, users can ONLY surf the internet,
write documents and read web-based email. That's ALL they have
permissions to do.

They can't press the power button?

Without physical security, there is *NO* security. Any semi-skilled
script kiddie to walk up to one of those "locked down" computers, reboot
it using a Linux CD, and have full access to the entire contents of the
hard drive.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell