Don’t throw away your computer before destroying your personal information completely!
When you’re done and dusted with your computer it’s very satisfying to chuck it in the bin and call it a day, but did you know that even if you’ve deleted your files and folders, other people can still recover them?
All it takes is a little time, effort, and money, and a complete stranger can have full access to information and data you thought was figuratively six feet under.
When a file has been deleted from the Recycling Bin, the typical assumption is that it is gone for good. But although it may be gone from the Bin, it hasn’t been removed from your hard disk drive (HDD); the links between the two have simply been removed.
So if deleting your data doesn’t get rid of it for good, what can you do?
To ensure your sensitive information is out of the reach of snoops and criminals, Advanced Computers recommends degaussing your HDD.
Degaussing is when a magnetic field is generated to change the magnetic alignment of small domains found in magnetic storage media devices, like your HDD. Degaussing randomises the patterns of the domains, which renders the information they contained unrecoverable. When performed by Advanced Computers’ technicians, degaussing will ensure that there is insufficient remanent magnetisation left to make any attempt at reconstructing data possible.
It’s important to make sure all sensitive information, from credit card numbers to medical histories, is properly erased to prevent theft.
To find out more about Advanced Computers’ complete HDD-erasure, call us on 0508 PC SERVICE (727 378), or come see us at one of our two handy Auckland branches!