Iam selling my computer to a friend, what is the best way to clear my personal files from my computer besides deleting to the recycle bin, are their hidden files that can hold my personal information?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

If you are selling it on, why not reformat the hard drive and reinstall the OS.

By far the most secure way.

There is stuff everywhere in the resistry that you may not want anyone else to discover.

If you are serious about this you should be using something like Eraser (http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/faq.php).

Couple of pages here (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=33426) about this very subject:).

I use Handy Bits file shredder (http://www.handybits.com/shredder.htm) It wirtes over the data several times so it harder to recover

I 'cleaned' a HDD for a relative recently that had some fairly sensitive stuff on it.

Used the MOD spec option in Eraser to overwrite all the sensitive stuff, then did a full format and re-install, put it in another machine and filled it full of random MP3's, then Erased it again!

Could be called OTT, but he wanted to be sure it was clean.

Iam selling my computer to a friend, what is the best way to clear my personal files from my computer besides deleting to the recycle bin, are their hidden files that can hold my personal information?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.


Remove the hard drive and bash the carp out of it with a lump hammer

Remove the hard drive and bash the carp out of it with a lump hammer
like it, better than my solution:D

I was told by a lecturer in the computer department at Manc.Uni ( in a newsgroup) that destroying the HD. was the only sure way to make the data unrecoverable

the only definite way to make it unrecoverable is to destroy the platters, by smashing them with a hammer/melting them with a blowtorch/drilling holes in them etc etc. But for everyday stuff, a format and reistall should be adequate.

It seems most of us think that distroying the HD is the only way to be totally secure.

Does this mean data remains after a format? Thought that was the end of everything!

And, yes I bleach with Window Washer ;)

replace ther hard drive and then you'll have peace of mind

i delete stuff using either necrofile or bcwipe both wipe stuff to mod standards if needed.....replace data with zeros



by the way why does it really mtter to do it to mod standard, cos they can actually be quite lacks, leaving laptops and paperwork on trains and pub tables etc :P

This thread (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=92957) might be of more help!