Wednesday 4 October 2017

How to Securely Wipe the Free Space on Your Windows PC

This is mostly copied from an excellent article on the GroovyPost Website by Lori Kaufman, Oct 3 2017
with some additional text by me

Original article


When you delete files from your hard drive, did you know that the file never actually gets deleted from your hard drive and is normally able to be recovered using readily available recovery tools? Normally this isn’t an issue as we use our computer each day. However, if you’re planning to sell or donate your computer and don’t want your old data to be recoverable, follow the steps below to wipe the free space on your hard drive. The process is the same and will work on Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10.

People often say to me “there is nothing on my hard drive that I care about if someone sees”,  but bear in mind that an experienced hacker can build a profile of someone from a set of files on a PC, and can often guess passwords, or find those passwords within those files. This leaves a person vulnerable to Identity theft, with all the ensuing headaches.

What really happens when you delete a file?
When you delete a file on your computer, the only thing that’s removed is the reference to it in the master file table. The file still exists on your hard drive, however Windows just doesn’t know where the file is. This is because as mentioned earlier, you’re only removing the indexes and the links to the data and telling Windows it has permission to overwrite that area of the hard drive.
So, until (and possibly after) the data is written over, it can be recovered by special tools or the right set of skills. The tools, or an experienced hacker, can scan the hard drive and look for the files and restore the links and indexes so Windows can see the files again. If you’re selling a computer, or even disposing of one, you should securely wipe the free space on your PC’s hard drive so the files cannot be recovered.
(if the computer is old, and is simply headed for the recycle depot, you could just remove the hard drive and drill a hole in it, to render it inoperable, but make sure that hole, or holes, goes right through the middle of the hard drive)
Here is how to use the cipher command on the command line to securely write over the free space several times to make sure no data can be recovered. There are also some third-party tools that do the same thing.

Cipher
Before using the cipher command to securely overwrite the free space on your hard drive, be sure you quit all programs. That ensures the maximum amount of free space is securely wiped.
Click the Cortana icon or the Search icon on the Taskbar and start typing “command prompt”. Then, click Command Prompt under Best match.

 













Type the following command at the prompt and press Enter.
cipher /w:C



 
Data that is not allocated to any files or folders is overwritten three times and permanently removed. This can take a long time if you are overwriting a large amount of free space.
Cipher goes through the following steps as it securely wipes the free space on your hard drive.
1.    The cipher command automatically creates a new folder on the C drive called EFSTMPWP and then creates a file in that folder with nothing but zeros in it. It will grow until the hard drive fills up.
2.    Then, cipher deletes that file and creates a second file which is filled with the number 255 repeatedly until the file grows big enough to fill the free space on the hard drive again.
3.    Next, cipher deletes the second file, creates a third file, and fills that with random numbers until your hard drive is full again.
4.    Finally, cipher deletes the third file and returns you to the prompt. Type exit at the prompt to close the Command Prompt window.
So, essentially, cipher wrote over the free space (old files) on your hard drive three times to make sure no one could ever scan your hard drive and recover the data you deleted from it.
If you watch your hard drive space, as cipher does its thing, don’t be surprised when you see your hard drive fill up. This is normal as mentioned in the steps above and the space will be freed again.




CCleaner

If you’re not comfortable using the command line, there’s a free utility called CCleaner that allows you to securely wipe the free space on your hard drive.
Be sure you install or update to the latest version.
There are two versions of CCleaner, free and paid. The feature that wipes the free space on your hard drive is available in the free version, so that will do just fine.
Once you’ve downloaded CCleaner and installed it, or updated it, open the program and click Tools on the left pane. Choose Free Space Only from the Wipe drop-down list. Make sure you DO NOT select Entire Drive, as this will erase ALL the files on your hard drive—unless that is what you mean to do. If you’re getting rid of the PC, you can use the Entire Drive option to wipe the entire drive. Be very careful when making this selection.
Select the type of overwrite procedure you want from the Security drop-down list. Simple Overwrite is fine for most situations. However, if you want CCleaner to behave like the cipher command, select Advanced Overwrite (3 passes). Finally, select the drive on which you want to securely wipe the free space in the Drives box and click Wipe.







Eraser

Another option for making sure your deleted data cannot be recovered is to delete your files and folders securely in the first place.
Eraser is a free, advanced security tool for Windows that allows you to securely delete data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns, like the cipher command and CCleaner. The difference is you can do this when you delete the files and folders, not after. You can also securely wipe the free space on your hard drive to be extra safe.
When you download Eraser and install it, an option is added to the context (right-click) menu in File Explorer. Instead of deleting files and folders normally by pressing the Delete key, sending them to the recycle bin, and then emptying the recycle bin, you can use Eraser directly in File Explorer to securely delete files and folders.
To securely delete one or more files or folders, select what you want to delete, right-click on the selection, and then go to Eraser > Erase on the popup menu.



If you are uncomfortable with any of these options, but you are selling, gifting, or disposing of a PC, ask someone you trust to run one of these commands or software options for you. Even if you have to pay  for their time, it’s worth it for the peace of mind of knowing that your data cannot be compromised.

