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General discussion

Getting rid of old computer; what should I do before proceeding?

Jan 27, 2012 7:26AM PST
Question:

Getting rid of old computer; what should I do before proceeding?


Hello, everyone, I had an old Windows desktop computer given to me by my son when he got his Apple and now I have upgraded to a HP laptop. My question is how do I destroy all the personal information on the old desktop, including all bank details? I got rid of the keyboard, speakers, etc., but I still have the main box that holds all the info. I am scared to throw it out, and it has been sitting in the corner of the room for nearly three years and is an eyesore. What are my options--as to what do I need to do specifically? A detailed explanation and step-by-step procedures are needed. Please help me; I would be ever so grateful. Many thanks.

- Submitted by: Shirley H.

Discussion is locked

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Ubuntu is a good OS, BUT......
Jan 28, 2012 2:32AM PST

Ubuntu was not designed to destroy data in the sense that we are talking about here. Ubuntu will only overwrite the data already on the disk just like if created data on that disk any other way. Therefore, that data can still be recovered if enough time, effort and money is thrown at it. To learn more about data recovery start here.

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yes, but...
Feb 3, 2012 10:16AM PST

...that isn't really lumpee's point.
The concern is that someone who gets the drive could access the data without the resources of a computer forensic lab.The suggestion was to install an OS that could run on an older system and then keep it. I doubt the original owner is too concerned about them accessing their own date. Even then, over time (and a pretty short time) the old data would be obliterated.

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I agree
Jan 30, 2012 2:10AM PST

Ubuntu FTW!!!

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Removing the hard drive
Jan 27, 2012 9:58AM PST

All you need to remove the hard drive is Philips screwdriver. Most cases can be open by removing 2 screws holding on the side panels. In some cases you will need to remove the other side. Most cases hold the drive in place with screws but simple push a button to remove the drive. The best source on how to remove the drive is internet. First place to look is maker of computer. You want service manual or owner's manual. The drive usually mount in metal cage for 3 1/2" drives. Remove the power cable and wide ribbon or narrow round ribbon. The ribbon goes to motherboard and power cable is from the power supply. After you have remove the drive, just remove the cover with torx screwdriver.

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It is possible to wipe the hard drive clean
Jan 27, 2012 10:00AM PST

If you have super-sensitive data on there (such as bank account and credit card numbers) and you have reason to believe that someone will want that data, then software is available that will wipe the hard drive clean. The best and easiest solution for you, though, is to simply remove the hard drive and put it somewhere or destroy it. The hard drive is much smaller than the computer tower itself and can be tucked into a drawer or other small space. Get rid of the remainder of the computer. When you are ready to throw the hard drive away, physically destroy it. Pay special attention to the disks. You might even run some magnets over the surface to try to mess up the data on it. I'm sure someone who has done this before will post instructions. I've never done it myself.

The solution I would use would be to install the hard drive in another computer that you own and use it until it dies. This might not be practical for you, but it does allow the data to be destroyed by being overwritten over a period of time and also provides some more hard drive space for you to play with. If you can do that then you can feel proud of yourself for your thrift! You will need someone who has a little knowledge to install the drive for you or you can find instructions online.

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I don't know about this ...
Jan 30, 2012 2:11AM PST

This is a last resort ...

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Target practice
Jan 27, 2012 10:13AM PST

The most fun would be to take out the hard drive and shoot it with a high powered rifle.

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Let The Fun Begin
Jan 27, 2012 10:15AM PST

Hi Shirley

This has got to be the least insightful answer I have ever submitted in this forum but I couldn't resist the fun. My answer assumes you know how to or know someone who can assist you in removing the HD. You also own or know someone who owns a power drill. Pull that sucker out (the HD) and drill 4 holes in the platter in a box pattern (use a 3/4 inch drill bit made for drilling through metal). This procedure will render the drive incapable of spinning properly to effectively read complete blocks of information (theoretically it shouldn't spin at all). Next purchase a DiY propane torch kit ($12 to $25) from your local hardware store and Bar-B-Q the HD (both sides) until well done. Be sure to wear protective eye goggles (tinted) and heat resistant gloves. Let the HD cool for 24 hours and then toss it...I mean recycle it. There are other good answers in this forum suggesting software programs and the like....but you won't have as much fun!!

Enjoy!

