# clearing laptop data

**URL:** <https://forums.speedlife.net/t/clearing-laptop-data/204312>\
**Category:** PittSpeed Off Topic\
**Created:** [December 8, 2009, 12:52pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/clearing-laptop-data/204312 "2009-12-08T12:52:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 6

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**Author:** ![77rednecktruck](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/77rednecktruck/32/5966_2.png) [@77rednecktruck](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/77rednecktruck)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 11:46am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/clearing-laptop-data/204312/6 "2009-12-09T11:46:23Z")

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> [@Giants v. Cowboys](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/giants-v-cowboys/41755/36):
>
> This won’t necessarily remove the data from the hard drive. When you put information on a computer it puts the 1s and 0s on any space that is empty according to a big table. When you delete data it doesn’t erase the 1s and 0s from the disk it only deletes the entry from the table allowing it to be over written sometime later. A person would have to be tech savy to retrieve the information but it can potentially be done. If you read that article i posted it describes a few ways to really erase the disk.

do you low level format all of your drives before you get rid of them?

Ok, so do the steps I posted above and then run ccleaner’s wipe free space utility, does that make you happy?

And yes, I am aware how info is dealt with on a computer.

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