Advice on re-installing Windows XP!

[scotth_uk]

Wow this has turned a bit interesting hasn't it.

I think that the overall practical advice here (whilst keeping it simple) is - don't worry about it too much. Either wipe and re-install, or use a tool to wipe to a reasonable level.

People won't bother to try and recover your data, unless they think you have something that they might want.

Sorry for making the topic sound scary and overcomplicated. :-(

 

[Will]

Yes, I am pretty much along the same lines as everyone else!

It is not critical data or anything! Just as any other normal computer user, I don't fancy "giving" stuff away , and wanted a fresh Windows install to remove all of my old rubbish from it!

Have managed to backup/transfer all data, and wipe/reinstall Windows XP using another disc! System running fine with all fresh up-to-date drivers and no rubbish! :bannana: Should be all ready for whoever uses it next.

Must say though, a bit of an eye opener with the data recovery details though

Thanks for all the help/advice,

Cheers,

Will

 

[peterchurch]

Im glad that you have solved your problem and are happy with the result.

It has been an interesting discussion with a wide spread of views at both ends of the scale. The one thing that does suprise me though is the idea that just because an individual does not place a high value their data, the assumption holds that no one else would want it either. I set up a small webserver running a php script last week to show a friend how to write backend database code. I hung the server out on the internet and set a noip account up so that he could find it.
In the 5 days that it was out on the net, unpublisized I got 140 hits and had no less than 38 attacks on the web server The site consisted of 1 form and two php scripts ... The attacks where probably an automated script off the back of a port scanner, but it did not make them any less dangerous. On a related note I was searching for some information on Net::Ldap today and one of the search results turned out to be the Systems Admin Manual for the CERN Accelerator program, explaining in detail how the whole system ran together with startup shutdown procedures and server names and running software versions. The page was not clickable from the website but none the less Google had found it and indexed it for the world to see and one click from me and I was in But its only a scientific supercomputer who would want to break in to that ????