Computer Disposal and Security

sandieb

I am hoping to replace my computer in a couple of months (when Vista has settled). I am wondering how best to dispose of my then old computer. I may pass it on to a family member or freecycle it. However, how do I ensure that all data is erased and irretrievable? Is re-formatting the hard drive sufficient? I recall an item on tv some while ago about physically cutting up the hard drive. Too extreme or sensible?

I noted an earlier post about the security issues raised by someone's laptop being stolen and there was a suggestion of encryption software for new set up. Would encryption of data be sufficient on a computer to be disposed of?

Browntoa

use this

http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/

Eraser is an advanced security tool (for Windows), which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. Works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Windows 2003 Server and DOS.
Eraser is Free software and its source code is released under GNU General Public License.

The patterns used for overwriting are based on Peter Gutmann's paper "Secure Deletion of Data from Magnetic and Solid-State Memory" and they are selected to effectively remove magnetic remnants from the hard drive.

Other methods include the one defined in the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual of the US Department of Defence and overwriting with pseudorandom data. You can also define your own overwriting methods.

GreenNotM

Encryption would still leave your data there. But it sounds like a good idea to encrypt your disk's data folders - then to delete that data and have the data areas over-written - if not the whole disk by a disk-wiping tools.

If you do intend to repartition as well do not forget you will need an operating system to re-install that includes CD's and numbers

Ppl will post tools soon - if not already ...

Blacksheep1979

just use something like dban - will wipe the data, the more worried you are give it a few passes.

sandieb

Thank you Browntoa and GreenNotM for that great advice.

Your advice has been a reminder to me to encrypt my external hard drive back up too.

albertross_2

For a general cleanup, delete all your personal files, delete all accounts/profiles, then run these one after the other (tick all the boxes).

http://www.ccleaner.com/
http://www.theabsolute.net/sware/clndisk.html

To completely wipe you hard disk, and make all data unrecoverable:


http://www.cbltech.ca/data-shredder.html
http://dban.sourceforge.net/

both free, create a boot floppy or CD, then boot from it and overwrite the hard disk 7 or more times. Then reinstall windows.

sjc_2

Depending upon how sensitive your data is and the likely hood of it being able to be retrieved, the other option would be to remove and destroy the hard drive itself as they are that cheap these days.

moomintroll_3

I've used DBAN in the past to wipe a HD clean, seems excellent and free.

G