Quote:
Originally Posted by twowheels
If you're installing Linux on the old computer with Windows (for yourself to use) there's no reason to wipe the drive... just let the Linux installer use the entire drive, which effectively erases everything (but not securely). Some old left-over Windows virus cannot cross-contaminate your Linux box, it's just not how things work.
(this is ignoring the almost purely academic possibility of cross-platform viruses stored somewhere like the drive firmware/usb device firmware, but no wiping or virus scanning would find such a thing at this time anyhow, and they're more theory than actual fact -- except for reports that the NSA has such a thing)
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Thanks twowheels. You know, I've got five old Dells (I'm going to keep one as a backup) and I'm going to put a Linux OS on each. (I'm taking them to a "Green Day" recycling thing and that way if someone wants to use them they can.) I was going to do the erase/wipe thing, even started it but it took so long, and putting the Linux on there will be decent security (don't you think?) in terms of wiping out what I have (which is not that important). I actually started to erase stuff on one of the computers and it would have taken FOREVER to do the whole computer and I wouldn't have been able to find all the files anyway (on the Windows computers).