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Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 4:57:40 PM

winterlight

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Joined: 2/18/2006
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Does taking out your computer hard drive keep people from finding out information about you? If you wanted to donate your old computer for charity is that all that needs to be done to it?

I really don't know a thing about computers...I know there are many experts on here that know a lot...

Thanks...

Post #: 1

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 4:59:21 PM

ThatDamnedPanda

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Yeah, that's it. All you need to do. Just make sure you don't leave any zip drives or backup discs in the machine, and you're good to go!

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Post #: 2

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 5:12:36 PM

winterlight

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Thanks Panda!!!

(in reply to ThatDamnedPanda)

Post #: 3

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 5:46:38 PM

Lucylastic

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really short topic:) just sayin hi, oh and Panda is right, lol

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(in reply to winterlight)

Post #: 4

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 6:00:47 PM

pahunkboy

Posts: 33061
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From: Central Pennsylvania
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lol. who would want a computer with no hard drive. None of the places here take computers at all.

Best bet is recycling.

(in reply to Lucylastic)

Post #: 5

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 6:26:55 PM

ThatDamnedPanda

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Joined: 1/26/2009
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quote:

ORIGINAL: winterlight

Thanks Panda!!!

You're welcome! Didn't mean to sound patronizing with that tip about the zip drives and backup discs, but it's amazing how many people forget to remove data CDs from their drives before donating or otherwise passing on an old computer. I hope you find someone who really benefits from your old machine.

_____________________________

Panda, panda, burning bright
In the forest of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Made you all black and white and roly-poly like that?

(in reply to winterlight)

Post #: 6

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 7:02:11 PM

Termyn8or

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Joined: 11/12/2005
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I'd probably get at least a used ten gig and put an OS on it. Throw in some old software as well. It will run fast and clean and some poor kid will be happy. If you have a OS, I got just the right software for an older PC. Office 97, which was right after a format change so the files are compatible today. A couple of image editors, kids love to play with them.

Actually I run this same software under XP Pro Corp on a brand new PC, and you've never seen anything so fast. Thing is most of it is just as fast on an old Pentium 1 with like 64MB RAM. Windows 98SE did things i just can't seem to get XP to do. In fact I would like an older PC to run a scanner on, because it is not supported by XP. But then my router is not supported in 98SE. But then there is that CD burner. You can get an older one really cheap. Looking at twenty bucks for a used harddrive, and about the same for a used CD burner.

Also, most store bought PCs have the OS license sticker. You can just find a disk and use the keycode right there. When I give something away, I like it to be working, useful, not problem ridden. I have a nice set of software, all older and faster. I have preserved it for years, and will probably have it until I die.

If you don't want to take it apart and remove the harddrive, and the machine has a floppy and like 98SE on it, you can re FDISK it and reformat the drive. This is pretty damngood security. For an added measure you can shave about a gig off of the partition size to make it even harder to recover any of your old data. To be even more sure you can take and fill that drive to the point where you are sure everthing has been overwritten. That's a big one, because even in 98 to delete a file all they did was to change the first character of the filemane to the greek letter omega, which is very hard to input with a normal qwerty keyboard. The file is still there until it is overwritten. Fill the drive until it just about won't run and then delete all the junk. At that point recovering your old data runs into six figures, this is plenty of security for most people.

Besides, what would you do with the old drive ? I for one usually use it after loading a new PC to transfer all my files, thousands of dollars worth of music and media, and porn of course. Just last week I stopped using my old drive in my new PC, I copied the whole drive into the new half terabyte drive I put in. If you choose to save the old drive, you can do that as well.

Just some ideas.

T

(in reply to ThatDamnedPanda)

Post #: 7

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 7:14:57 PM

ThatDamnedPanda

Posts: 6060
Joined: 1/26/2009
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Isn't there some software that effectively scrubs your drive by overwriting until the drive is full, then deleting everything, and repeating this operation dozens of times? I heard something about that once, but don't recall what it was called or how effective it was. Clever idea, though, if it works.

_____________________________

Panda, panda, burning bright
In the forest of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Made you all black and white and roly-poly like that?

(in reply to Termyn8or)

Post #: 8

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 7:26:31 PM

littlewonder

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http://www.hkenyaproject.org/index.html

Donate your computer or other computerwares to someone in need.

(in reply to ThatDamnedPanda)

Post #: 9

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 8:57:21 PM

pahunkboy

Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
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You could list it on freecycle- often there is someone who wants to practice working on them.

