Oh Shit!!!

[Zipper]

I know it seems advice after the shit has hit the fan but as previously advised, backing up data is the only way to protect it, and if you are that worried about your data, whether its porn or not, I can only suggest encrypting your folders (there are encryption tools available, or buy Windows xP Pro which has encryption down to the file level), and that would stop any PC repair person having a snoop.

By the sounds of your PC its getting a bit old, so perhaps now is the time to purchase a new one, with so many bargains around, now is the best time to buy. You could always take out the old hard drive, and providing its still working, put it into the new PC, and if it's a problem say with bad sectors, then reformat it again.

As we say in I.T. backup is the tool of achievement.

Zipper

[MisterC]

If it's completely dead on boot it sounds like a motherboard or powersupply issue. Normally if the HD is knackered then it comes with 'Disc Not Found C:' or something similar and lets you boot up with a floppy. I actually have a second 40GB drive (as well as the 15GB original) split into 2 logical drives - 25GB for Pr0n and the other 15GB bscking up the system files. Virii etc usually attack the C:, so it seems like a good contingency. A 40GB drive costs about ?80 if you shop around!

[jj]

When you 'delete' something, it just means that the material is no longer 'copy-protected', i.e. it can be 'recorded-over' by new data, but remains in the memory until such time as the disk allocation system decides to use that particular portion of your storage capacity for the new data.
There are programs available, I understand, that will get round this. But I'm not a techie, hence my frequent use of inverted commas above. Do a search here for all that jargon, and links to the 'disk-scrubbers.'

[Back to Front]

I've often read this kind of post with interest (but not paranoia!)and wondered something every time. I know that the data is still there and can be recovered with a simple program (Norton do a program for this) but.... if you were selling a PC with say, a 10GB drive and you copied 10GB of non porn to it would it effectively erase the old stuff?

I don't much care since I am not ashamed or embarassed about it but wondered why this isn't recommended. I keep big (non porn) files on an external disc so if I sold a PC could I make it clean by copying a full drives worth to the C:\ and then erasing them?

The deleted data is just marked as available space and remains so until written over. There seems to be endless debate about this subject with people recommending programs to perform the task. but this seems like cheap common sense. Am I missing something?

[woodgnome]

yes, your missing the fact that it doesn't work.

in fact, once data is on your h/d it's incredibly hard to eradicate it to the point where nothing is recoverable. btw, formatting a disc won't do the job either, as many seem to think.

you need to use a piece of software purpose built for the job, such as sure delete.

it's completely free and seems to do the trick. although, until someone seizes your pc and gives it the works, i don't suppose you can really be sure.

[butsie]

Love your work Woodgnome!!!

cheers
B...OZ

[nevermind]

If you fill up the disk *completely*, then you'll have written over the data you want to erase, and that makes it unrecoverable by anyone who doesn't have access to special equipment.

If you *do* have access to special equipment, it's rumoured that you can read off data that has been written over several times (around 7 is the most frequently reported). That sort of kit is in the province of specialised data recovery firms and people, like police and I suppose intelligence agencies, who do computer forensic investigations.

I think good "secure erase" programs not only write over the bits of the disk that have been allocated to the file you're wanting to erase, but do it many times.

[nevermind]

If you're not even getting the BIOS screen when you switch on, it's worth re-seating the memory and video card. (ie, take them out, then put them back in again where they were.)

Also, strip your PC down to the minimum configuration (take out all modems, soundcards and whatnot - leaving just the video card and harddisk plugged in) in case the problem is caused by a malfunctioning add-on. If it works like this, add the cards back in one at a time until you find the one giving the problem.

Maybe it won't solve the problem, but it's worth a try, and has a chance of saving you a bit of money..

[Cheeky Charley]

I am not a fan of "backup" for porn and sensitive info as it means all the original files are still on your hard disk and vulnerable to crashes and snoopers ... if you must make a backup why not have the original and backup files all on cd's?. Sorry for sounding like a know-all, but what happened to you has probably happened to all of us, and, as you say, we learn the hard way ... further, I think the advice to take the opportunity to invest in a better computer rather than waste money on new components that may not work is sound ... I've made that mistake too!!

[jj]

The risk-free option is to upload the data you want to keep to CD, and destroy the HDD. With drives at around ?50-100, it's not an unreasonable expense for 'peace of mind'.
At least this obviates the element of doubt about the efficacy of disk-wiping programs.