Scrubbing data from a laptop

S

ScouserInExile

687
A friend of mine has recently got herself a new laptop, she was just going to bin the old one but asked at the last minute if I wanted it. I told her to eBay it, since that's what I'd do with it, but she "can't be bothered", so I'm going to sell it instead (she even refused a cut of what I get for it).

Thing is, she's used this laptop for doing stuff like applying for jobs, internet banking and Facebook, so I'm a bit concerned that whoever I sell it to will be able to find personal information off it, which could then be used for fraud (she wasn't even going to delete her CV off it before dumping it in the bin).

So how do I do this?

I'm well aware that just deleting files doesn't really cut it - I recently accidentally deleted 4Gig of photos off my wife's laptop, it took be about 30 seconds to download software to recover them all and then get them back.
 
ScouserInExile
A friend of mine has recently got herself a new laptop, she was just going to bin the old one but asked at the last minute if I wanted it. I told her to eBay it, since that's what I'd do with it, but she "can't be bothered", so I'm going to sell it instead (she even refused a cut of what I get for it).

Thing is, she's used this laptop for doing stuff like applying for jobs, internet banking and Facebook, so I'm a bit concerned that whoever I sell it to will be able to find personal information off it, which could then be used for fraud (she wasn't even going to delete her CV off it before dumping it in the bin).

So how do I do this?

I'm well aware that just deleting files doesn't really cut it - I recently accidentally deleted 4Gig of photos off my wife's laptop, it took be about 30 seconds to download software to recover them all and then get them back.
Click to expand...

Delete all the personal data,also from the recycling bin.
Then reinstall windows, and while in the installation options, choose to format the HDD. I'm pretty sure you would want to reinstall windows when selling a computer...
 
The best method is to replace he HDD and smash the old one if you want the best chance of not giving out data.
 
Use Ultimate boot disk and burn it to a CD and use the HDD scubbing tools on it.

Or you could also reinstall windows on it then install CCleaner and use the Drive wiper setting and set to DOD 5220 setting which is more than enough.
 
Grayfox
Use Ultimate boot disk and burn it to a CD and use the HDD scubbing tools on it.

Or you could also reinstall windows on it then install CCleaner and use the Drive wiper setting and set to DOD 5220 setting which is more than enough.
Click to expand...

👍

This is your best option if you're not going to destroy the drive. Doing it with ccleaner is really simple.
 
Grayfox
Use Ultimate boot disk and burn it to a CD and use the HDD scubbing tools on it.

Or you could also reinstall windows on it then install CCleaner and use the Drive wiper setting and set to DOD 5220 setting which is more than enough.
Click to expand...

DOD 5220 wipes it 3 times. I'd choose Gutmann. 35 times. (Yes, I'm paranoid.)
 
You could also do a destructive install of Linux in ext4 or ext2 format, using a liveCD of any distrubution of Linux.

It will still be ok to install Windows as well, after doing that.

Although using the disk wipes mentioned above, could be a better idea.
 
Just format with the windows CD and proceed to a fresh new installation! Anything else is just too much for this simple thing.
 
Just writing zeroes to the disk, reformatting, installing linux (and then replacing with windows if you wish), or any of the disk cleaners mentioned here would do at least a good enough job. Let's face it, hardly anybody is going to send a pretty much random second hand laptop to a data recovery service.
 

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