Current 'buntu systems: multiple systems running Server or Desktop 22.04 LTS / Retired or Upgraded: 18.04.2 LTS, Mythbuntu 16.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS, 14.04 LTS, 10.04 LTS, 8.04 LTS
Been using ubuntu since 6.04 (16 years!)
Nope. He dropped them into a crusher.
Unfortunately, there was no explaining to him that sensitive data wasn't hidden somewhere on the motherboard, or video card, or in the processor. It was a futile effort to try and save some usable hardware.
Ready for the kicker though?!?! He never saved any of his sensitive data on that computer. He used a thumb-drive for everything.
Holy Cripes on Toast!
Attention is the currency of internet forums. - ticopelp
I get some hand-me-down stuff once in a while and restore them with some lightweight Linux, depending on who will get them once I'm done. For total complete brand-newbies to Linux, I like Linux Lite. But I modify it to make it safer, by adding the Mint Updater (modified for Linux Lite by one of it's former developers) and other cool newbie tools from http://unlockforus.com, run by my friend and former Linux Lite team member, "Ralphy."
I have 3 Thinkpads that were clearly ex-corporate machines. 1 of them came with a wiped HD, One came without HD and one came without HD or caddy and door. It was well worth replacing mounting hardware and buying SSDs - which I would probably have done anyway. I'd guess well over half the used notebooks on Ebay come without HDs so not everybody is ignorant and paranoid. I'd be surprised if anyone could recover any sensitive information from a machine that was reset to factory defaults and the hard drive removed.
Last edited by kurt18947; June 16th, 2019 at 09:24 PM.
If the hard drive is removed, there should be no way to get any data off the machine, unless it has a small flash cache SSD on board (an old Samsung lappy I had had this). I don't know that everyone who knows to wipe/pull HDDs would think to check for this and wipe it as well. Heck, I just realized I tossed that machine after pulling the HDD with stuff still presumably on the cache SSD.
There are some ways to extract data from RAM if the machine was just powered off, but by the time the machine is sold, bought and shipped to a new owner there won't be anything in RAM anymore.
The only other places on a motherboard that holds data are the flash chip for the BIOS and the CMOS memory, but these don't carry user data generally, and certainly nothing sensitive would be kept there.
Last edited by kpatz; June 17th, 2019 at 12:46 PM.
Current 'buntu systems: multiple systems running Server or Desktop 22.04 LTS / Retired or Upgraded: 18.04.2 LTS, Mythbuntu 16.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS, 14.04 LTS, 10.04 LTS, 8.04 LTS
Been using ubuntu since 6.04 (16 years!)
I agree. However, you're using a rational thought process, and attempting to explain how things actually work.
Rationality had no place in the discussion of saving the hardware.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2uHBhKTSe0
Holy Cripes on Toast!
Attention is the currency of internet forums. - ticopelp
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