Platters are usually ceramic, glass, or aluminum, and work like a record player. Centered on a spindle, the platter rotates and an electronic current reads and writes data onto the surface. Electronic components power the whole operation. When you delete data from the computer through a factory reset, the information is hidden from the computer, but still stored on the hard drive. If a hacker uses data forensics tools , they can find bits and pieces of those deleted files in the hard drive storage, making it possible to recover pretty much everything.
There's much online debate about the best ways to completely destroy the data inside, but most solutions come down to water, hydrochloric acid, magnets, or a blunt object you can smash them with easily.
These methods might sound hardcore, but three of them still aren't completely reliable. Microwaves often don't get hot enough to properly wipe the platters. Acid doesn't seep deeply enough inside the discs to ensure complete destruction. Hackers have recovered laptops thrown into bodies of water and dug data out of the hard drive afterward.
Magnets aren't always strong enough. But smashing the platters is a different story. Just make sure you wear safety glasses, because the platters often break into tiny shards when smashed.
Remember: the key to destroying the platter properly is ensuring it can't spin. If it can't do that, the platter's contents can't be read. If you do want to reuse the hard drive, a factory reset should be your course of action. As stated above, first be sure you don't have any comprising information on the hard drive, because it could take a long time for new data to overwrite all of the old data on the drive.
While there's a pretty decent chance the old computer you want to nix has a hard drive disc as it's an older, slower form of data storage , newer computers are fast adopting a new standard called a solid state drive , or SSD. These contain the microchips you may picture inside of your phone against a green circuit board. This will factory reset the Chromebook and erase all information off its hard drive.
Use a soft microfibre cloth, wipes or compressed air to clean out the keyboard and give the screen and trackpad a good clean. Say hello to a clean, fresh laptop in every sense of the word.
Skip to content. Wiping a laptop before returning it to the office Whether a stint of remote working is coming to an end or someone is off to pastures new, a laptop wipe is one way of keeping cyber security and data security headaches at bay.
But before you go looking for that clean slate, there are a few things to consider: Is there any business-critical information you need to keep? Is there any information saved on there you may need at a later date? This should look familiar if you've set up this computer before.
You can do that by clicking System Preferences in the Apple Menu in the upper left-hand corner and then clicking Software Update. Eventually a screen will appear featuring a black background and two icons: your hard drive called Macintosh HD unless you changed it and Options. Click Options. At this point, you may be asked to input a username and password. You can then follow the onscreen instructions, which include things like selecting your language and WiFi password.
Before beginning the factory reset process, back up all important files. The process for resetting your PC differs slightly for each version of the operating system. For Windows 10, go to the Start Menu and click on Settings.
Follow the instructions to revert your computer back to when it was first unboxed. Chromebook users have the easiest time wiping their laptops. Unlike Apple and Windows users, they already have most of their files stored online in Google Drive.
So there's little to back up before you begin the process. The computer can no longer see the file. This means the space the file took up on the laptop or PC is no longer reserved for that file. But the file is still in the hard drive. It will stay in the hard drive until its location is given up for a new file to be stored in that exact location. Data recovery software is capable of rebuilding the file header. This makes it possible for the computer to see the file again.
When your files are not deleted completely from the hard drive, cybercriminals can run data recovery software to access your deleted files. Law enforcement agencies use data recovery software to access deleted files from confiscated computers.
Cybercriminals can use the same tools and techniques to commit identity theft. Special software programs can permanently erase your hard drive. Similarly, no one else will be able to use data recovery software to recover your files.
Most programs run a low-level format that overwrites all the deleted files with zeros and other incomprehensible data. This makes it impossible for data recovery software to recover the files. This includes all personal files, operating systems, and installed programs. Most products offer proof of erasure. Some even provide information about what was done to the drive and its data. This helps when wiping a company laptop or PC. If you want to double-ensure your hard drive is wiped, you can take additional measures.
For instance, you can physically wipe the drive. Just remove your hard drive and take a rare earth magnet to it. Another option? Physically dismantle it with a screwdriver. A rare earth magnet, like the neodymium magnet, can be used to deform the metal plates in the hard disk.
This makes it unusable.
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