Wipe everything from work laptop to hand back, how to do it?

david4791

Hi,
Just finished a project and must hand back laptop to hq to recycle, how do I erase everything from pc?

tricky D

Get Ccleaner.

Tools > Drive Wipe and choose your security level. 7 times should do fine.

cookie1977

DBAN is what you want:
http://www.dban.org/

hullaballoo

Sorry to hijack, but do these tools affect OS installations or licensed software installations e.g., MS Office?

david4791

Thanks all

cookie1977

DBAN will, cleaner wont

Skill Magill

hullaballoo wrote: »

Sorry to hijack, but do these tools affect OS installations or licensed software installations e.g., MS Office?

dban wipes the disk, the operating system and everything on it , all data will be over written.
The disk can then have another operating system installed and off you go again

bonzodog2

You might check if it has a recovery partition on it to restore it to the "factory state". Depending on what you've been looking at, the CCleaner option of wipe free space, after the temp files are gone might not be a bad idea :-)

gerryR

You might want to check with work before completely wiping their PC

david4791

Will the aforementioned methods remove the ms suite of software too?

Don't want to remove MS Office

demanufactured

Don't do anything until you speak to your works IT dept....
Its not your laptop and any data usually is the property of the company weather you created it or not.

riclad

use ccleaner to remove cookies, temp file s etc,
GO to browser options, delete ,wipe all history,
in each browser.
FIND the temporary internet files folder ,delete all the files there.
reboot the pc,go to your email , bank account websites ,
make sure it doesnt log you in automatically,
ie it asks for USER name s,AND
password.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260897,
IF you do login in to gmail do it in iincognito mode, private mode.
DO not use dban.
open browser s ,make sure history is empty.
open my documents ,music, pictures, itunes,etc delete all the files

Uninstall non work related programs ,eg itunes, winamp, games.
cccleaner doesnt remove programs, it remove s cookies, temp files ,etc ,
There,s a list in the main menu.
You can tick on .off remove cookies,etc

nucker

This software can do the same
http://eraser.heidi.ie/

A little bit finicky, the thing is you will have to put everything in a folder if you want to wipe your hard drive clean, then use the wipe empty space just to be doubly sure there is no trace

david4791

Hi Riclad,
Why would you recommend not to use dban?

Would it remove the ms software too? I don't want that. I want to rid all personal data prior to recycling the pc

GreenWolfe

david4791 wrote: »

Hi Riclad,
Why would you recommend not to use dban?

Would it remove the ms software too? I don't want that. I want to rid all personal data prior to recycling the pc

DBAN will wipe the entire HDD - Windows, Office, everything. Just hand it back to whoever manages IT at your company, they probably have procedures of their own to follow.

riclad

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
use this,
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/screenshots
do not use the registry cleaner ,option in the menu,
UNTICK clean registry box in main menu.

as it may stop some programs from working.

FOLLOW the advice in my previous post.
dban is no use to you,
it erases everything,programs ,windows etc

nucker

david4791 wrote: »

Hi Riclad,
Why would you recommend not to use dban?

Would it remove the ms software too? I don't want that. I want to rid all personal data prior to recycling the pc

If you google DBAN, you will come across a youtube video which says you will have to burn it to CD to boot up, personally a wast of resources if you ask me, if you install the eraser, you don't need to burn it to disc in order to wipe hard drives

nucker

EarthlyPangaea wrote: »

DBAN will wipe the entire HDD - Windows, Office, everything. Just hand it back to whoever manages IT at your company, they probably have procedures of their own to follow.

Not if you have partitions that separate data from software. The assumption from the OP is that s/he wants to destroy any personal data (or dodgy stuff not that I'm accusing s/he of downloading that kind of stuff) that is left on the hard drive before the laptop is handed in

riclad

ITS a work laptop ,with windows on it,
its unlikely it,ll have 2 partitions on it,
Check my documents, my pics ,my music, before you bring it back.
Uninstall any non work programs ,you installed on it.

mach1982

It is not your laptop , it is the companies , give it to your own IT , they will re image it. Any personal data will deleted through the process . Don not user any of the tools mention as they may violate you companies IT security policy and you could get fired, and cause your IT a headache or end up on reddit.

Anyway if it only for work there there nothing to hide....