I'm giving a computer from my office to my wife and we are having our IT guy do the file transfer from her old tower to this slightly used one. The issue is I used the old computer for some surfing, including TERB...I know I can get rid of the bookmarks, and clean out my Temporary Internet Files, but how do I make sure that there aren't other traces that the IT guy might trip over when he is busy setting it up with my wife's files etc.? Or am I just being paranoid...and removing the bookmarks and dumping the temp Internet files enough?
Trace Evidence
- Thread starter Shades
- Start date
CCleaner is a good tool for cleaning up your machine.
http://www.piriform.com/
Put the portable version on a USB stick and you don't even have to install it.
http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds
http://www.piriform.com/
Put the portable version on a USB stick and you don't even have to install it.
http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds
Your best bet is to nuke the filesystem (by overwriting several times with your disk sanitizer of choice) and doing a fresh install.
This is the only way to make sure you don't miss anything.
No way of recovering any data unless she gets the CIA spooks involved.
This is the only way to make sure you don't miss anything.
No way of recovering any data unless she gets the CIA spooks involved.
The only way to proceed is to erase the entire disk and start from scratch or buy yourself a new HD.
There are countless places where info is recorded in temp files, logs etc that are not erased by cleaners. Trust me, i was working with Microsoft last week on a stubborn problem when they gave me a code to bring up a log that showed hundreds of places i have traveled to on the net. This after running all the cleaning utilities and free space cleaners i usually use. I was amazed.
Its a calculated risk, just like having a wife and hobbying at the same time.
Roll the dice or be safe.
There are countless places where info is recorded in temp files, logs etc that are not erased by cleaners. Trust me, i was working with Microsoft last week on a stubborn problem when they gave me a code to bring up a log that showed hundreds of places i have traveled to on the net. This after running all the cleaning utilities and free space cleaners i usually use. I was amazed.
Its a calculated risk, just like having a wife and hobbying at the same time.
Roll the dice or be safe.
If you are really that worried this is the best advice.onehunglow said:
New drives are very cheap.
Pull that drive out and put it in as a second drive on your PC.
WoodPeckr said:
That is what my company does before it donates old computers to the schools. Rip out the old internal HD and install a new one.
We recently formatted a computer and re-installed Windows because of some issues we were having with some software. After this was done, the employee panicked because he realized that he forgot to backup some important files. Using Search and Recovery we were able to actually recover the files from the formated drive...
Based on this (I was amazed), I'm guessing formatting is not always 100%. I'm not sure if those evidence eliminators/disk sanitizers would do a better job or not...
Based on this (I was amazed), I'm guessing formatting is not always 100%. I'm not sure if those evidence eliminators/disk sanitizers would do a better job or not...
Good Advice
Interesting discussion; lot's of useful info.
Replacing the HD might look a little suspicious so I am going to have to clean the existing one up.
I don't want the TERB connections popping up or the occassional picture site, largely linked through TERB...to pop up.
I will talk to the IT guy but I think he is going to port over her MS Outlook, and a few of her special business programs so he should be able to do so without poking around the files on there. Then, I think I can count on her not to be exploring my old files etc...so hopefully will be alright with just a scan and cleaning of the HD and removing of any incriminating book marks, etc.
Firefox has annoying list of recently book marked pages on top of the normal book mark listings. Have to remember to clean that out as well.
Thanks for all the advice.
Interesting discussion; lot's of useful info.
Replacing the HD might look a little suspicious so I am going to have to clean the existing one up.
I don't want the TERB connections popping up or the occassional picture site, largely linked through TERB...to pop up.
I will talk to the IT guy but I think he is going to port over her MS Outlook, and a few of her special business programs so he should be able to do so without poking around the files on there. Then, I think I can count on her not to be exploring my old files etc...so hopefully will be alright with just a scan and cleaning of the HD and removing of any incriminating book marks, etc.
Firefox has annoying list of recently book marked pages on top of the normal book mark listings. Have to remember to clean that out as well.
Thanks for all the advice.
So you have naughty stuff on your work computer and you're asking their IT guy to do you a favour and set the thing up for your wife? Two people who you don't want seeing what you're up to when you're supposed to be working.
You gotta be in it for the adrenaline rush. Buy the new, bigger HD. Trash the old one as 'good security practice'
You gotta be in it for the adrenaline rush. Buy the new, bigger HD. Trash the old one as 'good security practice'
LOL!Shades said:
All the more reason to throw in a new drive.
It is not at all difficult to dig through an old drive to see what it has on it and women can be very curious about 'what you have been doing' with it at work....
WoodPeckr said:LOL!
All the more reason to throw in a new drive.
It is not at all difficult to dig through an old drive to see what it has on it and women can be very curious about 'what you have been doing' with it at work....
Well, normal female curiosity is one thing. I imagine if something goes wrong with the relationship, or she starts to suspect what you are up to some other reason, and she actually goes intentionally looking for evidence?
Exactly.
A woman at work 'suspected' hubby was messing around.
She went through his home PC they shared and all she found was a few 'hidden password protected files' she couldn't get into. Made her even more suspicious. They had a big fight and he took off for a few days. While he was gone she had a friend pull the HDD and take it to someone who got into those 'protected files' hubby thought were safely hidden. All the evidence was there and they got a divorce with him being taken to the cleaners.
A woman at work 'suspected' hubby was messing around.
She went through his home PC they shared and all she found was a few 'hidden password protected files' she couldn't get into. Made her even more suspicious. They had a big fight and he took off for a few days. While he was gone she had a friend pull the HDD and take it to someone who got into those 'protected files' hubby thought were safely hidden. All the evidence was there and they got a divorce with him being taken to the cleaners.