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Clean up
Jan 27, 2012 10:42AM PST

First part:
First, delete every user files and all temporary files.
You may also want to create some dumy informations that can look as if they where actual informations, like a form having a SIN that you composed randomly, fake user names and passwords that don't look like yours at all... Pick random names from the phone book to create plausible but unexisting persons names.
Empty the recicle bin
Defragment the drive(s).
You may want to reinstall Windows.

Fill up the drive with inocuitous large files. Take a few collected videos (nothing personal), some music, many images making sure it's all legal stuff.
When there is no more room, delete some files to get about 1/3 of the disk space free and defragment again. Fill up again. Reformat.
This will overwrite any stray datas.

You can now reformat your drive and reinstall Windows, or put some other OS, like any version of Linux, and get rid of the computer. Another OS is great as the file system is different, scrambling the disk's content even more.

This should be more than enough to deter any but the most dedicated and hardcore informations thief.
You don't realy need to securely suppress your datas, just make the effort of recovering them to great for what it may be worth. Planting bogus datas also reduce the worth of the real datas.
Also, after almost 3 years, a good part of the datas can be obsolete, or have lost at least part of it's value.

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No make and model? No step-by-step instruction.
Jan 27, 2012 10:55AM PST

But don't fret; you're trying to obliviate the old box, not rescue it, so you can't really make a mistake!

The data you're concerned about resides on the computer's internal hard drive. Smash it.

How to get to it? Make sure the computer itself is not plugged into the wall, and then turn every screw on the case (counterclockwise), push anything that looks like a latch release, until the case opens up. (Some screws may be hiding inside the case's rubber feet. Find 'em, turn 'em.) Don't be afraid to force things to identify what might still be holding the case together. Wear gloves if you're ultra-cautious.

How to identify the hard drive? There aren't many metal-encased assemblies inside; probably just a power supply, the hard drive and maybe some disk drives. (Disk drives will have some access to the outside world; a slot where you can insert and remove disks, CDs, DVDs, or whatever. Anything with such external access can be ignored, as can anything that's flat and green and festooned with little electronic gizmos.) If in doubt as to what's what, keep turning screws until all the assemblies become unmounted. Go after the screws that hold the metal-cased assemblies together, unplug whatever cables you can (and cut what ever you can't). When you've got the thing stripped down as much as you can, whack whatever looks whackable. Use a hammer.

If something on one of the assemblies identifies it as the hard drive, you can concentrate your efforts on it. (There's no security advantage to disembowling a power supply, but if you don't know which is which, there's no harm to it, either.)

Some computers have more than one internal hard drive, typically two. Get 'em both.

Your locality may have some ordinance about disposing electronic waste, of which you'll have quite a pile when your done. Be sure to comply.

Have fun!

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Reuse computer
Feb 3, 2012 10:12AM PST

Dell B10 Tower Home Version XP
I got my sister's old computer. How do I erase all her data but save the operating system? I don't know what folders to delete. Only a few.
Eva

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Reuse
Feb 8, 2012 6:05AM PST

Actually, all you need to do is delete any of her documents on the machine (in My Documents) and uninstall any programs you don't want, using the Control Panel's Program Uninstall tool. You don't need to know where things are if you do that.

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well
Jan 27, 2012 11:35AM PST

Expose the hard drive and drive a silver spike into its heart and then recycle the rest.. mo

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Re: Well
Feb 8, 2012 5:32AM PST

A SILVER spike?? It ain't a werewolf Markie1111! Wink

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Remove and destroy the hard drive
Jan 27, 2012 12:26PM PST

It sounds like your computer is ancient by computer standards. The hard drive is where all your data is stored. If the computer were newer and you still had the keyboard and monitor, there are programs available that will wipe the hard drive to DOD standards. In this case, you should remove and destroy the hard drive. With the hard drive removed you can safely dispose of the the computer. You can even give it to someone and they can put in a new hard drive and use it if they desire. Removing the isn't that difficult. First, open the case. I can't help on that one. There might be some screws or a latch to remove the cover. Next identify the hard drive. It will be a metal case about the size of your hand with a couple of cables attached. It should be about the same size and shape as the CD or diskette drives which also have cables attached but they should be obvious as they will have the slots on the front for the CDs or diskettes. It might be held by screws but most newer PCs have a clip or lever to release the hard drive and slide it out. When you get it out, you can destroy the drive any way you want. Your information is stored on the disks inside the drive. When they are physically mutilated, they are unreadable. Choose your weapon - fire, sandpaper, acid.....

