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Thread: Someone is Spying on me i need to do low-level format plz help

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by cross
    how about you change your phone number if your that concerned about it. Problem solved. I mean if 'they' dont even have your address (you seem to think thats the point of the offers), then chances are they won't be able to find a new phone number.

    Why didn't they just tell you that you've won some contest and needed your addy to ship some free stuff to you, that would probably be an easier pitch then selling stuff...

    all seems fishy to me, but better safe then sorry in these days, change your number.
    I already though about that i will move to new adress and change phone number shortly
    Now i just need to Wipe the PC so i am totaly sure.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by isildur
    How do you Nihil isn't in with the one's spying on you? ;-)
    hmmm yea right

  3. #13
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    Now the neighbour under is using this strange machine again
    it sound like 2 fast Beep like a phone but very fast and is very high
    it happened once every 2 minuts or so.
    I know i can be paranoid sometimes but i never heard this thing
    It annoy me a lot High beep-beep could it be Satelite phone ?

    But no wonder i want to feel safer
    Last edited by Scorpion999; September 20th, 2007 at 11:02 PM.

  4. #14
    AO übergeek phishphreek's Avatar
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    DBAN should be find with the 7 passes. Thats what I use when I'm erasing hard drives that our company wants to get rid of. I've tried the 35 wipes... but it takes FOREVER on larger hard drives.
    Quitmzilla is a firefox extension that gives you stats on how long you have quit smoking, how much money you\'ve saved, how much you haven\'t smoked and recent milestones. Very helpful for people who quit smoking and used to smoke at their computers... Helps out with the urges.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by phishphreek
    DBAN should be find with the 7 passes. Thats what I use when I'm erasing hard drives that our company wants to get rid of. I've tried the 35 wipes... but it takes FOREVER on larger hard drives.
    You are probaly right in the DBAN faq it says:
    "Q: Is the Gutmann method the best method?
    A: No.
    Most of the passes in the Gutmann wipe are designed to flip the bits in MFM/RLL encoded disks, which is an encoding that modern hard disks do not use."

    So ok i will try the 7 wipes thing as long as you cannot do 10 Wipes without doing Gutmann can you?

    SOME QUESTIONS, since i decided to give DBAN a try:

    1. Is it better to FORMAT the PC (using Xp cd) Before using DBAN
    or do i have to use DBAN first so it work propertly and then format ?

    2. on the Laptop I probaly have 2 partitions the Windows one and the Recover partition One from the Factory. Is it safe to remove both Since i can use the Factory recover CD, or will i have lot of problems if i remove the recovery Partition, keep in mind i want all traces removed that why i though of removing both partitions is that ok?

    3. the other 7 year old pc is one that i made the shop build
    i have the Sound,graphic card drivers etc... on cd
    so is it safe to remove all partitions (if there is more than one) ?

    4. Do Nuking a Hardrive remove the Bios (i guess not) if it does how do i install bios again then, i doubt i have a bios installer cd?

    5. After the Nuking is Done do i place the Windows CD installation or the Factory-drive Restoration CD first in the PC (i have both) ?

    6. If i have a powerfailure during the Nuke with dban
    what will happen, do i just restart the Nuking or do i have to install the Windows again before nuking it again, or can i harm my hardrive if a power-failure happen?
    i mean is not as dangerous as flashing a Bios right?

    7. And again i heard is not good use formating tool except the ones from Microsoft or the Hardrive provider, will I still be safe with DBAN?

    The HARDRIVE on the laptop i want to nuke with DBAN is
    FUJITSU mhu2100AT (pm)

    Hope someone can answer this so i can start my nuking
    Last edited by Scorpion999; September 20th, 2007 at 11:48 PM.

  6. #16
    AO übergeek phishphreek's Avatar
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    SOME QUESTIONS, since i decided to give DBAN a try:

    1. Is it better to FORMAT the PC (using Xp cd) Before using DBAN
    or do i have to use DBAN first so it work propertly and then format ?
    Nope, just boot the the DBAN cd and nuke away! You'll have to run a format from the install cd when you go to reinstall.

    2. on the Laptop I probaly have 2 partitions the Windows one and the Recover partition One from the Factory. Is it safe to remove both Since i can use the Factory recover CD, or will i have lot of problems if i remove the recovery Partition, keep in mind i want all traces removed that why i though of removing both partitions is that ok?
    I normally wipe everything... because I'm sure that my install media is good. Are you confident that your recovery media includes everything? Probably since if you loose your HD, you can't recover that data anyway. I'd think that you're ok to wipe it all provided you have the OS disk and at least network drivers to get online to get updated drivers for the rest of your devices.

    3. the other 7 year old pc is one that i made the shop build
    i have the Sound,graphic card drivers etc... on cd
    so is it safe to remove all partitions (if there is more than one) ?
    As long as you have the operating system, and device drivers... sure. I don't even need to tell you to backup the data you want to keep to some external media (flash, cdr, dvdr, etc.)

