Clean a PC before selling?

[jim]

If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before selling
it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that without a format
and complete re-install of the OS?

 

[Malke]

jim wrote:
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before selling
> it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that without a format
> and complete re-install of the OS?
>
>

You can't. Even with a format, data recovery software can retrieve
files. The only way to make sure there is nothing left of your activity
is to wipe the hard drive (Darik's Boot and Nuke is free; Acronis Disk
Cleanser is good but not free) or smash it with a sledge hammer.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

 

[PD]

On Jan 3, 10:03 am, "jim" <j...@home.net> wrote:
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before selling
> it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that without a format
> and complete re-install of the OS?

The latter is the best way. I suppose you could use CCleaner or a
similar product to erase a lot of your Internet, download, search etc.
history.

 

[Freaky]

jim wrote:
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before selling
> it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that without a format
> and complete re-install of the OS?
>
>

Knowing very well what you are doing and using something like eraser to
clean out all free space (that would assume you already deleted anything
you don't want anyone else to see, like user profiles).

Nuking the disk and reinstalling is always safer.

PS crossposting is not appreciated.

 

[peter]

Not possible without a format and reinstall..........the key word in your
question is ALL!!

peter

"jim" <jim@home.net> wrote in message
news:JH7fj.60941$K27.9239@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before
> selling it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that
> without a format and complete re-install of the OS?
>

 

[windmap]

There's No other way do it.
"jim" <jim@home.net> wrote in message
news:JH7fj.60941$K27.9239@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before
> selling it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that
> without a format and complete re-install of the OS?
>

 

[jim]

"Malke" <notreally@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:%23JGzETiTIHA.3400@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> jim wrote:
>> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before
>> selling it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that
>> without a format and complete re-install of the OS?
>
> You can't. Even with a format, data recovery software can retrieve files.
> The only way to make sure there is nothing left of your activity is to
> wipe the hard drive (Darik's Boot and Nuke is free; Acronis Disk Cleanser
> is good but not free) or smash it with a sledge hammer.
>
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

Thanks for the info - http://dban.sourceforge.net/ for those that want it
too.

jim

 

[db ´¯`·.. >]

there is only one way

however, this is a complicated
process and best left to those
who have studied and practiced
the method. many of us old timers
and experts understand the methods
and will never share this experience
on the open newsgroups.

further it is unclear what the
true nature of your question is.

eradicating traces on the computer
is one side, there is however the
other end, whereas business's maintain
data that is forever linked to your ip
address and your billing accounts.

in addition, you simply can't
reinstall windows and simply give
the machine away.

windows has only one license per
computer and it is enforced without
compassion by Microsoft's activation
technology.

so you would need to decide to
sell or give away your copy of windows
then buy yourself a new license "or"
keep your windows and the
license you have.

my suggestion is to simply add
your old harddrive to your new
system as a slave drive. it will
be in your possession and will
come in handy.

then for the old machine either
sell it without a harddrive or
replace it with a blank one, one
which has never been used.

if you are going to donate it
then you should buy a cheap
harddrive to include in your
donation and tax deduction.
--

db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸.
><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>


..


"jim" <jim@home.net> wrote in message
news:JH7fj.60941$K27.9239@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before selling it
> or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that without a format and
> complete re-install of the OS?
>

 

[ray]

On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:03:55 -0500, jim wrote:

> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before selling
> it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that without a format
> and complete re-install of the OS?

I really don't see that as being practical. I can tell you what I'd do -
boot a Linux Live CD then use 'shred' on all the partitions - then
reinstall the OS, or better yet, install it and a Linux dual boot.

 

[DanS]

db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. . <databaseben.public.newsgroup.microsoft.com>
wrote in news:u2Qz4ZiTIHA.5404@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl:

> there is only one way
>
> however, this is a complicated
> process and best left to those
> who have studied and practiced
> the method. many of us old timers
> and experts understand the methods
> and will never share this experience
> on the open newsgroups.

