Greg's Corner

Tagged: computers Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Geebo 9:01 am on July 10, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: computers, hard drives, laptops ( 4 ), personal information ( 2 ), phones ( 5 ), security ( 46 ), tablets ( 3 )   

  Wipe your devices before selling them 

  

  Congratulations. You just bought a shiny new device, but you’re unsure what to do with still functioning older device. You could either donate it, recycle it, gift it, or even sell it on Geebo. However, before you do any of those things, you want to make sure there is no longer any valuable information left on the device.

  Recently, ABC Action News in the Tampa area bought a number of laptops from people who were selling them on online marketplaces. A number of those laptops still had valuable information on them including bank account and social security numbers. Before parting with a device that has been in your service for years you want to make sure that there is no personal information left on it. While Action News mentions taking your device to be professionally wiped, that costs money and could eat into any potential windfall if you’re planning on selling the device. That’s not even taking into account that while most professionals are on the up and up, there are those bad apples who may use this as an opportunity to harvest your data. After backing up the data you want to save, try these tips for wiping the hard drive on your PC or laptop.

  As the video mentions, software like DBAN is probably your best bet for wiping your hard drives of all important information. Apple computers have their own built-in process for wiping the hard drive. The same goes for Android and iOS devices in case you’re selling a phone or tablet.

  In these days of personal information being leaked from just about everywhere taking these few extra steps and a little bit of time are definitely worth the effort and your peace of mind.

   

  Leave a ReplyCancel reply
• 

  Geebo 9:56 am on October 3, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Commodore 64, computers, Poland   

  Auto shop still using Commodore 64 computer 

  

  One of the most beloved and popular home computers of the 1980s was the Commodore 64. It was so popular that they were manufacturing units until 1994. For $600, at the time, you would get a system that had 64kb of RAM and 20kb of storage. However, for and additional cost you could add a 5 1/4″ floppy drive or a cassette player for additional storage. By today’s standards the Commodore 64 wouldn’t match the computing power of a low-end smartphone.

  That’s not to say that the Commodore still doesn’t have a place in certain corners of the world. Supporting the old adage of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, an auto repair shop in Poland has been using a Commodore 64 for the past 25 years to balance driveshafts.

  This really should come as no surprise as the Commodore and other appliances of the time were built to last. In today’s culture we see a lot of our tech devices as disposable. At one time, if your TV broke down you would call a TV repairman, and he would have to come to your house because most home TV’s at the time were too heavy and cumbersome to transport. Now, if a TV has a few dead pixels we’ll scrap it and just buy a new one. The same goes for computers and phones today. Most computers usually have a shelf life of about 4 years while smart phones are replaced even more frequently.

  Does this make us more advanced or more wasteful?

   
• 

  Geebo 9:51 am on September 22, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: computers, privacy ( 46 ), Safety ( 44 ), school ( 3 ), security ( 46 )   

  Do you know how your kids’ school monitors them online? 

  

  These days a number of schools issue Chromebooks or iPads to their students to in order to assist the students with online learning. These programs are also often seen as a boon to families who may not necessarily be able to afford to provide their kids with electronic devices for school. But did you know that the schools can access those computers at almost any time?

  Usually when a school checks a child’s activity on a school issued device, it’s either to make sure the device isn’t being used improperly, or to make sure a student isn’t getting behind in their work. However, there have been incidents of abuse in the past where schools have used the devices’ cameras to allegedly spy on students in their homes.

  So what kind of privacy can you and your kids expect on these school issued devices. Well, according to TechCrunch, virtually none and the schools aren’t exactly forthcoming with that information. However this lack of privacy can be used as a teaching opportunity for your kids and how to behave online. It can teach them that their online activities can have real world repercussions and can prepare them to protect their own privacy for when they become adults.

   
• 

  Geebo 10:12 am on June 29, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: computers, security ( 46 ), selling   

  Don’t make this mistake when selling your computer 

  

  So you’ve decided to sell your computer or laptop online. Before you post that ad online you want to make sure of one thing. You want to make sure that none of your personal information is left on the hard drive. Now you may think you have just because you deleted all your personal files. Unfortunately, that doesn’t actually delete the files, it moves the file to a section of the computer’s hard drive where it waits to be replaced by some new data. If your old computer were to fall into the wrong hands after the sale, your personal information could be compromised.

  What you should do before selling your computer online is to first backup all your data. You can backup your data to either USB thumb drives, an external hard drive or a cloud based backup service. Then you need to reformat your hard drive. How to do that depends on what kind of operating system (Windows or Mac) that your computer uses. There are several utilities and resources available online that will help in either reformatting your hard drive or permanently deleting the previously deleted files on your computer.

  It may be a difficult chore in reformatting your hard drive before selling your computer but a few minutes of difficulty can prevent a lifetime of headaches.