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    Question-Cleaning out old system before selling.

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by BrokenStr8, Jul 27, 2008.

  1. BrokenStr8

    BrokenStr8 Notebook Consultant

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    Hi,I just sold my old laptop recently.But now I'm kinda paranoid about any personal data I might of left the HDD.I was kinda in a rush...I did not reformat it.I just tried to delete all of my personal files and some programs.Also delete all history..,cookies,save pw,etc..on IE ,even FF 3,which was kinda a pain to do.Do you think this is generally enough to keep ppl from getting into my business?Thanks.
     
    BrokenStr8, Jul 27, 2008
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  2. CGSUN

    CGSUN Notebook Guru

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    Depends on who you sold it to.
    Even with a format c: there are people out there who can get info, likelihood of them bumping into you or I is slim.
    I would say your fine, next time though – just do a format.
     
    CGSUN, Jul 27, 2008
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  3. Baserk

    Baserk Notebook user

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    Next time, use DBAN/Active@KillDisk/Eraser and you'll never worry one second about a sold HD.
     
    Baserk, Jul 27, 2008
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  4. qhn

    qhn Notebook User

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    I just swap out the drive :D

    cheers ...
     
    qhn, Jul 27, 2008
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  5. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    No. Unless you know the person to whom you sold the laptop, and s/he's willing to use a drive cleaner to wipe everything, you're pretty much swingin' in the wind if that person ever gets curious and goes rooting through the system files or, worse yet, uses a file recovery utility on the drive - even the files you deleted will show up then, and even with the freebie utilities.
     
    Shyster1, Jul 27, 2008
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  6. BrokenStr8

    BrokenStr8 Notebook Consultant

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    I sold this on ebay,so I do not know this person.But I he does know some of my general info..name and address through ebay and paypal.And I didnt realize they can get my phone #,as my phone shows that he tried to call me before,yikes.I have to look into that.Though thru emails from him he doesn't sound like the sharpest knife in the draw.And he overpaid for my laptop heh.But he might sell it to someone else in the future,who knows.I've read that if someone really want to recover your data..chances are they will,no matter what you did to it,short completely incinerating it.Thanks for all your replies ,I feel better about it and have a bit better piece of mind now.
     
    BrokenStr8, Jul 27, 2008
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  7. AKAJohnDoe

    AKAJohnDoe Mime with Tourette's

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    I have taken to booting off an external media (e.g.: CD, Floppy) into a utility program that lets me secure wipe (20+ overwrites), then I install DOS 6.22 as the OS so that it boots up.
     
    AKAJohnDoe, Jul 27, 2008
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  8. atbnet

    atbnet Notebook Prophet

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    I run DBAN on the hard drives when I sell my laptops. Then I offer to install a fresh copy of the OS or let them do it.
     
    atbnet, Jul 27, 2008
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