Tuesday 19 September 2017

Understanding Basic Computer Terms

Recently a sad experience by one of my clients underlined for me the importance of proper communication, and explaining computer terms that are well known and understood by those in the industry, but might not be understood by those not so familiar with them.
A client was having problems with her computer. She took it to a repair shop. The technician said to her:
“We will have to send this away for repair. It will likely need to be reformatted. Have you saved everything you need?”

She heard:
‘The formatting needs changing? I guess that means that they have to change a couple of things to make it work better. I have written down all my passwords, so yes I’ve saved all of that’

He was really saying:
‘This needs REFORMATTING – that term means that all of your files; your documents, pictures, music, videos, emails etc will be wiped off. All of your programs will be wiped off. We will be putting a fresh copy of Windows on. In other words, when you get it back, it will be like you just bought it from the store.
Have you saved everything? In other words, did you back up your files; did you copy all of your documents, photos, music, emails etc onto an external drive so that you can put them all back onto your computer when you get it back?
What about your programs. If you purchased them online and have files that you downloaded to install them, did you save all those installers, and any information about keys, or licenses, so you can reinstall those programs without paying again?’

She did not understand any of that, and was devastated when she got her computer back and found that all of her documents, and especially her photos, were all gone.

Of course, the technician was remiss in not ensuring that she understood the terms he was using, but it is also worth noting that if you are using a computer, it’s good to become familiar with a few important terms such as:

Reformat   Backup
Malware    Virus
Megabytes  Gigabytes
Web Browser   File manager
Flash Drive   External Drive
Upload    Download
Cloud  Online Storage
Copy and Paste  Drag and Drop

...to name just a few

You can always start a list of terms that you come across that you don’t fully understand, and ask someone knowledgeable in the computer world to explain them to you - or look them up in a Google search.

Also, get familiar with the software that you rely on every day, and know how you acquired it – on a disk or through a download? Was it a trial version that was loaded on your computer when you bought it, and you later purchased the full version? Is it subscription based (you renew it yearly)?
Do you have a list of the license codes for all of your purchased software?

You don’t need to be a computer technician by any means, but familiarising yourself with some key words and phrases can be helpful in better understanding what a technician is explaining to you should you need help. It can also help if you are searching for online assistance, as it can help you better understand instructions you might read online.

If you do face a situation where a tech is telling you something, and you don’t understand the terminology - ASK! Don’t be embarrassed to say that you don’t understand the terms being used. Sometimes techs simply don’t think to explain terms, because they are so familiar with them themselves.

Everyone has their own “are of expertise” If computers are not your area, that’s perfectly ok, but not getting something explained could cost you dearly, as it did my client recently.


One day you might be grateful that you know what Reformat means – and that you knew how to do a Backup!

Wednesday 26 April 2017

Which Office Suite is the right choice for you?

Most computer users make use of some version of an “Office Suite” of programs, which usually includes a document writer, spreadsheet creator, slide creator and player, and possibly an email client.
The most well known is Microsoft Office, which includes:
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote - and in some of it’s versions, Outlook (the email client)
Some versions also add:
Publisher (for creating business cards, posters, newsletters and other desktop publishing items)
Access (a database manager)
There are a couple free office Suites that can be downloaded. They have fewer features, and rarely include an email client, but they can suffice for those with simple needs.
One of the most notable of the free suites is LibraOffice; though there is also the option of using an online suite of programs like Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, etc.
Microsoft is pushing all it’s loyal users to switch to Office 365, which is subscription based, and has stated that it will end support of any of its stand-alone products by 2020.
So where do you stand?
If you have a real need for the impressive features built into Microsoft Office, and especially if you hate to give up Outlook for email, then it’s probably time to bite the bullet and opt for Office365, and budget for an annual subscription fee. If you have friends or family that would like to share with you, you can legally share one subscription with up to 5 users, all of whom will have their own Microsoft Account, so you will only be sharing access to the Programs, not sharing any personal data. That makes Office365 much more affordable.
However if you want to jump ship altogether and opt for a less full featured, but free, option, maybe choosing  LibraOffice, or even moving everything to an online system like Google’s is for you.
Bear in mind that these are free, so not only will they have fewer features, but there is no guarantee that they will continue to be offered.
Of course, you can use those free versions, and save your files in Microsoft Office compatible formats, like doc, docx, or xls etc. That way your files will always be accessible even if you change to another suite or system later.
Using Google Docs may have some limits to this type of conversion, and even LibraOffice may lose a little in translation, but for the most part it will work.
So the answer to:
Where do I stand?
is very individual. It depends on your personal needs and preferences, and of course your budget.
If there is one decision I encourage many people to make if possible, is to change your email to a Gmail address. I know this can be a bit of a pain in the transition, since you have to let all of your contacts know. I personally haven’t even made that full switch over yet, though I will be doing so in the next month or so. If you move to Gmail, which is stable and well supported, you can probably take the need for an email client out of the Office Suite decision, which can make the choice easier and cheaper.
If you are not a business owner, but are using Outlook now, take a look at Gmail, Google Notes, Google Keep, Google Calendar, all of which are full featured and stable, and ask yourself if you really need what Outlook has to offer.
Maybe you are the right candidate for a simple free Office Suite and free Google Apps.
One thing is sure, before long this decision will need to be made, since options will become more limited.
Here are a couple of good resource pages with helpful information:

http://www.cio.com/article/3104627/office-software/10-reasons-you-should-use-libreoffice-and-not-microsoft-word.html