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Data destruction
Feb 4, 2012 12:49AM PST

One way to do this is a simple way. Download a utilitiy program based on the harddrive brand from the manufactureres website, that is capable of writing "10101010" to the entire drive and the reformat it with a fresh install of windows or whatever the computer came with. First erase the partition table with the install disk. This erases the location of your files. Then format the drive. Then use a program designed to overwrite every bit and byte of every file location with "10101010". Most hard drive manufacturers have utilities that you can download to do this. Only people like the FBI and some serious high lever and overpaid professionals can recover data after that. If you are really serious take your hard drive out on a cruise and throw it over board in a deep stretch of ocean. I dont buy a lot of hard drives and I usually just take them and store them in the Garage on a shelf. All hard drives have a little circuit board and if you destroy that it makes it really hard to access the Hard Drive. The disks themselves inside the hard drive could be destroyed. It might be fun to take a welding torch and cut up the platters, or you could put them on the stove till they glow red.
Thermite will destroy a computer hard drive real fast.
http://hackaday.com/2008/09/16/how-to-thermite-based-hard-drive-anti-forensic-destruction/
Thermite burns at a really high temp and melts the platters.

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Getting rid of old computer
Jan 27, 2012 2:00PM PST

Open the case and remove the hard drive. If you're unsure about doing that, do a youtube search for the make and model. I'll bet you find a video with instructions. Save the hard drive. It takes-up lots less space than the entire machine. You never know when it'll come in handy. Take the rest of the computer to a recycler. There's lots of stuff that can be reused.

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remove and destroy the hard drive
Jan 27, 2012 2:56PM PST

Is there any information on the old hard drive that you might still need? If there is you will need to transfer the information to your new computer or make a copy of it. You can also remove the old hard drive and keep it. If you decide to keep it, make sure you store it properly in an anti static bag or a hard case designed to make an internal hard drive function as an external hard drive. You should be able to access all the information you need to remove the drive online. It really is easy to remove.

If there is nothing you want to save on the old drive remove it and destroy it. You should be able to access all the information you need to do this online using your new laptop. Again this is relatively easy to do. Destroying the hard drive is really the only way to be sure all the information is gone for good. The rest of the computer can be used for parts or taken to an e waste facility.

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Permanent and Irrevocable Data Destruction
Jan 27, 2012 3:11PM PST

The object here is to keep your data either in your own hands or destroy it completely. If that drive is large enough to make it worth enough to you to re-purpose you can buy a case that will turn an internal hard drive into an external one. In this instance you may want to "wipe" the drive by using a disk wiping software such as KillDisk or DBAN. (Both of those are free). This way you can start out with an external hard drive without an operating system on it that's not needed.

If you don't need/want to keep that old hard drive you will have to physically destroy the platter of the hard drive. As of 2007 overwriting is no longer considered safe by the DoD for dealing with top secret data owned by the government to keep it out of nefarious hands (See this website for explanation.). I don't know about you but I, personally, consider my own data to be "top secret" as far as those who would misuse it are concerned. Wink

To destroy the platter of that hard drive, as mentioned above, you need to somehow get the hard drive out of the computer either by yourself or with help. It's truly not that hard to do. All you need is the right size and type of screw drivers for that computer. Once you get the case of the computer open it's fairly easy to find and remove the hard drive. It's normally rather easy to remove the platter from the drive case, as well. (If all else fails, you can look on You Tube for 'how to remove a hard drive' and 'how to take apart a hard drive' to see how to do these things.) The reason to remove the platter is that there are electronic parts inside of the drive case along with the platter that need to be recycled. Once the platter is removed the case with all that's left inside of it can go with the computer to the recycler.

To give you a better idea of your options to protect your data from now on you may want to read more about Data Remanence and how to mitigate it. In addition, you may want to check out File Shredder for your current computer.

I hope this helps. Good Luck and Happy Computing! Grin

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BTW...
Jan 27, 2012 3:24PM PST

To destroy the platter, my favorite method is to watch a friend of mine who is a mechanic take his plasma cutter to it. This normally leaves nothing of the platter but slag and ashes if it's anything other than glass or ceramic. Cool The main object, though, it to render the complete surfaces of the platter totally unreadable if you can't destroy the thing altogether.

