Removing all information from Hard Disc

M

Marie

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I've now got all my stuff off an old 56Mb p.c. (which had an integral 128 memory stick to which I'd added a further 128 memory).

How do I "wipe" all the documents, e-mails etc. preparatory to donating the p.c. and peripherals to Oxfam so they can use it to get a few bob for the tsunami effort? Can the hard disk be "wiped" but also maintain the programmes such as Windows 98SE Exel etc?

What happens to shortcuts to accounts with Norton and AOL?
 
If you want to securely delete files then you may have to boot into DOS from a floppy and run a disk eraser utility such as [broken link removed] (free). I've used PCInspector's CloneMaxx utility for cloning hard drives and it was excellent so I presume that eMaxx would work simplarly well for your purposes. Note that erasing a drive in this way would remove everything including the Windows operating system and installed applications. If you want to retain these then you would need to be more selective about what you delete (i.e. only personal data files) which may take a bit of rooting about. Note also that you can only pass on the Windows operating system and installed non-free/commercial applications if you also include the relevant license agreements and don't keep copies of the software. Hope this helps.
 
Very, very hard to be certain that you erase everything from modern IDE drives.

I think it is the CIA who have a standard disk wipe which is to drill a hole through the drive ( disk platters & all ) - thats fine if you dont want to use it again :D
 
For all practical purposes something like eMaxx or a similar disk eraser (many of which allow the number of erase/rewrite passes to be configured for additional security - I used PGP wipe years ago but am not sure if it's still freely available) should be more than sufficient (and possibly more than necessary) for most users and possibly even secure enough to prevent forensic recovery of data. Check download.com for more disk erasing utilities and Google for more on how they work and how secure they might be if necessary.
 
Thanks e-dog (long time no see!) and CM. Clubman I want to try eMaxx as you suggest but as that p.c. now does not connect to the internet (I've transferred broadband a/c to the new one) can I download eMaxx onto a memory-pen and then load it onto the old P.C.?..........or what's the best way to do it?

What e-dog said about impossibility of complete erasure reminded me that in forensic cases the police can and have retrieved deleted files.........though I had always thought this was from some virtual mega-hard-disk-in-the-sky inhabited by the internet service providers (AOL call-centre personnel can tell from their screens in Mayo what procedures I've tried days previously to instal software etc. in Colchester)

A further question about donating the p.c. for resale. As it has been giving me grief (slow, unpredictable etc.) does this indicate the hard-disk isn't really worth passing on anyway? Do they wear out/get irreparably damaged? The charity-shops here all have I.T. and electrican anaroks who service and repair white goods and p.c.'s donated. Is there any other use for old p.c.'s? Seems a waste and environmentally-polluting to just throw it out.
 
can I download eMaxx onto a memory-pen and then load it onto the old P.C.?
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Possibly, if (a) it has an USB port, and (b) whatever version of Windows it's running is compatible with the eMaxx software.

You could also try simply reformatting the hard drive, and/or using a Dos utility like BCwipe? If in doubt, you could ask one of the 'anoraks' you mentioned what they have in-house...?

[Edit: Whoops, sorry — just re-read the other posts more carefully and realised that eMaxx is (?) a Dos utility! Another proprietary program that claims to make all data utterly unrecoverable is Evidence Eliminator — but I imagine you don't want to spend money on a machine you're (laudably) giving away to charity...

Incidentally — far be it from me to cast doubt on your gesture, but... :) It strikes me that the local Oxfam shop will probably flog your old PC off for a fraction of its real worth. Someone will get a great deal, but your buck won't buy much bang in terms of the relief fund you want to support. Would you consider instead donating it to a local school, refuge, social services centre, etc. — where some deserving organisation/individual will actually get use out of it? You could then make a cash donation to the Tsunami relief fund and know that — whatever the sum — you'll have made a gesture that's doubly efficient in cash terms.

Just a thought — ignore it if you wish! :D Fair play, either way...]
 
Doc M - Thank you for the advice on wiping the disc and I'm wondering why I'm so nervous about this when "losing all the data" is most people's worst nightmare and seems to happen sometimes.

Without wishing to move too far off-topic away from I.T. issues I've made a personal donation to tsunami ANYWAY (and as a family we opted last week to not buy wreaths and flowers for the funeral of an unclel and donated that to the o tsunami fund also). The idea of donating to Oxfam is that (a) they have free labour to analyse any problems with the p.c. (which is 5 years old and has worked hard so may be unsalvagable) and (b) are the agency with most experience of providing sanitation and drinkable water - the most urgent needs there now........and £50 from sale of the p.c. with no renovation/labour costs would purchase two latrine-slabs or basic food-packets for 20 people for a whole week! It seemed the least time-and-money consuming method.

What do people usually do with old p.c.'s? Is there any best means of disposal?

I'm pretty sure (having 'done time' teaching!) that given risk-management policies in public institutions nowadays no school would accept a second-hand p.c. I remember the consternation when a member of staff at the hospital where I work donated an old p.c. for training use by some of our patients. We had to wait about 6 months before HR could organise its inspection and clearance.
 
Re: the least time-and-money consuming method

From what you say, Marie, it then indeed sounds like Oxfam is your best bet...

And again, fair play. Since the passing of the consumerfest that is Christmas in these parts, I've been trying to make sure that the Moriartíns take a moment out to reflect on the disparity between their lot and that of kids in other parts of the world. Shamed them into 'earning' €100+ in odd jobs around the house with a promise that I'd match whatever they raised... :)


As for your tale about the second-hand PC — I heard about a similar situation from a lecturer colleague who saw old PC gear being 'skipped' at his workplace and, on asking 'hey, could we not donate those to X, Y or Z?' was told that no, they couldn't even give them away free because it would imply some kind of (legal? contractual?) responsibility on their part for the correct functioning of the equipment donated... :)rolleyes ). But the IT guy, as though struck by the absurdity of this policy, ventured that if he'd like, he'd give him a shout the next time he was binning something worthwhile, and that there was nothing wrong with my pal following the guy 'doing his job' to the skip and lifting it back out...Mad or what?!
 
the least time-and-money consuming method

Well done those Moriarity-ettes (has a certain ring to it!...a future famous folk-group perchance?) for working to get some dosh together for the children in Indonesia.

In wanting to find further use for the old p.c. I'm demonstrating my own frugal childhood where nothing was wasted or thrown out. In recent years there is a recycling scheme (by the manufacturers themselves) for used printer cartridges and that makes a lot of sense. I'll find out what method the charities use to wipe the hard-disk.

ClubMan thank you for the advice on the installed applications and programmes. I had no idea of the legal position as this is my first p.c. upgrade.
 
Re: the least time-and-money consuming method

can I download eMaxx onto a memory-pen and then load it onto the old P.C.?..........or what's the best way to do it?

Obviously you will need internet access from some PC in order to download eMaxx. Once you have downloaded it you will probably need to copy the image to a DOS formatted floppy and boot from that to use the tool to erase the hard disk in question. CloneMaxx has its own installer that generates the required DOS formatted floppy so I presume that eMaxx does likewise.

As I and others have mentioned you should consider whether or not you really need to do anything more than a normal delete/format of your drive before going to this sort of trouble.
 
the least time-and-money consuming method

ClubMan - In the end I deleted all the document files and gave the p.c. to the charity who assure me they "reformat the hard drive" and this is adequate protection of privacy.........so now the study is gratifyingly spacious! Many thanks for the advice.
 
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