RE: What about OLD computers??

["Dan Goldstein" <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>]

I usually follow this procedure:

1. Make sure that hard drive has been fully backed up.
2. Remove hard drive from PC.
3. Put on a pair of safety goggles.
4. Drill several large holes through hard drive.
5. Bring the whole mess to the recycling center.

It's not that I don't care about local charities (I do!), or that I just
enjoy using the power drill (well, OK, that, too). The hard drive might
contain confidential information about other people and companies, and I
see this as my obligation to them (as well as to myself).

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Geoff Lane
> Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 10:37 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Re: What about OLD computers??
> 
> On Wednesday, November 26, 2008, Christine Sigman wrote;
> 
> > We're not trying to outwit a forensic squad from the IRS, I 
> swear -- 
> > just trying to come up with the equivalent of shredding financial 
> > papers before putting them in the bin.
> ---
> 
> And well you should. There was a documentary some time ago 
> about how mobile phones and computers donated to some 
> charities or dumped on the tip were finding their way over to 
> certain third-world countries where miscreants harvested the 
> data they contained for nefarious purposes.
> 
> Perhaps a better alternative is to remove all your personal 
> data then use a trial version of a commercial secure 
> free-space erasing tool or Open Source (like GNUPG). 
> Alternatively, "nuke" the disk and install a suitable Linux 
> distro. Once done, you could offer the machine to the 
> Freecycle Network (http://www.freecycle.org/) - there are 
> groups for most populated arears and you'll have the pleasure 
> of helping out someone in your neighborhood.
> 

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