I tried to erase it all. not by any special means,..all i did was in my Mac.. dump everything to the trash..this is an old computer i don't use anymore and i forgot how to reformatting and all that. But i'm afraid it might have some personal information, in fact it even has my full name as a USER.. and it might have passwords or things... Can i just open the Mac up and break the chips, or scratch them just to make it not work at all and thus erasing everything by doing that.. then dump it? What parts inside should i break?
2006-07-29 13:59:54 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Other - Computers
Come on, fess up -- you're just worried someone will find all your porn files....
2006-07-29 14:03:21 · answer #1 · answered by Bender 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
a pickaxe to the hard drive usually keeps most people from accessing your computer. Of course you could always do a government wipe if you have encryptions software, and then do the pickaxe. Anything less than 15 wipes is considered unsecure.
2006-07-29 16:41:51 · answer #2 · answered by TxVarmit 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You mean wiping your hard drive. There are programs in Norton that help you do that. Or google the topic, I'm sure there are freeware hard drive wiping programs out there. The best ones take a long time...
2006-08-01 07:37:51 · answer #3 · answered by John K 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't dump it; that's really toxic to the environment. See the below article for websites that recycle or properly dispose of old computers. As for your hard drive, I assume that many of thse companies erase them for you if you allow them to recycle your computer.
2006-07-29 14:12:08 · answer #4 · answered by randomgirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you must, just lift the hard drive from the system, that is the only place such information could possibly exist. Do not Destroy the other hardware unless you just enjoy destroying equipment.
2006-07-29 14:04:46 · answer #5 · answered by Interested Dude 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well if its nothing illegal, I think a comp shop may be able to erase personal information, they might even buy it off you for a cheap price...
2006-07-29 14:05:28 · answer #6 · answered by Evel Man 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, if you are that concerned, open it and take the hard drive box out, and hit it with a hammer!
2006-07-29 14:04:00 · answer #7 · answered by tattie_herbert 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