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Deleting and Destroying Data Forever
Peoples' private information needs to stay private, even after it has been erased. Wait a minute, after it's been erased? Have you ever given away an old computer or diskette, deleting the files off it, or giving it a quick format to make sure your information is gone? That might not be enough to stop some one from easily recovering the information! When you delete a file, normally the operating system and file system say, "ok the file is gone!" but at the physical level the information is still there. If you were to run a recovery program you would be able to see information that you have deleted. In order to get rid of old data you actually need to write over that same physical location on the hard drive several times to make sure it is gone, or at least much harder to recover. The standard for most government agencies is to do a seven pass wipe. That means that the hard drive will be written over with various sequences and random data seven time to be considered clean. There are many end user applications that can assist you by wiping data as you delete it multiple times, however it will slow down your system significantly if you are deleting large amounts of data. For the average home user I wouldn't suggest wiping your deleted items more than three or four times, unless you are really worried about the information being recovered. If you plan on wiping away the entire computer there is some applications that you can use that run from a boot diskette that will allow you to wipe the entire hard drive from start to finish. This process takes several hours, usually left as an "all nighter." (One of those programs you start before you go to sleep!) You may be thinking, this is great for writeable media, but what about one-write media, such as CD's, DVD's and things like that? Stores sell pretty cool CD shredders, or machines that will indent the media with little holes or pock marks that make it unreadable. But my personal favorite (Do not do this, it's probably dangerous, and will be bad for the unit) is to put CD/DVD media in the microwave for two seconds. It makes the media in to this really cool spider web sort of cracked design that I like to hang on my pin board. As I mentioned, you shouldn't do this method, it's probably really bad for the microwave and might send some bad wave lengths through the room in to your brain, and it will make your microwave smell bad. You have been warned. The final problem you might have is with hard drives that have failed, often they die at a random time, with whatever information you had on it. You don't just want to throw it in the trash, just in case someone gets creative and tries to recover the information. I highly suggest that you either disassemble it nicely with torques screw drivers (most of them use torques), and trash the plates inside, or be create in how to smash the entire drive until it's broken and flat. If you do decide to dissect it gracefully, the magnets inside are super strong and are great for hanging calendars and heavier items from metal cabinets. Data security and privacy is such an important topic, always treat your media appropriately as to reduce your risk of passing on private information mistakenly! Ken Dennis
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Cisco Certification: Taking Your First Certification Exam Youâ??ve studied hard; youâ??ve practiced your configurations; youâ??ve used your flash cards over and over again; and finally, the big day is here. Your first certification exam! The Best MP3 Players Under $100 You don't have to fork out $250 for a super-diggy-whizbang mp3 player, do you? There are cheap mp3 players to be had, with a host of features perfectly suitable for everyday use. Here is a small sampling of some of the highest-rated cheap mp3 players. Looking at their features and failings can give you an idea of what can be attained for under $100. Registry Tools Demystified Not sure what Windows registry is or how it works? Don't worry - there are tools that can take care of all registry related tasks for you, even if you are a seventy six year old who never used computer before. These are the tools that optimize your registry and make your PC run faster. Help, I Need a New HDTV! 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Best PC Pocket GPS Stop Getting Lost Get Ahead When You Build Your Own Computer If you've been kicking around the idea of building your own computer, it actually isn't a bad idea. It's easier than you might think, and you can probably come out with a system that gives you more kick for your money, than you'd see in retail, or those made-to-order places. There are mainly two ways you're going to see the benefits here: Troubleshooting Computer Freeze (Lockup) Problems How familiar does the following sound? Your computer was working fine, but then suddenly started locking up (aka hanging or freezing), rebooting itself (crashing) or shutting down spontaneously? If you know only too well what I am talking about, then read on! Performing the simple steps below can fix the majority of lockup cases. Why Build Your Own Gaming Computer? The best way to get the gaming computer that you want, that will provide optimum performance is to build your own computer. If you think you do not have the technical knowledge or are not capable of building a computer you are wrong. I'm pretty certain that I could teach my mother (who has a hard time working a VCR) how to build a computer. If you can plug a sweeper into a wall outlet and use a screw driver, you too can build a computer. Reliable File and Folder Sharing in Windows Xp This tip is on sharing files and folders on a local network in Windows XP. It has been tested on Windows XP Professional (with and without SP2). How Does a Palm Pilot Work? Just The Facts, Ma'm Got Virus? GOT VIRUS? Your Data is NOT lost forever! The Help Desk When you think of a help desk, what do you picture? Do you see a large desk with an elderly woman sitting behind it pencil behind the ear? Maybe it has a computer or two? Of course the person is smiling, but you know it's not going to be much help to talk to them. Now, transform this image to the computer help desk. Now, erase those images and focus on the computers. The help desks of the internet are much more computer powered and, as it should be, helpful! Help, I Need a New HDTV! (Part 2 of 5) Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the choices these days, you may feel like, "Where do I start?!" Basic Problem in a PC I have a p3 500MHz PC with 128MB RAM, 10.2 GB HDD Sony CD ROM 48x with window ME edition operating system. I have a problem- when I insert my audio cd, it shows the error message: "window cannot access the specified device path or file. You may not have appropriate permission the access the item." Please tell me the solution of this error how can we configure the Yahoo! Account in outlook express. What is the pop mail and SMTP address of the Yahoo! Mail? Image Formats: GIF, JPEG, BMP When browsing the internet you are likely to come across many different image formats. However, the most common formats are: CompuServe GIF, JPEG, and Bitmaps. Build Your Own Computer I'm eighty-one years old and I bought my first computer six years ago. When I bought it I hardly knew how to turn it on. I consider myself still a Newbie as I've barely scratched the surface of computer technology. I have successfully built about a dozen computers for family, friends and myself. I have even sold a couple of them. Cisco Certification: The Most Important Cisco Study Youll Ever Do All of us are familiar with the pyramids of Egypt. These magnificent structures have stood for thousands of years, withstanding extreme heat and other factors that would bring down an ordinary structure. What Exactly are Screensavers? - part I After reading this good article you will know some important information about screensavers and their history. You will find out how screensavers are different from other applications and what advantages you'll have if you use them. If you have a laptop or a notebook you can also find useful things.
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