Not complicated DB...maybe to you. Just use any number of utilities you
can d/l to do free space shredding with the OS still installed, or use
the HD mfg's utility disk to do a low-level 0 or 1 fill, however many
times you want.

> further it is unclear what the
> true nature of your question is.

The only thing unclear here is your typical answers all written in
riddles.


> eradicating traces on the computer
> is one side, there is however the
> other end, whereas business's maintain
> data that is forever linked to your ip
> address and your billing accounts.

What does that have to do with the question ?

>
> in addition, you simply can't
> reinstall windows and simply give
> the machine away.
>
> windows has only one license per
> computer and it is enforced without
> compassion by Microsoft's activation
> technology.

Maybe it was an OEM install already tied to the hardware, in which case
that copy of Windows is of no use unless it is on the same hardware.

 

[David]

A complete format and reinstall is probably the best way, IMO. Of course
you would need to give the Windows disk to the recipient because it is
licensed to only one computer.

Could personal data be obtained from the HD anyway. Yes, I suppose, but
only with a forensic exam of the HD. The average user wouldn't know how to
do this, and wouldn't care anyway.

However, if your have sensitive business or other data on the HD, the
easiest way to give yourself piece of mind is to remove the old HD, drive a
nail through it, and install a new HD into the computer.

"jim" <jim@home.net> wrote in message
news:JH7fj.60941$K27.9239@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before
> selling it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that
> without a format and complete re-install of the OS?
>

 

[Dustin Harper]

The best and easiest way would be to format/reinstall. You would get rid of
all traces of any activity. Even then, there is a slight chance that your
data could be recovered.

This program will wipe your hard drive to Department of Defense standards:
http://dban.sourceforge.net/. Use that, then reinstall and you should be
fine enough. Unless the data is of national security, that should be enough.
It would cost more to retreive the data than it is worth.


--
Dustin Harper
dharper@vistarip.com
http://www.vistarip.com


"jim" <jim@home.net> wrote in message
news:JH7fj.60941$K27.9239@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before
> selling it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that
> without a format and complete re-install of the OS?
>

 

[Bob I]

Then just remove the harddrive.

jim wrote:

> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before selling
> it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that without a format
> and complete re-install of the OS?
>
>

 

[Phisherman]

On Thu, 3 Jan 2008 11:03:55 -0500, "jim" <jim@home.net> wrote:

>If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before selling
>it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that without a format
>and complete re-install of the OS?
>

If you really want ALL traces removed, fdisk and format. Give the OS
discs to the recipient. Why don't you want to format the disc?

 

[MikeF]

"jim" <jim@home.net> wrote in message
news:JH7fj.60941$K27.9239@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before
> selling it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that
> without a format and complete re-install of the OS?
Some folks offered some odd answers. Boot and Nuke is good. For those who
would like to check further:

http://www.google.com/search?q=wipe...ient=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

 

[jim]

"Phisherman" <noone@nobody.com> wrote in message
news:akbqn3d0qf9vfqmbjkaq63p00db064igde@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 3 Jan 2008 11:03:55 -0500, "jim" <jim@home.net> wrote:
>
>>If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before
>>selling
>>it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that without a
>>format
>>and complete re-install of the OS?
>>
>
> If you really want ALL traces removed, fdisk and format. Give the OS
> discs to the recipient. Why don't you want to format the disc?

The recipient doesn't know how to install the OS or really what to do to
tweak it or even to keep himself safe on it. I'd have to re-install the OS,
re-install the updates, tweak the system, install anti-virus and
anti-malware.....hell, if I have to do all of that, I'd rather just crush
the damned thing.

jim

 

[db ´¯`·.. >]

i know those softwares
you mentioned.

and your methodology provides
a false sense of security
to the inept.

but it really doesn't matter
since my response was for
the benefit of the o.p. and
not for the debate of others.

--

db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸.
><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>


..


