Wipe personal data securely, then restore drive image ?

Hello all:

An older computer contained a lot of personal data. I want to securely cleanse the drive so I can give the PC to someone, but I want to provide it as a working system. I don't want to do a full Windows reinstall, as I heavily tweaked Windows on that box and don't want to have to re-do all that work.

I have deleted all personal files, but it still needs a secure wipe. Here's what I'm thinking:

1. Use ATI 11 to image the drive.
2. Use Drive Cleanser to securely wipe the drive.
3. Restore the image.

Will this work? My reasoning is that since all personal data have been deleted, an ATI image would not capture any deleted files. Is that correct?

 

If you really want to get techincal even if you format or use a cleaner type software to wipe the hard drive you really never can't get rid of whats on it unless you break it to pieces ... Also are you aware that he can retreat your windows license keys if you give him this computer. What info are you worrying about getting out ?

 

I know that it's theoretically possible to recover some data even after secure wipe, but in practice several secure wipes will make data effectively unrecoverable. It's just personal files which would include stuff like tax records, banking, personal letters, etc.

I prefer not to destroy the drive as: that would be needlessly wasteful; and, I'd like to give the working PC to someone.

Windows Product Key is not an issue, as I am passing along the legit Windows installation CD with this PC.

 

If thats the case ? I would buy a new small hard drive which are pretty cheap nowadays and install Windows again .This way whom ever is getting it will learn in how to use it better and you will be secure no data taken ... Whom ever going to get it will have to learn how to install and update programs , which I believe anyone going to use a computer should learn .

 

Hello tuttle and TerryFox,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please accept our apologies for the delay with the response.

Please be informed that Acronis Drive Cleanser can wipe entire drive\partition only, so in your case the best option is to make clean image (with Windows + some necessary programs) from your PC, and then completely wipe the drive and recover image back. If you have several partitions, we recommend you to create backup of your system one + some separate folders\files as additional backup of My Data type, and then recover them back to cleaned drive.

Please also notice that you can find detailed information on Acronis True Image in the respective User's Guide.

Thank you.
--
Alexander Nikolsky

 

Urban legend...

 

More like TV's CSI, where all you need to do to get more data is merely zoom in ;-)

 

If you restore the drive, it will then have on it everything that was in any sectors in use when the drive was backed up -- so the interim cleansing will be pointless except for any temporary files that you choose to exclude from the backup, and what's in the page or hibernation file.

 

LOL

Can Intelligence Agencies Read Overwritten Data?

 

Hello tuttle;

In my opinion, TerryFox gave excellent advice.
-To go one better-

Have the recipient buy the new hard drive, then assist him/her in performing a new install.
Knowledge gained from the experience will be extremely beneficial and you will not have to worry about personal information being somehow gleaned from the old drive.
Seeing that $60.00 will get a really good 320gb to 500gb hard drive these days, it's a small price to pay for an otherwise free computer with operating syatem.

-Plus, you get to keep the old drive as a backup or to store data.

-Everybody wins !

 

I don't know what is meant by "heavily tweaked windows" but if the person receiving the machine is an inexperienced user, it is probably not the best thing to do. A plain vanilla install is probably better.