(in reply to littlewonder)

Post #: 10

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 9:26:13 PM

einstien5201

Posts: 63
Joined: 9/29/2009
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

Isn't there some software that effectively scrubs your drive by overwriting until the drive is full, then deleting everything, and repeating this operation dozens of times? I heard something about that once, but don't recall what it was called or how effective it was. Clever idea, though, if it works.

It doesn't seem to me that you'd have to do it multiple times. Assuming that every bit was actually written when the program intended (i.e. it never failed to change the bit it was working on), changing every bit on the drive to 1 or 0 should effectively erase all data.

(in reply to ThatDamnedPanda)

Post #: 11

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 10:59:16 PM

Termyn8or

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Joined: 11/12/2005
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"Isn't there some software that effectively scrubs your drive by overwriting "

Yes, I have seen the software in the past, and there is no reason it shouldn't work now. There are a couple of levels, the highest of which is called DOD level or something like that. The government uses it when disposing of drives when anything sensitive has been written on them. There are cheaper versions, and really they all do the same thing, fill the drive ans erase it multiple times. Twelve time IIRC on the DOD version.

From what I've been told you don't get the sam level of security if you run the cheapers version(s) multiple times, something about the way it randomizes the bytes. It is specifically engineered for the task. Research labs, banks, they all use it, or at least used to. Also IIRC you could download the cheapo version for free, a trial I guess. Thinking about it in perspective, if it costs ten grand to get my old dat off of a harddrive, you just about deserve it. I have never let anything financial on my PCs. That may change, I might start paying utilities online because I am literally killing trees every month writing all these checks. But generally I don't do that, and to date haven't, I am considering it.

Anyway I see this as an irony. I love irony. The whole idea of a harddrive was NOT to lose the data. Now here we are trying to get rid of the data. This almost feels like a trap LOL.

T

(in reply to ThatDamnedPanda)

Post #: 12

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/18/2009 11:34:30 PM

ThatDamnedPanda

Posts: 6060
Joined: 1/26/2009
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I still favor the old tried and true - just drill a couple of holes all the way through the drive with a quarter-inch bit. Ain't nobody spinning that baby up and reading the data off of it anytime soon.

_____________________________

Panda, panda, burning bright
In the forest of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Made you all black and white and roly-poly like that?

(in reply to Termyn8or)

Post #: 13

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/19/2009 12:10:05 AM

Termyn8or

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Joined: 11/12/2005
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So that takes it to seven figures to recover the data. Someone has to want it really bad. They will install the platters in a working frame and use special equipment to read it.

Most of what goes on there is compressed in some manner, that means there is a form of error correction. So they might not get the whole picture of you fucking a goat, your left hand might be missing. Yessir, they can do magnetic depth multiplexing. Even overwritten data can be retrieved. But the cost is emormous.

The only real way is to take the platter(s) out and either bend or break them into oblivion. Watch the special plating come off. Perhaps burn them as well, though that might just bring on a new level of difficulty. Like I said the idea of a harddrive in the first place was to NOT lose data. I guess be careful what you ask for eh ? LOL.

T

(in reply to ThatDamnedPanda)

Post #: 14

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/19/2009 5:56:47 PM

winterlight

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Joined: 2/18/2006
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I have 3 computers. I seem to only get 3 years or so of life and then they die.

The motherboard dies, the diskette area doesn't work, yeah its old. LOL

I was wondering if anybody would be able to use them locally even if just for the parts....

Thanks A/all

(in reply to Termyn8or)

Post #: 15

RE: Your computer hard drive - 10/19/2009 6:19:54 PM

Termyn8or

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Joined: 11/12/2005
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General rule of thumb today, if it wil run XP without taking a month to do it, it might be worth saving. If it says it was built for ME or 98SE, it might be too old. If it is built for 95 it is at best a P 1 and is not worth it. Only the drives ans possibly the RAM, but even the RAM is doubtful to be of any use, except for melting down.

Once they get so old the only thing to do with them is to give them to kids. Let them get the idea of a PC and don't even hook them up to the internet. No worries about a virus or anything. Give them a word processor and some image editors and letem rip. If the screw it up you are out $0.00. A win win if I ever saw one.

This would be good for laptops as wel, if people would stop breaking them. Anything a P 2 class or better will run XP and will get online, at surprising speeds I might add. It may take longer to parse the page, but that doesn't mean the file doesn't get there fast. The browser might be outdated but there are still alot of things it can do.

T

(in reply to winterlight)

Post #: 16

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