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Thread: Clearing A Computer

  1. #31
    Forum Master JaBek1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Clearing A Computer

    On windows XP I believe you can accomplish what you want to do by doing a recovery which is basically re-formatting your hard drive. If memory serves, there are two types of recovery available. One is called a destructive recovery which wipes out everything and you have to re-install everything including your operating system. The other I believe keeps your operating system but everything else is lost.

    I do a destructive recovery about once a year, but most of my geek friends advise doing it every six months. It wipes out all the accumulated errors that have collected. Of course, you will have to re-install all your programs and all appropriate updates to them. This usually takes me about three full days with my system. Be sure to backup your data files, but don't try to backup your program files. Reload those from disc or download from the internet.

    I backup my data files to an external hard drive by copying them rather than using a backup program. I also take the time burn copies to DVD for storage off site. Just in case of a fire or other catastrophe. Our hurricane season lasts nine months.

    You might want to consider upgrading to Windows 7 if you're only running XP-Home version. I kept XP-pro on my laptop because some programs I like aren't compatible with Windows 7.

  2. #32

    Default Re: Clearing A Computer

    Quote Originally Posted by JaBek1 View Post
    On windows XP I believe you can accomplish what you want to do by doing a recovery which is basically re-formatting your hard drive. If memory serves, there are two types of recovery available. One is called a destructive recovery which wipes out everything and you have to re-install everything including your operating system. The other I believe keeps your operating system but everything else is lost.
    Recovery (of either kind) is a good way of speeding up XP, provided you've saved all your data on an external hard drive (preferably two, I agree thoroughly with jcjigs, hard drive reliability isn't perfect, so plan for failure). Then you have to go through a fair amount of pain, downloading XP updates, installing any additional apps you have, updating your anti-virus and so on. Then tripping over the changes you forgot you made years ago, such as setting the printer pages to A4, which the arrogant Americans set to their own peculiar standard (Letter).

    However, I've never seen a recovery option that wipes your drive. That's not why 'recovery' is provided. Yes, your files disappear, just as they do if you delete them and empty the trash can. But that does NOT remove their content. I guarantee that if you brought me such a drive, if you'd been using it for a long time and written many files to it, then using a Linux CD I'd be able to recover the content of a good proportion.

    If you want to be confident of securely erasing your drive before disposing of it (or even selling it second-hand, if it's a good size... indeed I hear there's a good auction site called eBid where you could try!), then you need a free reliable method such as DBAN (www.dban.org). Incidentally I have no connection with DBAN, no axe to grind.
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