Do you always erase your personal data on old devices?

Thats the problem I-M L, I bought a second hand PC at a car-boot sale there were pictures of a naked married couple —-well I wont go into it. If I took that to the police I would be arrested , my name would be mud , jailed etc.

Well, the photos or access logs will be dated, so you wouldn’t have a lot to worry about. But given the low cost of HDs, now, I’d err on the side of caution and simply install new drives. I re-use all old drives until they’re failing, then physically dismantle them and render the platters incapable of being read.

Can you really be sure that the dates etc will be correct? Occasionally, my own computers dates have reset itself to a different year/time.

Ing-Marie- this is more serious than you think , while it could be a driver update is needed or the CMOS battery is running low , it could be a virus , as, if you are using windows, security updates will not download typical of a viral action .Have you downloaded anything recently from the three social websites ? If not I could help you through a check on your computer , are you using Windows protection ? I could recommend others although this type of virus isnt easy to spot . But it could very well be your CMOS battery which should be 3 volts / circular /shiny /flat -disc looking in your computer , some last many years others only a few years. I would certainly not leave this as you would be open to attack on a Windows system.

Ing-Marie: while it’s true that dates might be incorrect, modern computers depend for their overall functionality on correct and accurate dating and actually altering the attributes can interfere with other aspects of the system. However, overall you’re right: they can be altered.

Thanks for reply, Duncan. I’m on a new computer now, because I just gave up on getting the old one back to usable and that was the one where the date got reset. I actually put the main problem down to the Windows 10 Anniversary update. A number of drivers on my PC weren’t compatible, apparently. I eventually manage to do a factory reset, but then I got a hard drive error warning, was unable to open Windows, again, and by that time, I’d had enough! The idea of virus did enter my mind, and maybe it was both a driver problem and a virus. I can’t remember if I just had the security that comes with Windows 10 (I had upgraded from 8.1) or if I had installed a security suite.

I would need to do some further training to manage that, Ian!

Thanks for replying Ing-Marie- not many do , if its a new PC we can rule out the battery and your dead right , unless Windows 10 Anniversary Update ” approves ALL the drivers it blocks you from booting up and logging on . Its also not too happy about you installing a good paid for virus control system as it tries to manipulate it as it does so much spying . I would advise you to pay for a good PC+ full Internet protection suite but meanwhile are you using Edge browser or Internet Explorer ? If I was you I would install Firefox as you can add a whole host of protection apps to it , thats the main use one I use , these will block this type of “click on a virus” thing I have already tested it out and it works .But knowing MS they might block some of them as many people dont realise the Windows versions of browsers arent the same as other systems like the LInux one I run which I control not MS . At the moment 53 % of Windows users Worldwide use Win 7 and 32 % use Win 10 ( latest figures from MS ) but you shouldn’t believe everything MS says they don’t even mention XP although about 12 % still use it. Try installing Firefox ( if MS will let you ? ) .

It’s not hard, Ing-Marie. You do need a specialist tool kit to open the old drive, but once in a hammer and pliers quickly render the platters (where the data’s stored) utterly unusable.

Yes I would second that Ian.

“it may be very difficult, or even impossible, to prove that this was nothing to do with yourself, in case of a police investigation.”

er, hold on a moment, whatever happened to “innocent until proven guilty” ???

Thats what worries me Derek .

That’s both concise and totally accurate.

Quite so, and under the ancient doctrine we are only “presumed” innocent until proven guilty, in other words whoever accuses us can believe we are guilty but the court has to give us the presumption of innocence in order for the case to proceed. But nobody comes out of a trial as innocent – the best you can get is “not guilty”.