I'm selling my Toshiba Satellite Pro P200-1EE, how do I delete the history

Hi Majorgeeks, I have decided to put my laptop up for sale, I have read that I should delete or remove the hard drive first, I have ccleaner installed, please tell me if the ccleaner wipe free space x 32 times option will delete all my computer history so it cannot be recovered,

I've already run the laptop system restore cd,

Kind Regards,

John.

ps, if ccleaner will not work please tell me how to do it.

 

Greetings, johnboy0, and welcome to MajorGeeks.

Running the CCleaner drive wipe routines should be sufficient.

 

That should reset the Registry so Windows will not see any programs or data you have installed or saved on the system. While this will keep honest people honest, it does not actually remove or delete all the data in the drive storage locations now marked as available. Someone could easily use a data recovery program like Recuva (from the makers of CCleaner) to snoop for (or accidentally discover) any data sill saved there. So you are wise to take this precaution.

Using CCleaner's Drive Wiper feature to wipe the free space is a good solution though x32 (I think it is really x35) is WAY overkill. A "simple" (x1) is plenty. "Advanced" (x3) if paranoid. More than that just wastes your time and energy and would only be needed to ensure no evidence of criminal activity is left behind that a VERY EXPENSIVE "forensic" data recovery service might be able to recover. No badguy is going to spend that kind of time or money - they go for easy pickings - unless they are specifically targeting YOU and they have reason to believe you have valuable information they want that you might have left on the drive.

In other words, if you are not involved in criminal activities or espionage that would draw the attention of crime syndicates, law enforcement, the FBI or the CIA, x1 (or x3 at the most) is plenty.

Just make sure you select "free space" or you will also wipe critical Windows files too.

 

Just do a Reinstall with complete hard drive wipe, with the Restore DVD set, will be sufficient. It will restore it back to the "Out of the Box" condition, that you got it in originally.

 

No, that will not work. A reinstall, restore (or format and install) does not "wipe" the drive first. At best, all they do is prepare the storage locations to receive "new" data, setup the MFT (master file table) and mark any unused space as free. You still MUST perform a separate "wipe" with a wipe program to ensure any previously saved data in the remaining free space that was not over-written by the restore, reinstall or reformat process is totally irretrievable.

 

Incorrect. When you do a reinstall, it will ask if you wish to format the drive first, before installing.

May want to try it sometime with the OEM disk for your version of Windows, then get back to me. Windows 7 & Windows 8 both ask if you wish to do a full format, before installing. Even Vista & XP did. These are all for OEM versions, and also Windows Upgrade editions.

 

Yes, but a format does not and never has "wiped" the free space of a drive of the previously installed data. No need for me to get back to you - for this is widely published common knowledge. You need to visit your friend Bing Google, to verify your facts before posting.

I'll save you some time.

If what you said was true, there would not be unformat programs like EaseUS Data Recovery.

Does formatting totally erase a hard drive?

Does Format Hard Drive Really Erase All Data?

 

Digerati, when I stick in the OEM restore disk for my Toshiba Satellite C850D, it gives me an option to completely wipe out the whole hard drive. That means formatting every sector on the SSD, not just flipping a bit to F. That means it is wiping it out to nothing that was installed on it before, never existing, even if you attempt to use Forensics on it, you will not find anything left.

If I just chose to install the OS as is, yes it will then just reinstall over the pre-existing install, whether it is Linux, or Windows, and tell the MBR that Windows 8 is the current to be installed OS.

You really instead of cross-posting some offsite obscure ehow.com post which is as honest as our government, or the one from Webopedia, which is the same, start posting real info, not some false information.

The only time I would use DBan to do a government wipe, of multiple writes of 0's and F's on the disc, to obscure anything, is if I had something to hide. Most like the OP, all they have to do, is insert the OEM Restore disc that they created with the machine, and that is it.

If a person feels that they are selling to someone who is going to take the time trying to use Forensics software for no reason, then just pull the old drive out of the unit, and install a new drive. End of discussion, and end of argument, for something that has been argued for decades, as to who or what way is correct, when installing a OS, or selling a machine.

 

Exactly what I always do - simple.

 

Sorry, but I don't believe you are correct about your Toshiba and I say that as a past and current Toshiba owner (A505-S6009), not to mention, as some one who provided IT security and hardware support for the DoD, State Dept, and various state governments for many years, and has a repair and IT consulting business as noted in the link in my profile.

And as noted in the Toshiba Recovery Tool Instructions, it says all data will be "erased". Erased (or deleted) is not the same thing as "wipe". The restore program ONLY over-writes the data where the new files are saved. It does not over-write all the free space, which may contain personal data.

A wipe program writes a series of random 1s and 0s in every single storage location on the disk. Formatting, recovering, restoring erasing, deleting does not.

Now you don't have to believe me or any of the links I have provided. But please don't continue doing others a disservice by suggesting their personal data is totally erased by their notebook restore disk. That is false information, mine is not.

Obscure sites? I have provide 4 links showing us you are incorrect. You have provided nothing. Denial does not make it so.

Sure, you can just replace the drive, but then you still have an old drive that may contain personal data, unless wiped, or physically destroyed. Plus, who wants to spend money buying a new drive to put in a computer you are getting rid of?

Eventually, you will need to discard the old drives. If you don't want anyone to recover your credit card or other personal information, you either need to destroy ALL the data on the drive with a wipe program, or destroy the drive. Destroying the data may be a problem if your new computer only supports SATA drives (as many new motherboards do) and does not support obsolete EIDE drives.

On the secure networks I support, for drives that are no longer serviceable and cannot be accessed, we drill 3 holes through the platters.

 

Digirati, I have two Toshiba Satellite C850D's. I have spent enough time having to reinstall Windows 8 on both of them, I do believe I know more about what the OEM restore disks have for options, then you do.

Also the Windows 7 Pro install disk I had, also had the option to do a full wipe of the hard drive, same for the Windows XP Pro that came with a Compaq Laptop, I purchased back in 2003.

Just state you are not correct Digirati, and stop while you are behind. Unless you can back up with proof, not some ehow.com or random search, this discussion is over. No, you will not have to eventually discard your old hard drive, just because you had it installed when you purchased items on the Internet.

 

No it doesn't. Now you are just making stuff up. I assure you, I have installed more operating systems on more computers than you have. But don't bother believing it, everyone else knows the Windows install routine does not offer to "wipe" the disk.

You have shown no one, not one source to back up your claims. You just expect everyone to believe you because you say so. It is does not work that way.

Right, you can keep it forever.

Good!

 

@johnboy0:

I stand by that statement. Keep it simple - you'll be fine. Good luck.