Cleaning up my hard drive
Discussion
Last day at work today as I am starting a new job on Monday 
Any advice on how to clean up my PC before I leave. I know how to remove cookies etc but how do I remove all the prompted passwords such as when I log on to PH. Plus how can I print off a list of the email addresses in MS Outlook for my mates etc. They don't appear in my address book but as prompts.
Ta
Debs - a REAL blonde when it comes to computers
Any advice on how to clean up my PC before I leave. I know how to remove cookies etc but how do I remove all the prompted passwords such as when I log on to PH. Plus how can I print off a list of the email addresses in MS Outlook for my mates etc. They don't appear in my address book but as prompts.
Ta
Debs - a REAL blonde when it comes to computers
IE>Tools>Internet Options>Content>AutoComplete
Click Clear Forms and then Clear Passwords.
I'll have a poke around about the addresses, but I think its a feature of AutoComplete. If you clear it then they will go.
What about sending a mail to everyone and getting someone to send it back to you at the new company with everyones address on it?
>> Edited by Plotloss on Friday 9th January 09:51
Click Clear Forms and then Clear Passwords.
I'll have a poke around about the addresses, but I think its a feature of AutoComplete. If you clear it then they will go.
What about sending a mail to everyone and getting someone to send it back to you at the new company with everyones address on it?
>> Edited by Plotloss on Friday 9th January 09:51
Cheers Plotloss - it is so easy when you know how.
It appears the addresses of my mates are not stored in an address book but as text prompts. Will copy and paste those I can remember into a word document - although I might have a look to see if there is a list of prompts stored somewhere.
Debs
It appears the addresses of my mates are not stored in an address book but as text prompts. Will copy and paste those I can remember into a word document - although I might have a look to see if there is a list of prompts stored somewhere.
Debs
Big_M said:
Cheers Plotloss - it is so easy when you know how.
It appears the addresses of my mates are not stored in an address book but as text prompts. Will copy and paste those I can remember into a word document - although I might have a look to see if there is a list of prompts stored somewhere.
Debs
The prompts will go when you clear forms in Autocomplete I believe...
leosayer said:
Yes but how do you permanently delete stuff, that you have already deleted. So that it can never be retrieved ever?
You need something that will overwrite the file a few times with random crud before deleting it. There are various products out there that will do it, but you generally can't install things on a company PC without admin rights, which you generally don't have.
BTW: formatting the drive will get some of the way toward getting rid of data, but it is still possible to get data back if you use someone like Data Clinic......
TheHobbit said:
BTW: formatting the drive will get some of the way toward getting rid of data, but it is still possible to get data back if you use someone like Data Clinic......
I knew someone who decided to erase his HD using a bulk tape eraser (very powerful electromagnet). That fixed it!
TheHobbit said:
I hadn't. If you've never read the BOFH on the register, I'd thoroughly recommend it.
not read bofh for a while... thanks for the reminder
I used to know as the BOFH when I worked in support about 10 years ago...... probably for the best that i moved into developmentdontlift said:
LOL. I've been called bits of that occasionally when I was in internal support. mainly just the 'B' though
>> Edited by TheHobbit on Friday 9th January 14:18
Would defragging the HDD not go some way towards scrambling deleted data, since it would get overwritten in the process? It depends on how far you want to go.
I'd go into Internet Explorer's tools, delete the cookies, delete temporary files, delete AutoComplete content, clear the history, etc.
If I have local admin right over my machine - and as a developer I haven't yet been without them - I'll typically then create a new local account with admin privs, log in as that and then blow away the entire user profile of my 'proper' account.
I generally don't do much more than empty the Recycle Bin after that as by then I generally want to leave / go for beers.
I'd go into Internet Explorer's tools, delete the cookies, delete temporary files, delete AutoComplete content, clear the history, etc.
If I have local admin right over my machine - and as a developer I haven't yet been without them - I'll typically then create a new local account with admin privs, log in as that and then blow away the entire user profile of my 'proper' account.
I generally don't do much more than empty the Recycle Bin after that as by then I generally want to leave / go for beers.
TheHobbit said:Exactly. Which is why I only go to the half-assed lengths of removing stuff from casual snooping by the next owner of the machine.
to be honest, if your old company want to get anything off of your pc, they will either have already done it, or will have logged/audited it and have it logged away somewhere you can't get to it......
If the admin has turned on roaming profiles then all your proile stuff (including "My Documents") will be automatically copied to the server every time you log off anyway.
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