"DanS" <t.h.i.s.n.t.h.a.t@a.d.e.l.p.h.i.a.n.e.t> wrote in message
news:Xns9A1A7DFF0633Cthisnthatadelphianet@207.46.248.16...
> db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. . <databaseben.public.newsgroup.microsoft.com>
> wrote in news:u2Qz4ZiTIHA.5404@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl:
>
>> there is only one way
>>
>> however, this is a complicated
>> process and best left to those
>> who have studied and practiced
>> the method. many of us old timers
>> and experts understand the methods
>> and will never share this experience
>> on the open newsgroups.
>
> Not complicated DB...maybe to you. Just use any number of utilities you
> can d/l to do free space shredding with the OS still installed, or use
> the HD mfg's utility disk to do a low-level 0 or 1 fill, however many
> times you want.
>
>> further it is unclear what the
>> true nature of your question is.
>
> The only thing unclear here is your typical answers all written in
> riddles.
>
>
>> eradicating traces on the computer
>> is one side, there is however the
>> other end, whereas business's maintain
>> data that is forever linked to your ip
>> address and your billing accounts.
>
> What does that have to do with the question ?
>
>>
>> in addition, you simply can't
>> reinstall windows and simply give
>> the machine away.
>>
>> windows has only one license per
>> computer and it is enforced without
>> compassion by Microsoft's activation
>> technology.
>
> Maybe it was an OEM install already tied to the hardware, in which case
> that copy of Windows is of no use unless it is on the same hardware.

 

[Saucy]

"jim" <jim@home.net> wrote in message
news:JH7fj.60941$K27.9239@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> If you wanted to clean ALL traces of your activity from a PC before
> selling it or giving it away, what would be the best way to do that
> without a format and complete re-install of the OS?
>


I use MaxBlast 4's zero-fill utility. It writes zeros to the entire drive
save the drive geometry. This method [zero-fill] is pretty good at wiping a
drive so well that even the weirder viruses are for sure erased. It makes
the drive like new.

However, it might not be quite enough to out-do a forensic analysis as one
pass with zeros might not get rid of trace evidences. For that you'd
probably need some sort of pgp wipe where all manner of patterns and
sequences get written to the drive several times instead of zeros just once.

If the information on your drive is *that* sensitive, e.g. ultra-top-secret
plans to a 10th dimensional plasma boom device [whoops I shouldn't have
admitted such a device exists on an open forum], then just destroy the
drive.

Saucy

 

[DanS]

"David" <dgprozzoLEAVE@bellsouthOUT.net> wrote in
news:#FyOj3iTIHA.6036@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl:

> A complete format and reinstall is probably the best way, IMO. Of
> course you would need to give the Windows disk to the recipient
> because it is licensed to only one computer.
>
> Could personal data be obtained from the HD anyway. Yes, I suppose,
> but only with a forensic exam of the HD. The average user wouldn't
> know how to do this, and wouldn't care anyway.

A format and re-install may not completely overwrite all the user data on a
HD.

I've never examined a hard disk layout directly after a format/reinstall,
but I'm guessing that most user data would be stored outside the platter
tracks that the OS will install to on a clean install.

Any area of the disk that is not written to on the re-install is fair game
for recovery.....and it's not hard. There are a 1,001 utilities that can
piece together the data, even after a format. Even after an FDisk. I have
done it. I have manually recreated partition tables, and I have
'unformatted' more than one HD.

There's no way to be sure all data has been removed w/o using a s/w utility
to wipe the disk. Simple as that.

 

[DanS]

db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. . <databaseben.public.newsgroup.microsoft.com>
wrote in news:#iC1gdlTIHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl:

> i know those softwares
> you mentioned.
>
> and your methodology provides
> a false sense of security
> to the inept.

Using DoD compliant s/w gives
a false sense of security ?

> but it really doesn't matter
> since my response was for
> the benefit of the o.p. and
> not for the debate of others.

You have a Frank ego.

And who cares why you posted. I
certainly don't.

It was a post in a publicly
accessible newsgroup, which,
by nature, is up for comment
by ANYONE.

If you don't want to engage
in a discussion or debate, then
stop throwing in your one cent.
(If it's worth that much.)