[My ISP's news server barfed a couple days ago, and neither my post or "John
Smith"'s f'up to it are currently available. Hence, I'm tacking my comments
on here...]

On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 21:04:44 -0700, in <alt.privacy.spyware>, "John Smith"
<bostrom@lanset.com> wrote:


> From: "John Smith" <bostrom@lanset.com>
> Newsgroups: alt.privacy.spyware
> Subject: Re: Probably OT....help!!!!
> Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 21:04:44 -0700
>
> Find a copy of wdclear.exe, take a boot floopy to work with the wdclear
> program on it, boot from the floppy and run wdclear. The harddrive will
> be completely zeroed and cleared... NO evidence will be left...
[snip]

*NO*!!!

Do *NOT* follow this *horribly* bad advice!

First, unless that system happens to have one of several various Western
Digital HDDs installed, it simply WILL NOT WORK. And failing that, it is
very possible to PERMANENTLY DAMAGE the HDD or some other part of the system
through misuse of this utility.

Second, Mr. Smith obviously missed the fact that the system in question is
the property of the OP's (or the OP's cousin's, if that bit of face-saving
"distancing" is to be believed) *employer*, not the OP (or his cousin)
himself. Hence, even if it did work, doing this would constitute serious
(possibly criminal) VANDALISM.

> ...a simple
> re-install of the OS will put things back in order,
[snip]

You think so, eh?

What makes you think he even has access to the OS Install media? And what
of all the application software. And the data? And the specific setup
customizations that you'd typically find (in great abundance) on any
corporate PC? It's a lead-pipe cinch that the OP (or his cousin) have no
clue how to duplicate those.

> ...and tell him NOT to
> do it again...
>
[snip]

And that's the ONLY part of this you got right, you stupid top-posting git.

--

Jay T. Blocksom
--------------------------------
Appropriate Technology, Inc.
usenet01[at]appropriate-tech.net


"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.

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