Hard disk failure - confidential information

Hard disk failure - confidential information

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The hard disk has apparently failed on my Dell notebook, and has been swapped under the maintenance contract. The disk contained confidential information, which presumably is capable of being recovered. Should I ask Dell for specific assurances, or can I request that they try and re-format the disk? My initial concerns have increased since I have had the same problem (within 24 hours) with the replacement disk, and they now think it is the motherboard. Therefore the original disk could well be perfectly usable.
David Evans

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By User deleted
22nd Mar 2002 16:41

A small but humorous digression
The political leader of an English Local Authority ordered that his PC be replaced with the most up to date available.

The old PC is taken away by the IT department for re-allocation. By pure chance it is allocated to the office of the opposing Party who immediately realise the hard disk contained the Leader's correspondence memos etc.

The hard disk is copied to tape and passed to a local Member of Parliament.

There was some legalistic discussion about who owned the information.

Some embarassing items were printed, copied and distributed within the House of Commons under parliamentary privilege.

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By Abacjm
21st Mar 2002 17:01

Hard Disk Failure
David,
if my experiece is anything to go by, as the supplier company replaced the hard disk FOC, they said I had to give up the old hard disk which they said would go back to the disk maker (Fujitsu) to be junked.(Part of the warranty arrangement, it seems.

I can only suggest that you contact Dell, given the new info that it may be your motherboard and not he H/d and request the old disk back in return for the replaced one - if only to see if it works . If it does (after replacing the m/board) it could save you a whole heap of re-inputting info.) 'Course all depends on your existing backup procedures.

'Fraid I got caught out on that one (New Computer purchased in May - h/d crashed in following Nov).

They may also not give you a full 12 months warranty on the replacement part but just the balance of the original. Quite how computer Co's get off with that I dont know.

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By User deleted
21st Mar 2002 17:13

if it's that
important take it to a specialist like Vogon in Surrey and get your (huge) wallet out, otherwise accept that yet again Bill G triumphs over little you and throw it away.

PS. memo to head of IT to install proper backup procedures so that this fiasco does not recur.

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