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Computer folks...Cleaning a computer

Fergie

Fergie

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
Well, I'm done with my current job in a few days, and I will be turning over my computer to the company. These are personal/work comps, and I would like to leave mine with only company related programs and such.

Aside from doing the Add/Remove programs and my spyware programs, what else should I do to clean the HD of anything non-work related?

Thanks

Fergie
 
I wouldn't leave anything on it. DOD wipe it. It's a lot quicker for them to reinstall everything from scratch than it is for you to remove everything you should.
 
X2 your company probably has an image ready to load on the computer anyway.
 
I wouldnt count on it. The comp is going to one of my co-workers. FYI, the company is somewhat behind technologically speaking, so it is left to the workers to figure everything out.

I have software that *must* be removed, and don't want anything to come back on the new user.
 
Alrighty then.

Add/remove all the programs, delete your user profile, delete any personal files, empty the recycle bin, run a registry cleaner, and defrag it.
 
also don't forget to erase all your pr0n folders.
 
MisterFubar said:
I wouldn't leave anything on it. DOD wipe it. It's a lot quicker for them to reinstall everything from scratch than it is for you to remove everything you should.
Click to expand...

X3. Got any friends who are computer geeks or in the IT biz? Just about all of those type of people have the little floppy disk (or jump drive if it's a laptop with no floppy on it) that you boot the computer up from and it wipes everything clean.....so that all you'd have is a little box or rectangle that makes noise :)
 
X4 run the DOD and start over! its easy. search google for disk of death. it formats, writes garbage data, formats, lather, rinse, repeat, multiple times :D
 
I don't think I need anything as drastic as a DoD. I just want to get rid of some less than legally obtained software copies, and I don't want my co-workers to get in any type of trouble from me.
 
MisterFubar said:
Alrighty then.

Add/remove all the programs, delete your user profile, delete any personal files, empty the recycle bin, run a registry cleaner, and defrag it.
Click to expand...

That is about as good as it gets. One more thing, look throught the drive for folders that may be stuff you put on. Root (Usually C:), Program Files folder, etc.

Make sure you log on as admin and delete you profile.

It is in Documents and Settings.

As Fubar mentioned, Defragging the drive is about as good as it gets without wiping it out.
 
defragging is actually pointless from a cleaning standpoint, might make it run a few things a little faster but won't clean anything up.
 
WaXJ_Skier said:
defragging is actually pointless from a cleaning standpoint, might make it run a few things a little faster but won't clean anything up.
Click to expand...
actually, it will.
when you delete something it stays on the drive.
the defrag moves all of the files around, so the areas that once were your files get overwritten with new data.

Otherwise, I'd just fire up the drive recovery software and "un delete" everything you deleted.
 
the drive software I have goes roughy 7 layers deep, so even with a defrag that files still going to be accessable.
 
What brand PC is it ? if it has a recovery partition reboot and hit usually F7 and go into recovery mode then let it run it's course. You will have to reinstall the needed applications and windows updates since the day the recovery partition image was made. Thats the most painless. Usually on the boot sequence there will be a choices thing but if it boots too fast you may not see it long enough to read, put your finger over the 'pause' button and hit it, read at your leasuire and then hit the spacebar to put it back into booting [or anykey :D ]
 
WaXJ_Skier said:
the drive software I have goes roughy 7 layers deep, so even with a defrag that files still going to be accessable.
Click to expand...
yes, but it would stop the next guy that downloads a simple "un delete" program.
 
RichP said:
What brand PC is it ? if it has a recovery partition reboot and hit usually F7 and go into recovery mode then let it run it's course. You will have to reinstall the needed applications and windows updates since the day the recovery partition image was made. Thats the most painless. Usually on the boot sequence there will be a choices thing but if it boots too fast you may not see it long enough to read, put your finger over the 'pause' button and hit it, read at your leasuire and then hit the spacebar to put it back into booting [or anykey :D ]
Click to expand...
if it's an HP/compaq it will be F10.
 
First, I'd save any data that you wanted to keep onto a USB flash drive. Then I'd just delete my profile including any other folders that might contain data. Since this is a work computer, I'm sure the data you have on there is not of a seriously personal nature. I wouldn't worry about whether someone can "un-delete" it or not. I wouldn't bother removing programs or anything else. Let whoever is taking over the PC deal with that. For all you know, they might want to keep some of them.
 
"Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

There are a few secure wipe programs out there that will go through all unallocated space on a drive.
 
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