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How do I wipeout all personal data so I can pass on my PC?


razz

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Is there a full proof way to wipe out all personal info on your PC so it will be safe to pass the computer onto someone else? I was told the only full-proof way is to re-install the operating system (in my case XP) - I'm hoping there would be another way.

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There really ought to be a sticky on this - except that there could be some disagreement.

 

A format will not erase old data, it's more like a glorified chkdsk. A reinstall will overwrite wherever the sys files are installed, but leave the rest of the disk alone. So a format and install will not remove all previous traces. CC's Drive Wiper Entire Drive should, by doing a format followed by a wipe free space (followed by your install), do the trick.

 

In theory deleting all of your personal data and then doing a wipe free space should also give you what you want, but you have to make sure every bit of data has gone before doing the wfs.

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You could format the drive a ton of times and there's still going to be salvageable files. The drive would need to have the free space wiped. If selling off a PC doing multiple passes of a wipe free space, followed by running Recuva using Deep Scan mode should reveal if there's anything someone could possibly recover. From my experience CCleaner's Wipe Free Space works very well.

 

I haven't tried it yet but perhaps using CCleaner Portable and Recuva Portable from a USB Thumb Drive outside of Windows in Bart PE could be something worth trying as you already know how they work, etc.

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Just buy a new drive.

 

+1 Dont forget all the .dats & .logs & .txts & .manifests that windows and other apps tuck away. They are not deleted just because your personal files are, and they are not free space so don't get wiped.

 

Those 4 extensions account for 2,367 files on C: drive here. :blink:

The CCleaner SLIM version is always released a bit after any new version; when it is it will be HERE :-)

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In my post what I should've stated was running CCleaner's Wipe Free Space on a completely empty already formatted drive with nothing on it. But yeah, a brand new drive would be a faster and known safer solution.

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When my old beast died I took out the hard drive and took the rest to an electronics junkyard. The old drive is inaccessible (can't run or be reformatted) but I just threw it in the closet to gather dust.

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For me buying a new drive is not an option. I don't really feel like spending the money and the time to do that. I'll uninstall most of the programs and just leave a few that I figure who ever I give my PC to may find useful. Thanks to the advice given on here, I'll then find and delete all .dats & .logs & .txts & .manifest files and then run CCleaner's Wipe Free Space a few times. I'll then run Recuva using Deep Scan mode and delete anything it finds and that I'm able to get my hands on.

 

This should likely do the trick. First of all, I am not a Secret Agent with multitudes of secret information and second of all, the odds would be very slim that the person who ends up with my PC is actually interested in finding secret info on me and if he/she was, would they even be capable of finding it. Does this make any sense?

 

As always, thank you all for your help.

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If you can install the OS again, DBAN + reinstallation will make sure nothing is ever recovered.

Probably the best solution. However with DBAN he'll also have to have either the install disc or recovery partition. I've never tried DBAN before and don't know if it would also wipe out a recovery partition, which would be undesirable if having to reinstall the OS without an install disc available.

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I'll uninstall most of the programs and just leave a few that I figure who ever I give my PC to may find useful.

I suspect that is nearly useless unless you do not want your mother to see an application that is dedicated to one of the carnal sins.

 

I think that it will be purely accidental if the uninstallation of a program would delete your related documents/videos/downloads etc.

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If you're giving your PC to someone you know and trust, no biggie. If you're giving it to a complete stranger, uh, I wouldn't.

And yeah, there are tons of tiny files kept from being wiped during a reformatting. Years ago on my old XP machine I did a thorough BitDefender online scan (that's one tenacious horrible little bugger, try getting BitDefender out of your registry, jeez!). The online scan lasted 3+ hours and I was looking at the file names as they flashed by and there was stuff from before my last few reformats showing up.

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  • 3 years later...

If I wipe the free space on a laptop I want to donate or sell will all my personal info be gone?

CCCleaner will not allow me to wipe the entire drive.

If I do a Format C - everything will be gone and a new OS will need to be installed, right?

How do I do a format C?

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You can't while you are logged onto the same pc.

Since you want to format it, that means you are going to reload Windows, that is where/when you format the drive.

During the install process you have the oppurtunity to delete your drive partitions.

Backup now & backup often.
It's your digital life - protect it with a backup.
Three things are certain; Birth, Death and loss of data. You control the last.

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Hello to all - An alternative to wiping a disk is to fill it with random data instead. If you're willing to download a Linux .iso and create either a DVD or bootable USB flash drive, you can boot into a live session and use the Terminal to perform the following operations:

 

1.) Enter " sudo fdisk -l " ### Use the output to determine the correct device (sda,sdb,sdc,etc.) you're working on and the sector size of the device, either 512 bytes or 4096 bytes.

 

2.) Enter " sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX iflag=nocache oflag=direct bs=512 " ### Substitute sda,sdb,sdc,etc. for sdX and 4096 for 512 if necessary; this operation zero fills the drive

 

3.) Enter " sudo dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/sdX bs=512 " ### Substitute sda,sdb,sdc,etc. for sdX and 4096 for 512 if necessary; this operation fills the drive with random data

 

An alternative to the above is " shred -v /dev/sdX " ### Substitute sda,sdb,sdc,etc. for sdX; this operation fills the drive with random data three consecutive times.

 

These techniques are used when creating an encrypted partition or an encrypted volume in LVM. The random data acts as a smokescreen for the encrypted data, making it very difficult for someone to perform an analysis and crack the encryption.

Start every day with a smile and get it over with. - W.C. Fields

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Other than Derek891's above suggestions the only way to make sure your old data is secure and not recoverable is, as was the case during my several years employment with an unnamed Government Department, we sold/traded our PC's to the public EXCLUDING hard disc drives and RAM. All HDD & RAM from all output/input devices & PC's including Photocopying machines, were incinerated no exceptions. :ph34r:

Always With Kind Regards

Tasgandy

"one is never too old to listen & learn"

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All HDD & RAM from all output/input devices & PC's including Photocopying machines, were incinerated no exceptions. :ph34r:

 

Fire is a secure way!

 

With how cheap hard disks (the old magnetic type) are nowadays someone could buy the computer and put in their own brand new hard disk - if an OS installation disc is also available.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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From CCleaner documentation

 

 

Entire Drive will erase all of the files on the drive. WARNING, this means the whole of the partition will be erased. The drive will still be formatted, but all data will be erased. For safety reasons, this feature is disabled for the boot drive.

 

You cannot wipe the entire C drive while you are in it.

 

Support contact

https://support.ccleaner.com/s/contact-form?language=en_US&form=general

or

support@ccleaner.com

 

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