And this article about safety issues with regard to  using older versions of Office:

http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/computing/software/is-it-safe-to-use-an-old-version-of-microsoft-office-11364006850132

My decision was to opt for Office365 and share the $99 a year cost with 4 other people. Your decision may be different, but you do want to choose something that has been around a while, and will likely remain around. That is especially true for email – which is why I recommend Gmail as It has become well established and has easy to use apps for all computer, tablet and phone systems.


What will your decision be?

Monday 27 February 2017

What is Google?

I thought this was worth addressing as I often get clients who ask me questions about “Google” and it sometimes takes me a while to figure out exactly what issue they are having.

This is why it can be confusing:

Google itself has grown into a really large company. They are, of course, well known for the Search Engine that they introduced back in 1998.
There are other Search Engines that allow us to find things on the World Wide Web; Microsoft makes its own search engine, Bing, and there are others, such as Yahoo’s search engine, but Google is still the most popular.
Due to its popularity it became simply known as “Google” although technically it is “The Google Search Engine” or the search engine made by Google

Google as a company has grown tremendously and now creates many many apps and tools:
Google Chrome
Google Maps
Gmail (the G in Gmail stands for Google)
Google Docs
Google Books
Google Keep
Google Drive
Google Calendar
Google Translate
Chromecast

To name only a few!
Google also now owns YouTube
And Google now owns Blogger, the service that hosts blogs such as the one you are reading this information on.

That is why your Google account can log you into all those apps and sites.

Among the most popular of all Google products, aside from its Search Engine, is Chrome, the Google owned web browser.

A web browser is the software on your computer that allows you to view web pages.
A search engine helps you to find the content you want from within all those pages

You can use any or all of the popular Web Browsers:
Edge (the newest web browser made by Microsoft, which replaces Internet Explorer)
Firefox, made by Mozilla.
Safari, made by Apple.
And Chrome, made by Google.
(and some other lesser known ones)

If you are looking for technical assistance it can help to narrow down what it is that you need help with by knowing what you are asking about.

If you say “I can’t find Google” have you lost a shortcut to Google’s search engine?
 (it’s always available using any web browser, at www.google.com, or www.google.ca)
Or are you looking for Google Chrome, the web browser made by Google?
Or maybe some other Google app?

So here is the bottom line:
Google is a huge company.
Google is commonly used as the name of the very popular search engine made by that company .
Chrome is actually the name of the web browser made by Google.

Let me illustrate
If you need help to find something in your pantry and you say you are looking for “the Heinz”
You might well be looking for ketchup, but you could also be looking for soup, or mustard, or beans, or any of the dozens of products made by Heinz.
So, it helps to narrow down your terminology.

The same is true if you are asking for help with “Google” You’ll find it less frustrating trying to get the help you need if you can narrow down your issue to the particular Google product you want help with.
Hopefully this helps with the terminology – and maybe too you’ll be inspired to check out some of the other great Google apps.
I use Google maps all the time but I also really like Google Keep.
If you aren’t familiar with Google Keep search for it using “Google” and watch some YouTube videos about it.

All part of the Google service J

Friday 13 January 2017

Some info on the new version of Malwarebytes

I have long been a proponent of Malwarebytes anti-malware program.

No antivirus program has ever fully protected against all forms of malware and Malwarebytes was an important additional tool to have, as long as it was updated and run on a fairly regular basis.

In the past, the only real difference between the pro version and the free version was the fact that the pro (paid for) version would run it’s scans on a schedule behind the scenes, so people didn’t have to remember to update and run it.
I was never prepared to pay just for that. I’d simply set myself reminders.

However, Malwarebytes now has a brand-new version of it’s program  - Malwarebytes 3.0

There are far more differences between the free and the paid version now, and some of the Premium version’s features are quite compelling, especially as it professes to protect against ransom-ware, one of the worst threats, which locks up your data with a cryptic key, and only paying the very costly ransom will (hopefully!) get you that key. Of course, if you do REGULAR backups you could simply wipe the drive and put back your data from a backup, but it’s still time consuming and costly and a miserable experience.

If it’s true that Malwarebytes can now protect against ransom-ware, I wouldn’t hesitate to advise anyone to upgrade to the Premium version at around CA$50 per year, or a little less if you purchase a 2-year license.

Malwarebytes is not a substitute for antivirus, but it does add a substantial layer of protection, which in this new version has some compelling features.

I’ll leave it to you to check it out and decide if it’s worth it to you

At the very least you can still get the free version, it still protects against “traditional” malware– just remember to run it!