Removing data from your PC

[Lamp]

Short of placing the hard drive between a couple of industrial electomagnets, is there a way of permanently erasing data from your PC so thats its complete irretrievable ?

I've got a stack of financial stuff on my PC that I don't need anymore and I need it permanently wiped.

Or is it a case of it never goes, and no matter what you do, there will always be some technical wizzo who can pull it back ?

 

[liloe]

Short of placing the hard drive between a couple of industrial electomagnets, is there a way of permanently erasing data from your PC so thats its complete irretrievable ?

I've got a stack of financial stuff on my PC that I don't need anymore and I need it permanently wiped.

Or is it a case of it never goes, and no matter what you do, there will always be some technical wizzo who can pull it back ?

Hm, I know Norton Antivir has an Erase function, which works quite well and consists of writing on the sectors multiple times. I guess you will find some standalone erasers aswell, though.

 

[leviathane]

smash the fuck out of it?

 

[georgie]

Something like File Shredder will do the job for all but the most paranoid.

If you're really worried then remove the platters from the HDD and burn them/sand them/grind them/eat them. Alternatively, just give your computer to the wife and say "There you go love, keep it safe. All my good porn is on there."

 

[Thorwyn]

1. Use eraser tools. There are a couple out there, some free, some shareware. Dunno how good they are though.

2. If it´s an entire hdd, format the disk. When it´s done, copy random stuff on it until it´s full. Delete the stuff. Repeat that a couple of times and you can be pretty safe that nobody is able to retrieve any old data from the disc. (As far as I know, that´s basically how those eraser tools work... slapping random crap on the disc until everything is mangled).

 

[Agell]

Having worked for several government agencies, the only approved method of data destruction was as Georgie said, grind the platters.

However, unless someone is really really desperate to see how many porn sites you subscribed to on your credit card, file eraser will do the trick.

 

[Lamp]

Thanks chaps

 

[Kaomond]

Having worked for several government agencies, the only approved method of data destruction was as Georgie said, grind the platters.

However, unless someone is really really desperate to see how many porn sites you subscribed to on your credit card, file eraser will do the trick.

Very true, it doesn't mater what you do, there is going to be a 'ghost' of the datat there that can be at least partialy retrieved by someone with the right technical knowledge and an absolute obsession.

But you shouldn't worry too much unless you have government secrest on there or something because it's extremely unlikely that anyone would want to go through all that trouble just for some normal persons financial crap.

There are quite a few tools out there that will do the job more than adequately for the average person.

On the other hand if you are a secret agent trying to delete information that you don't want your superiors to see then you're buggered

 

[Olgaline]

Put a sticker on it labeled [Important finansial stuff, please destroy] and dump it in the trash...

 

[Iceforge]

Take it out of computer, put it in a box, label box "Carefull, Glass inside", put on stamps and go to local post office and send it to yourself, guaranteed destruction.

 

[liloe]

Take it out of computer, put it in a box, label box "Carefull, Glass inside", put on stamps and go to local post office and send it to yourself, guaranteed destruction.

Daaaaamn, spread some rep Someone else give this guy a rep instead please ^^