    4. Do Nuking a Hardrive remove the Bios (i guess not) if it does how do i install bios again then, i doubt i have a bios installer cd?
    The BIOS is typically installed on flash built onboard of the motherboard. I think that Compaq used to try to cheap out and put the BIOS on the HD? But, I don't think anyone is *that* cheep in this day and age where flash is so damn cheap for what a BIOS requires.

    5. After the Nuking is Done do i place the Windows CD installation or the Factory-drive Restoration CD first in the PC (i have both) ?
    I normally just use the OS cd... because I don't want all the other bundled crap that comes with their recovery CD. When it comes time to load the drivers, there is normally a separate CD for that, or you can include the recovery CD as a place for windows to include in it's search for drivers.

    6. If i have a powerfailure during the Nuke with dban
    what will happen, do i just restart the Nuking or do i have to install the Windows again before nuking it again, or can i harm my hardrive if a power-failure happen? i mean is not as dangerous as flashing a Bios right?
    Nope, just reboot and start DBAN again. DBAN is a bootable CD and you can boot and wipe as much as you want.

    7. And again i heard is not good use formating tool except the ones from Microsoft or the Hardrive provider, will I still be safe with DBAN?
    All a format really does is prepare a partition it for a certain file system. I've used many 3rd party tools (mostly open source to resize partitions) to create partitions and format it for certain filesystems. Though, why do more work than you need to? It's really quite simple to just boot to the OS install media and Windows will require you to create a partition and format it in order to run the install.

    You should be safe with DBAN. I've nuked countless hard drives and I've always been able to reinstall onto them. We like to recycle our hardware at work. If it's not good for one application any longer, too bad. We'll nuke the HD (sometimes remove it completely depending on what was on it) and either donate the hardware or reuse it in a less secure environment.
    Last edited by phishphreek; September 21st, 2007 at 12:58 AM.
    Quitmzilla is a firefox extension that gives you stats on how long you have quit smoking, how much money you\'ve saved, how much you haven\'t smoked and recent milestones. Very helpful for people who quit smoking and used to smoke at their computers... Helps out with the urges.

  7. #17
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Now the neighbour under is using this strange machine again
    it sound like 2 fast Beep like a phone but very fast and is very high
    it happened once every 2 minuts or so.
    He has a smoke alarm that needs its battery replacing ..... that is the warning they give you.

    Espanol?................ I have a friend in Seville who uses the expression "stationary PC" ................ I guess it is the way it translates? We say "desk top PC". Also we don't have "high velocity internet", we have "broadband"

    7 passes is more than adequate. You would need more than the police after you, to recover that, even if they could, which I doubt. People like the RIAA have no legal right to destructively test your equipment, which is what it would take, so you need not worry. They only have civil law to rely on.

  8. #18
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    phishphreek thanks for the help
    I guess that if i want to do 14 passes (but not guttmans)
    i can just run the 7 passes twice right?
    and i even more secure (Altrhough thats is probaly unnesesary and it depend on how fast the 7 past goes ) ?

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by nihil
    He has a smoke alarm that needs its battery replacing ..... that is the warning they give you.
    Nop, there is no smoke alarm in this part of europe
    BUT, it may be he have got a smoke alarm from Ebay then build the
    warning thing into something else.

  10. #20
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Nonsense!

    There is no part of Europe where you cannot obtain a smoke alarm. Even Albania manufactures them locally, and imports them.

    In more developed parts (EU) you can even get them free (complete with free installation and fire risk survey):

    http://www.newswales.co.uk/index.php...y&F=1&id=11849

    Property insurers supply them without even being asked............and will send you one if you ask for an insurance quotation................. They are getting like AOL CDs used to be

    Nop, there is no smoke alarm in this part of europe
    What "part of Europe" is that...... I do not believe you. Name me any part of Europe where you cannot get a smoke alarm, and I will give you the details of a supplier.

    BUT, it may be he have got a smoke alarm from Ebay then build the warning thing into something else.
    Or maybe he just installed it as a smoke alarm and the battery is failing as the weather is turning cooler? Battery operated clocks suffer the same problem.

    scorpion999
    , just sit back and think about what you are saying:

    1. I live in a country where I can get a computer.
    2. I live in a country where I have an internet connection adequate to download movies.
    3. People are using sophisticated methods to spy on me.
    4. I have a telephone, and the economy of my country is adequate to attract telemarketeers, who use advanced telephone blocking circumvention technology.
    5. We don't have smoke alarms.

    Do you have psychiatric hospitals? because I think that you are seriously in need of professional help, and I don't mean in the IT security sector.

    On the other hand, you might start telling us the truth? I have found that to be a good start when asking people to help you.

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