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Reformat Hard Drive if Owner Changes

If you need assistance implementing these steps, please contact the ITU Support Center at (703) 993-8870.

  • How? Please call the ITU Support Center, (703) 993-8870, for assistance. They will follow the appropriate procedure for reformatting your computer. You may want to inform them that the computer was used to handle secure data.

    Or you may use a secure-erase wiping utility [Kill Disk, Free version: www.killdisk.com]. A good product will overwrite the hard drive with a pattern of 0s and 1s replacing each bit of data with 0s and 1s, making it very difficult for a subsequent user to resurrect residual data.

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  • Why? Files and data remnants can remain on the hard drive when using the default delete utilities (i.e., trash, recycling bin, or delete menu item). Therefore, even if you empty your recycling bin, the data may still be there. If you have processed sensitive or confidential data, err on the side of caution, and reformat your hard drive.
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