[justincase]

Hoping somebody can help with this. I have an IBM PS1 to get rid of. Somebody told me I could sell it, but I doubt that. What I do know is, it's not leaving the house until all my data is erased.
The computer doesn't have a modem, so it can't go online.
The only way to feed anything into it is with a floppy disk.
Given those facts, is there a way to eradicate everything?

Or, is this such a sorry specimen, that not even the hardiest devotee of antique computers would want it as a donation? Should I just forget about trying to preserve the machine, and physically wreck the hard drive?

Thanks so much!

[Ecf1]

If you can't sell it, burn it. Or tear it apart piece by piece, and gradually trash it.

If you actually want to keep it, you'll have to get it on the internet. Floppy wouldn't do for some of the awesome erasers they have out there.

[Officer Dibble]

You could temporarily put in a 1.44 floppy drive and get a DOS app/boot disk to wipe it, or you could take the hard disk out and attach it to your modern PC and wipe it.

That said, the machine would possibly have more meaning (and maybe value?) if the original software was still on it, minus your data of course. Wouldn't the data that's on it be just as antique as the machine itself now?

[justincase]

Isn't that the case so often in life!

So I guess you're saying, I can't go online with a different computer, download something onto a floppy, and stick it into the PS1 to erase its innards.

Is it possible to eradicate, not just delete but remove all traces of, the files I created, and leave the operating system intact?

And would that be worthwhile? I have all the disks and stuff that came with it, which I was under the impression would put the operating system back in there. Not so?

[prunejuice]

Originally Posted by justincase

Given those facts, is there a way to eradicate everything?

Sledgehammer.


Seriously, a software solution on a relic like this would be a waste of time.

[computerguy1990]

if you want the data gone just drive a nail through the platters several times then throw them in random garbage bags and no one will ever get to the data thats on it.

And as for just removing the data from the drive that cant be accomplished until data is written over what was taken off for it to be truely gone and I would suggest doing this a couple times the CIA and NSA do like 16 or 32 sweeps over there drives with 1's then 0's to erase data.

[justincase]

Thanks y'all!

[fjk61011]

What are the specs of the PS/1?

[crjdriver]

Actually you CAN do what you want however you will need to install an app like CCleaner. You can delete/remove whatever you want, then have CCleaner wipe the free space on the drive. You can choose a one pass wipe, a DoD type wipe, etc.

If this old system has a CD drive, you can download CCleaner to the system you are using now and burn it to a CD.

[Officer Dibble]

Just to give you an idea of what a PS1 is.