Pc Repairs....being careful

[Natwest Bank]

Hi there,

Maybe off topic, but still relevent to us lot on here...

If my pc need to go back to be repaired, how easy is it for the lads at the shop to trace which site I log onto, and what pics I have downloaded....(nothing I really shoudn't have I hasten to add.....!)

If I copy all my pics to a cd, then delete them from my hard drive..... what is the likelihood of them being picked up on?

Is a trace left on the hard drive even after something has been dlelted? I always delete cookies and temp internet files. What else is it wise to do.....

Chers

Natwestxxx

[Davideo]

I think the only safe thing to do is reformat your hard drive. Simply deleting files doesn't actually remove them from your drive.

[joe king]

the swap file need deleting
I wonder if just reformating a disk wipes off the previous stuff.

[TM Video]

Deleting, formating etc.. none of them are good enough!! Trust me I was "professionally" trained in this. You would have to format then write over 1000 times 1's and 0's etc across the entire hard drive to really "wipe" any information clean. The best bet is to get ahold of encryption software PGP (Free on the Internet) and then putting your private key on a floppy. Then encrypt any/all directories that would be important. Of course this may not help what ever problem the PC was in the shop for in the first place.

The bottom line is this... there is software/technology out there that can retrieve information off deleted, formated and physically damaged (broke into pieces etc) drives. The only way to truely remove the data is one very large magnet!! But then the disk is shot for good. So trust who you have fixing your PC!!

[joe king]

I would never trust PC World to do my repairs (although I go there often) and after the Gary Glitter debacle I still wouldn't. The advice I get there keeps changing everytime I ask them something. (Like Direct Cable Connection, I was first told I would need both computers to have the same operating system, but I found out the Direct Cable Connection can work betwwen 2 different operating system. The problem was I hadn't installed the NetBeUI protocol on both machines (something which the windows millenium help file seems to miss), so now I can transfer files from win 95 to Millenium.
www.msdn.microsoft.com is a good place to search.
File shredders
BCwipe
www.jetico.com
http://www.jetico.com/bcwipe.htm

http://www.isis-software.com/shiva.htm

Windows NT/2000 can have a registry tweak to delete the swap file on computer boot down.

[Rimbaud]

I wouldn't worry. Assuming you're not a pervert with child porn omn your hard drive, what's the risk? there's no crime in keeping consensual adult h/c on your hard drive. Also. I don't imagine for a second that PC World actually check this kind of stuff. Glitter was either caught by fluke or they deliberately thought "I wonder what Gary Glitter has on his hard drive".

[Shaun]

I've got the misfortune of having the Gary Glitter branch of PC World as 'my local'. As previously stated they are only good for new bits and pieces, I only take my PC to a trusted local shop.