…UNLESS… you have already removed ALL hard-disk-drives and destroyed them first.

NEVER dump or re-sell an old Hard Disk Drive (HDD) ….. you may think you have deleted all data from it and wiped it clean but be very very wary.
 
 
 

OLD PC's often end up in NIGERIA where scammers and crooks buy them just to get at YOUR personal data and defraud you of your life savings and your identity

There is no 100% guarantee your data cannot be accessed off an old disk UNLESS you completely destroy it first

This is what you have to do

1) Open the case and remove any Hard-disk drives (not the optical/CD/DVD drive or the Floppy-disk-drive)
 
 
 
 
 
 

2) Unscrew and remove the Hard-disk-drive (HDD) from the case
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3) Take a hammer and destroy the circuit board as a MINIMUM if you have a big enough hammer, break open the case and smash into pieces. (you can also drill the case or use pliars to prise open the case and destroy the platters inside)
 
 
 
 
 
4) Dispose of the damaged hard-disk-drive somewhere secure…. not in your dust bin or the local dump. Bury it in the garden or hide somewhere in the house or roof-space where it will not be found for 30 years or more (when the data will be useless anyway).
 
 
 
 
Some people go to extremes such as burning, disassembling, shredding or microwaving the hard-disk-drive but unless you have the equipment…. a simple hammering and burying will do the trick.

DO NOT WASTE time and money on so-called ERASE programs or using ERASE or REFORMATTING … using very simple and free programs an amateur can easily reconstruct the data.

Be-safe-and-destroy

If you don't want or can't fix the problem yourself, give us a call and we can fix it. Come to us in Subiaco or we can come to you.

Written by John Kirkby