Erasing info on PC

jakem_2

The pics and stuff isnt what I am concerned about its the personal data, like bank details etc.

Dave_C_2

jakem wrote: »

The pics and stuff isnt what I am concerned about its the personal data, like bank details etc.

Shirley you don't store valuable passwords on your PC!

If you are unsure and still worried use Closed' method see post #17

Dave

SteveJH200

Dave C - yes a good method - have used this many times.

Some people ask me to wipe the disc clean though, including the Operating System. DBan is okay but takes forever. I usually take out the HDD and use something similar to a caddy and format it and then I intall the OS again for the next user. At least that way I will know the clean install will be working perfectly and any bugs which may have been on the system before are completely eliminated.

Before I begin this install I check the COA on the side of the case and write it down. I then download SIW (System Information for Windows) and this tells me if the COA on the case is the same as what's on the HDD!! Sometimes I find that it isn't if someone has messed around with it before. The other exception is Dell - they have their own standard product key and then a OEM key - it's the OEM key that's used to activate the OS.

Kernel_Sanders

jakem wrote: »

Ooooh Googler, thats fighting talk where I come from, sorry wrong thing to say as its heading my way tonight if it kicks off again, but yes, your right, I need to learn and have a go at it, am just bloody scared tbh, as I am a mere female and cannot get on with any technical, but you have spurned me on to do something.:T

Hope you got through Tuesday night unscathed, it must have been very scary for a woman, especially if on your own.
Being female, however, shouldn't be an impediment to doing techie stuff; it's not as if you're being expected to change a car wheel!
If you have the time, read as much as you can about any task you undertake; you'll know when you are confident because you will understand why things are done as well as how. You will find that you absorb all sorts of peripheral information that may come in useful in the future. But don't go messing inside your PC until you have 'earthed' yourself; PC components hate static electricity! Make yourself an earthing kit with a length of wire and a crocodile clip; if you don't have these then get down to Poundland (I presume you live in or near a city centre) and buy a testing screwdriver with wire and said crocodile clip. (please don't think I'm being patronising when I advise that these are also known as alligator clips )
BTW did you know that 50 Poundlands were attacked and some looted? God knows how much cash the little scumbags were expecting to get for those goods!

nikkie

If you've lost the original CDs/DVDs that came with a computer/laptop then most manufacturers will have copies of these available on their websites for download (so you can create [by burning] a new CD/DVD version of your own).

Some manufacturers have the recovery/reformat information actually built somewhere into the system so you don't need a CD (ever wondered why your 320 GB harddrive only shows that you have 312 available to use? that's why! it's for the operating system [OS] and the various recovery type information it stores.
For example: I have an acer laptop and the recovery is built in- in the start menu will be "Acer Empowering Technology"- under that will be something called "Acer eRecovery Management".
DELL also has something similar=
To use Dell PC Restore:
1 Turn on the computer.
During the boot process, a blue bar with https://www.dell.com appears at the top of the screen.
2 Immediately upon seeing the blue bar, press <Ctrl><F11>.
IF YOU DO NOT PRESS <CTRL><F11> IN TIME, LET THE COMPUTER FINISH STARTING, AND THEN RESTART THE COMPUTER AGAIN.
This can be tricky to catch at the right time
NOTICE: If you do not want to proceed with PC Restore, click Reboot in the following step.
3 On the next screen that appears, click Restore.
4 On the next screen, click Confirm.
The restore process takes approximately 6–10 minutes to complete.
5 When prompted, click Finish to reboot the computer.
NOTE: Do not manually shut down the computer. Click Finish and let the computer completely reboot.
6 When prompted, click Yes.
The computer restarts. Because the computer is restored to its original operating state, the screens that appear, such as the End User License Agreement, are the same ones that appeared the first time the computer was turned on.
7 Click Next.
The System Restore screen appears and the computer restarts.
8 After the computer restarts, click OK.

Insert CD (if applicable)- it should auto-start.
In the various 'recovery' options that come up you will be given various options- some will try to repair without changing anything user based, some will completely wipe the machine clean- returning it to manufacturing defaults.
Everything on these screens is aimed at very basic users right through to advanced (though more advanced people may choose to use a different method- like ones previously mentioned) so even if you are not 100% confident you can do this.
This is also the CD you need to use if you ever start having any issues with your computer- crashing, blue screen errors etc. Try using your recovery CD before you go to a computer shop- you'll be amazed at what it can sort out for the basic user.