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DON'T DESTROY THE HARD DRIVE!!! Pull it out, and KEEP IT!
Feb 3, 2012 10:09AM PST

Remember the backup you just made of the old hard drive before you destroyed it? Well, it turns out that your favorite accounting program, etc. keeps the important data in some OTHER place on the hard drive that wasn't included in your backup. Unfortunately, you destroyed the hard drive and now getting the data back will be impossible.

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(NT) A cutting torch is fast.
Feb 3, 2012 5:13PM PST
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Electronics Recycling and Data Destruction
Sep 16, 2014 11:55PM PDT

This is an old thread, but an important one.

You can either keep the data you already have, or have it destroyed. If you want to be totally safe, you should have the platter physically destroyed, as btljooz mentioned above.

One thing you should keep in mind is that there are places you can go to that'll do it for free, if you let them keep the leftover materials and recycle them. You can take them into these electronics recycling shops, they'll destroy your hard drive and even give you a certificate of destruction, and then recycle the core pieces. Good for the environment, free for you and something more people should be aware of. Hope this is helpful.

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Destroying a hard drive - BE SAFE.
Jan 27, 2012 5:49PM PST
Having read several of the replies below - pleases ensure that you protect your eyes if you hit the HDD with a hammer! Bits can fly off it. I also suggest that you do not run the computer with the case open unless you are very confident with electricity - even people who know what they are doing can be electrocuted. Shocked

But why throw away a working hard drive? Best bet is to use it as a stand alone drive as a a back up as suggested in the thread. Happy
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info wiping
Jan 27, 2012 6:56PM PST

surely, a low-level format should do it?

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removing old data on old pc.
Jan 27, 2012 8:07PM PST

In your particular situation you have only two simple choices really.
option 1: Remove the component hard drive from the offending desktop and store somewhere safe should you ever need to access any of the information by attaching it to another pc. ( it is only about 6" x 4") in size so just pop it into a cupboard for safe keeping.
option 2: After removing the hard drive and you are sure you never need anything that is on it then take the hard drive into your shed and use any of your DIY tools to take the thing apart and physical chop the bits into unservicable parts, in particular making sure you chop and cut the recording circular disc.
Yes this is a crude and cheap way but guarenteed and you have the satisfaction of knowing any information once held on the disc cannot now be accessed.
At no point give it to anyone for disposal as information is really easy nowadays to retrieve from any hard disc.
Seeing that you intended to throw the offending 'outdated Pc' away then these two are your best options.
If you was wanting to keep the hard-disc then you could just download a freeware Program called ACTIVE KILLDISC which allows the user to rewrite the disc, destroying all information ever recorded.
As hard-disc storage is so cheap nowadays i shouldn't imagine that the disc is worth saving for storage use.
Hope this has helped

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Destroy the hard drive
Jan 27, 2012 11:32PM PST

I agree with many of these solutions, but the one I like best is using the hard drive for target practice with a high powered rifle or handgun. You can even toss it into a bonfire some evening and toast the entire thing. I'd like to see anyone get data off it then.
I have an 8mm WW2 high powered rifle, bring it to me and we'll make debris out of it.
Or you can just wipe it clean by formatting it, but shooting it would really be the most fun!

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Destroying your personal information.
Jan 28, 2012 4:34AM PST

Hi Shirley,
All you information is stored on the computers hard drive. So here is what to do;

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erasing a HDD
Jan 28, 2012 7:19AM PST

If you want to donate the computer so it can be reused there is a way to erase the disc.Get a bulk eraser(try radio shack),originaly made for bulk eraseing cassetts and reel to reel tape,hold it over the HDD and press the on button.This device emits a large magnetic field which when turned off scrambles all of the magnetic particles that hold the data.This leaves NOTHING that can be reconised as data with any technique.The hard drive is now randomised and ready for a new life.Or take a large magent(old headphones will do the trick also) and rub it over the disc.This will partialy magentise the disc also destroying the information,but rendering the HDD unusable.These two methods are the only way to erase an disc once and for all.All other methods(non-destrutive that is) simply scramble the data and for enough money almost anything can be retrived.

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Getting rid of old computer
Jan 29, 2012 1:27AM PST

According to a computer expert who services my computer. This is what he does.

1. Load everything you need on USB stick
2. Open up the CPU and remove the hard drive and smash/destroy it completely
3. Dump all in a toxic waste site in your area