[SPAM] [Hidden-tech] Recycling dead computers?

J. Cohen ht at westernmasswebdesign.com
Fri May 23 16:25:03 EDT 2008


Chris Woods wrote:
> One thing to keep in mind when recycling your old computer (or selling
> it or giving it away): remove the hard disk. Re-formatting is
> insufficient to protect your personal data (doubly true of Windows).
> Take the hard disk out and physically destroy it (a hammer, safety
> goggles, and a hard surface work well for this).

If you overwrite the drive using a program like "shred" (GNU/Linux) or
any serious disk erasing program, people won't be able to recover your
data without *really* knowing what they are doing (electron
microscope?)... and even then I don't know if they could get much from a
wiped drive.

I think that it's better not to throw out hard drives.  A Linux live CD
should be able to erase the drive with the "shred" command, or use
something like this on Windows:
http://www.jetico.com/bcwipe3.htm



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