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Ever found anything odd on a used computer?

Format is effective if it works correctly and wipes the entire disk. format /q obviously would just wipe out the fat table and leave the data. "DBAN" (Darik's boot and nuke" is a simple but good app and it writes random data to the drive X times to wipe it out. That technique some folks like because they think that now even an electron microscope that probes below the current magnetic data set won't be able to read the previously saved data and will now see the remnants of the random data used by dban. It's only partially correct as you'd probably have to wipe it 16 times which would take forever. It's free for personal use and is scriptable which makes it a nice popular product as well as a commercial version you can buy for companies and/or agencies which are required to use supported software.

Our corporate policy now mandates that all drives be removed from systems and get shredded. Pretty lame but it's because of all these audit requirements we have to go through mostly to stay in compliance with our customers. I agree the hardest part to find is usually the drive carrier which ironically they won't shred, for whatever reason our shredding company fears steel.
 
I buy most of my floppy disks used, so I get quite a bit of stuff with personal data on it. If it's not an application, drivers or something non-personal, it gets ran through the degaussing ring immediately. As per the Classic Computer Collector's Code of Conduct:

I'm glad someone raised this quickly. :)

In its entirety - stolen from Uncle Roger but available elsewhere:

  • I will do my damnest to find a home for any classic or unwanted computer.
  • I will return or destroy any personal or commercially sensitive data I find on a machine I acquire, and will keep it in the strictest confidence, should I find it necessary to view it.
  • I will aid users in the decomissioning of their machines, should they require assistance.
  • I will respect active software and publication copyrights.
  • I will, whenever possible, repair the computers in my collection and maintain them in working order, and will assist others in doing the same, to the best of my ability. I will actively encourage the repair, maintenance, and use of older computers, in preference to the irreversable alteration of machines and parts for non-computer applications.
  • I will actively promote the exchange of computers, parts, and information among collectors, and will refrain from hoarding multiple examples of any item.
  • I will actively promote ethical collecting.
 
Oh, here is a live one.
My dad had a toughbook sitting in his office with a dead battery and LCD and he decided to let me look it over sonce nobody has touched it in five years.
It belonged to management and everything look okay (spreadsheets, memos and old email) except for the lone image in the My Pictures folder....which was a picture of a mans crotch.
The laptop was gracefully returned to its spot on top of a bookshelf to gather even more dust.
 
Great googly moogly!

Do someone a favor and format that hard drive! Legacy data like that is a menace and could destroy someone's career even if they had nothing to do with it. Say and office prankster puts on some JPEG garbage as a joke and then its found by an inspector or whomever. Seriously, that's a timebomb looking for a place to go off.

I've found my share of "interesting" data on junk computers I've found/gotten over the years and I wipe those drives ASAP unless there is an arrangement with the prior owner to recover it. At most, I might mention to the prior owner the data exists if they want me to retrieve it but by the time it gets to the point I am messing with it the data is long obsolete.

Seriously, wipe the drive before it causes some real damage! DBAN from orbit! It's the only way to be sure! Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
Ok joke response aside yup you should wipe that out just in the unfortunate event that someone comes to claim the system and wants to pretend the data belongs to your father. Plus once you do that you have a fun system to play with.. so it's win win.
 
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