Thread: How do I remove info from computer?

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Just trying to clean out the laptop from my use. Yes, also like roof says the info can be found but with expensive hardware.

Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

Just trying to clean out the laptop from my use. Yes, also like roof says the info can be found but with expensive hardware.

If that's all, just reformat it. If they didn't give you the disks, I bet you can buy a copy from the computer manufacturer for ~$30. That will return the computer to how it was when first purchased. Someone with equipment and time could still pull it, but it'll be good enough for your needs.

Originally Posted by roofcam

My son is a cumputer guru and he claims that unless you remove the hard drive and replace it, it is possible for someone to retrieve the data, with the right equipment, no matter what software is used to attempt to permanently remove it.

Not quite true. Programs like Evidence Eliminator and a few others can overwrite and zero to Department of Defense standards, and neither forensic software (such as EnCase) nor an electron microscope can pull the data out. However, those programs are pretty expensive, and unnecessary for most folks.

Originally Posted by marlinspike

If that's all, just reformat it. If they didn't give you the disks, I bet you can buy a copy from the computer manufacturer for ~$30. That will return the computer to how it was when first purchased. Someone with equipment and time could still pull it, but it'll be good enough for your needs.

Thats what I did , thanks. But what if I was trying to do more ,what could I do?

There is the aforementioned Evidence Eliminator. There are cheaper programs that will simply erase and overwrite everything on the disk 10 times, that's usually pretty good if you aren't dealing with government secrets.

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

Not quite true. Programs like Evidence Eliminator and a few others can overwrite and zero to Department of Defense standards, and neither forensic software (such as EnCase) nor an electron microscope can pull the data out. However, those programs are pretty expensive, and unnecessary for most folks.

when you remove information from a hard drive, it leaves an empty spot from what was removed.. you can see this empty spot in disk defrag if it is big enough, but you cannot see what it was, it is possible to recover by reversing the empty spot into data, essentially a negative image of the HD... this deleated info can be recovered until you overwrite the data.. the big HD cleaners like Evidence eliminator just clean the HD out, then rewrite overtop of the empy spot, and clean it again

If you are going to keep the computer and continue it's use within the family what you did should be fine. If you are going to sell it or donated it and want to protect your personal information, perhaps the least distructive thing would be to simply replace the hard drive with a fresh drive. Let the next owner install the operating system of their choice.

Then you can destroy the hard drive, a few good whacks with a BFH will usually do the trick, or drop it from a 10 story building or in the center of a deep lake. If you want to maintain the data for posterity or future use, get a USB drive enclosure, mount the drive and attached it to another computer so you can read the files when ever you might need to or use the drive as a supplemental archive.

At my work now, because of the sensitivity of medical data, all drives must be removed from computers that will be surplused. Following removal they must be destroyed.