PSA - wiping hard drives so data is longer recoverable by crooks
This is a public service announcement based upon 2 postings I just placed on ljover30 . If you are getting rid of your old computers you should refer to the info behind the cut, which I provide for informational use only, as I am not a computer guru, and cannot be responsible for anything you may do to your computer!
Be careful about software that merely replaces programs. Your old info may still be available on your old computer's hard drive. Buy software specifically designed for wiping drives clean, or try reading this article and these links.
http://www.computer.org/security/garfinkel.pdf
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/81
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/297
I used this -
http://staff.washington.edu/jdlarios/autoclave-discontinued/install.html
on the 3 old computers my wife and I had kept around dating back to 1983 but disposed of last year. Note - this is no longer supported, the author recommends this - http://dban.sourceforge.net/ which you'll note is mentioned in the tips above.
Be careful about software that merely replaces programs. Your old info may still be available on your old computer's hard drive. Buy software specifically designed for wiping drives clean, or try reading this article and these links.
http://www.computer.org/security/garfinkel.pdf
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/81
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/297
I used this -
http://staff.washington.edu/jdlarios/autoclave-discontinued/install.html
on the 3 old computers my wife and I had kept around dating back to 1983 but disposed of last year. Note - this is no longer supported, the author recommends this - http://dban.sourceforge.net/ which you'll note is mentioned in the tips above.