A computer that I have considered my own for 4 years needs to be returned to my employer. I want to wipe out as many personal things as I can think of and am sure that I will forget some things. What is the best way to delete things from my computer? Where will I forget to look?
Without going to extremes (military-grade multi-pass disk wipes) you could just reformat the hard drive and reinstall the OS. Do you have the OS disc and registration number?
If the computer belonged to your employer, it was never really your own now was it?
I know at least with mine wiping the whole HD wouldn’t be an option because they pre-installed software that I assume they’d want to keep. You’ll first have to figure out what you need to leave on there, if anything, in order to determine where to look to delete things.
which operating system and version?
did you install any software and what was it? what software that came installed did you use?
Take the hard drive out and replace it with a new, blank, one. They’re going to re-image it anyway, aren’t they?
A four year old computer has almost surely been completely written off by your employer and is obsolete technology anyway. Of course you can just wipe the computer by reformatting the hard drive, or you can use software to wipe out selected data (tons of software that will do that for you). My suggestion is to just talk your employer into giving you the computer since it’s useless to them, or offer to pay a nominal amount for it. In the last few times I was in your situation that’s how I handled it.
Windows XP. When I started using the computer I was under the impression that it was mine to keep. Now that I am leaving I am told that that is not so. I also assume that the computer would have been fully depreciated and essentially worth nothing. I did offer to pay any residual value, but they never told me what that was.
I suggest you keep working on the plan to pay the residual value.
You can delete stuff with CCleaner using the Secure option with 35 passes. That is very good. Those pesky .index files are where the browsers store you browsing history. CCleaner does that too if you have it checked. Another program called Spider also cleanses .index files.
Another device would be to copy the disk back and forth from a spare disk with scaling instead of bit for bit.
When you have deleted and cleaned up everything you can find and feel that you did a good job, run some of the free programs available to recover data. You should get nothing valuable.
I think I could do a good job of cleaning the disk. However, if there were anything of a nature that could ever involve legal action, that disk would not leave my hot little hands.
Have a look at thisboot-and-nuke tool.
I concur with the idea of wiping the entire disk, basically what Khadaji linked to.
If your machine came with Windows XP, you’re employer should have a copy of the Windows XP - either in the form of a disk that is meant for your machine, or simply a license key that allows the installation of the OS on your machine.
What if 6 months after purchase, the HD failed and you lost your OS? Your machine would have to be rebuilt with all its default software - so the (assumedly reputable) company that packaged the system and the software together has to provide some mechanism for such a recovery.
I’d just wipe it, and return it completely blank - no OS, no nothing. If questioned about it, you can always just tell them that you wanted to make sure it didn’t have any viruses or malware that might cause them more problems, as reimaging the machine is stupid simple for the IT folks.
Be aware that if you have anything you really, really don’t want anybody to see on the disk, that reformatting the disk and reinstalling the OS is not good enough. Doing that will remove the pointers to your data, but not the data itself. So while a casual user won’t be able to see your data in Windows Explorer, somebody with a sector editor will.
I’d just wipe the thing. There are disk wiping utilities in most backup programs, or just google around and find a free one on the web. You need to actually write over every byte on the drive, which might take overnight on a big drive. If the company doesn’t like it, just say you were deleting your stuff and accidentally deleted too much. Everybody makes mistakes.
Wipe it w/ dban and give it back to them. Don’t say you were deleting anything. If questioned, just tell them it crashed and wouldn’t restart.
It’s winxp, right? Who would argue? Don’t forget to save everything you want first. :smack:
Just low level format the drive. Look at what brand HD it is and get the vendor utility OR get a zerofill utility.
You don’t need DoD grade erasure. Unless, of course, you are working for the NSA or something. In which case, steal the HD and replace it with a similar one.
The only 100% SECURE way of TOTAL deletion (again, thinking government) would be total destruction of the hard drive platters.
But, the simplest thing is either low level format or a zerofill utility. Or random number fill, which is an option for some utilities.
Very good ones are free.
Of course, you COULD also pull the HD, erase your profile from the hard drive, then random write to every unused sector with a few utilities. It would leave a functional system, with your data gone.
This is what I’d do, so that there is no trace that you did anything wrong.
After trying to be allowed to just keep it, of course.
If you’re talking you may have *incriminating *things on there (illegal porn, emails to the boss’ wife etc.), and/or you’re leaving on less than good terms with your employer, than yes, I’d go the ‘Boot-n-Nuke’ route someone linked.
If you just want to clear any personal data, well do all that manually (uninstall apps, delete all your ‘My things’ folders, empty the recycle bin etc.), reboot, and install this - http://www.fileshredder.org/ No ads or spys, simple clean UI, and it has an option to wipe all unused hard drive space (rather than just erasing the index which is all emptying the recycle bin does). Even has DOD (Dept of Defense) level of wiping if you’re so inclined (joke in there someplace…)