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Selling laptop
Lisa_27
Posts: 98 Forumite
in Techie Stuff
I'm looking to sell my old laptop, how is best to wipe all the data ready to sell?
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Comments
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The best method is to use DBAN. It is extremely powerful. For instance I once ran it off a usb stick and not only did it securely wipe the computer it wiped the stick also.You are supposed to wip the stick out as soon as you click start to avoid that happening. The word Nuke in it's title is not there for nothing! It is free from http://sourceforge.net/projects/dban/0
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dban will wipe windows and the restore partition, not the best method if the owner has no means of reinstalling windows and wishes to obtain the best price for the machine - the best (and simplest) method in that situation is delete data, empty recyle bin, factory restore from restore partition, install ccleaner and run with wipe free space box ticked - 5 minutes effort.
A factory restore will also make it run like new, if the reason for selling is speed.!!
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There is no totally secure software method of wiping data, especially anything the normal consumer could buy or download.
Removing the hard drive before you sell will guarantee your data is safe, but as said above, might impact on your sale price.
You have to weight up the risks:
What was on the computer?
Who is buying the computer?
What could happen if 'they' found 'it'?
How likely are 'they' to find 'it'?Would you say that to a stranger's face in the street? No? Then why type it on a forum?0 -
Slightly paranoid view. The new owner won't be getting any data off it, if it's wiped properly with software.!!
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Slightly paranoid view. The new owner won't be getting any data off it, if it's wiped properly with software.
It is a rather paranoid view, you're right, but try googling something like "free data recovery software"...Would you say that to a stranger's face in the street? No? Then why type it on a forum?0 -
data recovery software won't recover anything if the op follows the advice!!
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It is a rather paranoid view, you're right, but try googling something like "free data recovery software"...
Which works if you haven't done a factory restore then wiped the free space.
Also, what data have you saved on your computer that has you so paranoid?
The average computer buyer is looking to buy a computer and put their stuff n it. They aren't interested in what you did. This may be contrary to what certain Daily newspapers tell you to believe, but it's true.1. Have you tried to Google the answer?
2. If you were in the other person's shoes, how would you react?
3. Do you want a quick answer or better understanding?0 -
Did a factory reset, wiped passwords etc prior to that and hopefully a friend is buying it anyway. Nothing major was on it, just saved passwords etc x0
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