That makes complete sense.  I don't know how I will "clean" mine when I donate it, because for the first time I bought an "off-the-shelf" HP machine and it came with NO DISKS.  The software is in a hidden partition that can be "restored to just purchased state," but I'll bet that doesn't mean my data is truly "wiped clean."  I will never again buy a machine that doesn't come with CD's containing the software.       -Ann Fennell

----- Original Message --------------------------------------------------------- 
From: Sven 
'Morning Ann,
Basically, yes. But not in a "used" state. When I sell or donate a computer,
the first thing I do is completely erase the hard drive. I then format it
and reinstall / restore the software that was originally installed at the
factory. When it leaves my possession, it's packaged and in the same state
as it was when I received it. Exceptions might be if the person wanted an
upgraded operating system, additional hardware / software, or otherwise
customized in some way.

On the other hand, when I'm working with a hard drive that I will continue
to use, as in Alan's situation, it's not necessary (for me) to take extra
precaution to insure no old data is recoverable before I install an
operating system on it.        -Sven Swanson, Sr.

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