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Post by Lucky Laura Loving Life on Jul 22, 2009 11:08:14 GMT -5
Dear Peeps,
My lappy has been limping along for a while now and I have to take it in to be serviced.My DH is very worried about the data and wants me to be careful to prevent any data theft.Does anyone have any ideas on what I should do to clean and organize my data so He & I will feel safer taking it in for repair?  I have an extended warranty and don't know if they will be able to fix it or if it will be replaced.I bought an external HD that holds 500 GB and it's made by Seagate.So far the program has done a backup which says I still have almost 400 available.I was thinking of deleting some things.I would appreciate any help with this.
Love,Laura
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Post by mouse on Jul 22, 2009 16:28:49 GMT -5
Hi Laura! Make sure you have no personal or financial information readily available on your computer. If you do your taxes on your computer, bank online, what have you, make sure that your cookies are erased in your browser(s) and that your files are password-protected. If you can't lock things with a password, then copy them onto the external HD and then delete them from the main computer. Otherwise, I wouldn't be too paranoid, especially if you know the service people who will be taking care of your computer. I've had computers serviced numerous times with no problems. ~Mouse  |
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Post by eagle on Jul 22, 2009 16:47:33 GMT -5
Laura, first you need to determine what information on your computer is sensitive information that you don't want stolen. Then determine where that is in your laptop. Copy those files to an external location, such as a thumb drive. Then delete them from the laptop using whatever security deletion program you may have. However, there are so many ways for deleted files to be restored that this may hardly be worth it, if someone really wants your data. Are you taking your laptop to a reputable company bonded and insured? I have read of folks who have gone to great lengths to delete, defrag, and re-write over their hard drives several times in order to hide information they did not want found. However, when the federal government seized their computers, a lot of that information was still found and conviction ensued. Do you have information that is so sensitive on your laptop? If so, it might be better to copy those files onto an external drive and just buy a new laptop, never to put sensitive information on it again. And smash the hard drive before tossing the computer. That's what has been suggested by this report. P.S. I am not suggesting you smash your laptop. I am pointing out that data security is iffy at best if someone is determined to get ahold of your data. Therefore using trustworthy service and repair companies is essential. |
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Post by Lucky Laura Loving Life on Jul 22, 2009 22:39:12 GMT -5
Dear Mouse & Eagle,
Thank You both for your helpful suggestions.
Sincerely,Laura
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Post by gottaproblem on Jul 23, 2009 0:32:38 GMT -5
 Good luck and let us know how it goes. Kim Komando.com is a computer goddess you might look her up and see what she advises. I may have spelled that wrong, but you could google her. 
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Post by Lucky Laura Loving Life on Jul 23, 2009 0:54:23 GMT -5
Dear Gottaproblem, Thank You for your suggestion,I did look her up and found some interesting info on lots of topics. I should have figured this out before now!Thanx Again!! Sincerely,Laura |
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Post by gottaproblem on Jul 23, 2009 1:04:17 GMT -5
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