FYI: I'm female- I can [and have] changed a car tyre, I do all the DIY related tasks- inc painting and putting up shelves... I was building a couple of brick walls last week! AND I built my own home PC from scratch (no lesson- I bought books and read up on it and saw how much cheaper it was to do yourself than get someone else to do it! it's also relatively simple).
Being female is NOT an excuse for lack of IT knowledge or confidence!! :-)

Before anyone starts asking about my level of experience etc:
I know as much as I do because I gave things a try (I haven't attended any classes and my schooling didn't include the access to computers and the like you get now [I'm 30]). I had a 'IT' lesson once a week for my high school yrs 7, 8 and 9 and, if you didn't choose it as a GCSE option, and I didn't, that was it- you got no more lessons. I was lucky to have had a computer at home and that is where I learnt- from personal experience and doing it myself, basically having a go.

You really, honestly, can't do much in the way of damage to a computer that can't be fixed unless you physically open it up and bang everything inside with a screwdriver or similar tool (or stick a large magnet near it; or zap it with some kind of electricity [include static])!!
Be brave. Have a go. There are plenty of computer shops about if anything really goes wrong! And there are plenty of free and cheap places to get IT classes- I think most are held in library's, but a google search should find you something.

Azrael_1701

SteveJH200 wrote: »

Dave C - yes a good method - have used this many times.

Some people ask me to wipe the disc clean though, including the Operating System. DBan is okay but takes forever. I usually take out the HDD and use something similar to a caddy and format it and then I intall the OS again for the next user. At least that way I will know the clean install will be working perfectly and any bugs which may have been on the system before are completely eliminated.

Before I begin this install I check the COA on the side of the case and write it down. I then download SIW (System Information for Windows) and this tells me if the COA on the case is the same as what's on the HDD!! Sometimes I find that it isn't if someone has messed around with it before. The other exception is Dell - they have their own standard product key and then a OEM key - it's the OEM key that's used to activate the OS.

The reason Dban takes forever is because it actually overwrites each sector on the disk before formatting, so that the data is actually gone. By just formatting the disk you are only deleting the index and allocation tables, all of the data is still there.

Think of a book. When you format a drive, you just erase the contents page, then when the drive is accessed the software looks at the index table(the contents page), sees that it is blank, and just assumes the disk has nothing on it, but certain software can ignore the blank files and read the disks' data anyway. Dban actually goes through each page and overwrites each 'word' with random data, ensuring that the data cannot be read.

Azrael_1701

nikkie wrote: »

You really, honestly, can't do much in the way of damage to a computer that can't be fixed unless you physically open it up and bang everything inside with a screwdriver or similar tool (or stick a large magnet near it; or zap it with some kind of electricity [include static])!!

While true for the most part, physical damage can still be done by software. I have written a program in the past that overrides the automatic control of the cpu fan, killing it and causing the chip to overheat. Never actually used it, just to prove it was possible. The same also holds true for hard-disks (by refusing to let them spin-down, reducing their life to weeks).

SteveJH200

Azrael_1701 wrote: »

The reason Dban takes forever is because it actually overwrites each sector on the disk before formatting, so that the data is actually gone. By just formatting the disk you are only deleting the index and allocation tables, all of the data is still there.

Think of a book. When you format a drive, you just erase the contents page, then when the drive is accessed the software looks at the index table(the contents page), sees that it is blank, and just assumes the disk has nothing on it, but certain software can ignore the blank files and read the disks' data anyway. Dban actually goes through each page and overwrites each 'word' with random data, ensuring that the data cannot be read.

Yes, agreed but whatever method one uses depends on their level of paranoia. If a disc had highly sensitive or very personal material on it then Dban is the way to go. However, who would be interested in retrieving my 10 year old holiday snaps taken in Bognor Regis 6 years ago and some old ipod tunes that I've already transferred.

Seriously though, I use Dban if I'm going to recycle a disc and fit it in another computer. If I'm doing a job for someone that requires a clean install then I format it.

jimw5798

Sounds like you need to use Microsoft SDelete.

Tried to give you a link , but if you google sdelete and look for brighthub site , among others , I am sure you will get there.

SteveJH200

Just opened the Brighthub site to look at SDelete and my Kaspersky zapped a virus - just be careful!