[inpchell]

I'm selling my lenovo thinkpad x61 and need to remove all sensitive material. I have a thinkvantage button that will run a system restore to return laptop to factory ship state. Does this truly remove all data or am I still vulnerable?? also no optical drive so can't use any disks even though I have all 7 restore disks that came with the laptop. Please tell me how to best remove all private info without rendering hard drive useless and losing all software that was originally loaded.
Thanks!

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I doubt that restoring the system to the factory state would wipe out all of the unused disk space, which could contain sensitive material.

If you restore the system, then fill up the disk completely and then delete the additional space used, it should make it fairly (not 100%) safe. You could do another restore to factory state, just to be a little bit safer.

[Kemasa]

I doubt that restoring the system to the factory state would wipe out all of the unused disk space, which could contain sensitive material.

If you restore the system, then fill up the disk completely and then delete the additional space used, it should make it fairly (not 100%) safe. You could do another restore to factory state, just to be a little bit safer.

[inpchell]

Thank you for the quick response. This may sound very ignorant but how do you "fill up the disk completely"??

[inpchell]

Also this x61 thinkpad has an advanced means of authentication for the system—a passcode and/or fingerprint which is meant to help keep data more secure. The "Client Security Solution" enables user authentication through integrated hardware rather than in the software or memory. Doesn't that make me less vulnerable????

[Kemasa]

Copy and/or create files until the disk is full. Download files from the Internet, for example, but often it is quicker to just copy files. You can also write a program to use up space, but it needs to write non-zero data.

If the files are encrypted, then you wold be more secure. If it is just used to access the files, such as a login, then it would not make any difference.

[inpchell]

ok. thank you or your help