Epson WF 2530 printer

Sat 8 Jan 2022, 22:50

I inferred from the info on the tv, that I regret I was only half listening to, that the drives would be wiped before being passed on.

Sat 8 Jan 2022, 22:32 (last edited on Sat 8 Jan 2022, 23:10)

Christine, a search for secure wiping of hard disks will quickly find a lot of methods to do just that.

You need some means of overwriting the digital data on the drives and this can be done very easily with an application named Darik's Boot and Nuke, or something very similar to that.

It used to be free but I haven't used it for a long time now so I'm not sure if that's still the case.

There are other ways that are definitely free to use. I would now simply run a small live Linux system from a USB stick and run a command known as dd to write random data to the whole drive, thereby making the existing data totally impossible to recover.

I'm sure you will also find instructions for this if you run a web search, however, take great care if the drive is a solid state drive (ssd) as things will be different for them.

Sat 8 Jan 2022, 16:27

Thanks, Angus. Potentially interesting, but unfortunately it does not say anything at all about how to completely wipe any sensitive data from the laptop.

It's not enough to simply wipe the C Drive, as I confirmed when trying to clear the data from a netbook which has too small a C Drive to be updated. I formatted and wiped the C Drive twice, but everything reinstalled itself, courtesy of the D Drive and Microsoft Edge. 

The need to wipe sensitive data is particularly important for anyone who has used their computer in relation to education or other public services. I quote from the website of the organisation that I remain linked to:

<<You might not realise it but your computer could contain data covered by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Data Protection Act 2018, or critical to the interests of the organisation - so the disposal process must also ensure that all data is either certifiably wiped from the equipment, or the total destruction of any data-bearing media.

The rationale isn’t only data security, but software licencing, and also liability. ...  Donating equipment directly causes many issues in terms of responsibility, data processing, compliance and further responsibility and liability post any donation. >>

As a consequence, I have decided that I will need to contact the organisation I remain linked to about how to get rid of my surplus IT equipment. They do support various charities, but only after a certificate of destruction has been issued.

Sat 8 Jan 2022, 14:55

Not sure if this is any good for anyone with an old laptop to get rid of...: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p093cwh6

Fri 7 Jan 2022, 22:58 (last edited on Fri 7 Jan 2022, 23:57)

I recently asked Sobell House Charity Warehouse in Witney if they would like a really elderly i pad that does almost nothing.   Absolutely, they said.  They suggested I had any personal information wiped first, although they would have done it for me.  

As they take electrical goods they also take all sorts of electrical and electronic bits and pieces.  These items go into their well known rummage box for people to sort through for whatever it is they need.  They also take all sorts of things that other charity shops are not interested in.  

They are very useful if you are helping someone to remove unwanted items from a house. They also take framed paintings for example which they know no one will buy for the painting but will buy, cheaply, for the frame.  

I do not expect they would take all the items mentioned below but I think it would be worth asking them.

Sometimes they are overwhelmed with donations so it can be wise to ring them first.

Fri 7 Jan 2022, 20:22 (last edited on Fri 7 Jan 2022, 20:24)

John, it's not very clear. Reviveit advertises itself as free recycling in a way that guarantees the destruction of confidential data, but with some very small print saying it is only free to most people. In practice, it looks as if it's not likely to be free to any domestic households unless they have some new equipment that reviveit wants.

The view that it is now a primarily commercial company comes from recent Trust Pilot reviews together with their website which shows what equipment has recently been sold.

I am not clear if it was always like this, or if things have fairly recently changed. But best avoided as far as I am concerned.

The other computer disposal company points out how many of these recycling enterprises are not quite what they seem.

WODC will recycle IT waste properly, and I would definitely prefer that except where there are security issues. 

Fri 7 Jan 2022, 18:34

Are these fees that you pay to dispose of these items, or a payment they make to you for the kit?

Fri 7 Jan 2022, 11:43

I would happily club together, Basil. But having today looked at the recent reviews of Reviveit on Trust Pilot, I don't think this would be of benefit to you.

They are a commercial company who really only want equipment with a resale value, and everything that I would be offering them has a resale value of zero. This fits with the fact that the price that you were quoted, Basil, is greater than the one offered to Hannen, even though you are offering them more equipment. 

If we could identify a better company, I would be up for that. But having looked at computerdisposals.com (which is what the organisation I am linked to uses for computer disposal) I realise that there are more complications than I realised. 

NB recent phones are pretty easy to wipe clean, and are happily received by Oxfam and other charity shops. But I have some very old phones that are not so easily wiped, plus a Netbook which I have completely failed to wipe clean -- made the mistake of installing Microsoft Edge which can't be removed once it is on the machine, and has now updated my emails etc .

I wouldn't have thought that a router would have security issues; but you should probably power the router on, and hold the “reset” button in for 30 seconds to ensure a “factory reset” before placing it in the black electrical box.

If you could come up with a better solution, Basil, I am still interested. And if there were a registered Charity company in Charlbury that needed or wanted to be involved with the disposal, the computerdisposals.com route would probably work out very well for a group of us.

Fri 7 Jan 2022, 10:30

Having seen photographs Reviveit quoted me £245 plus VAT yesterday for taking an old laptop, an inkjet printer, two phones and a router. Could we perhaps put our stuff together to make it more worth their while. I fear they may not be free for most of us.

Thu 6 Jan 2022, 17:04 (last edited on Thu 6 Jan 2022, 17:05)

Thanks, Hannen.

I'll put together a list of what I have to get rid of (eventually), and see what price reviveit.co.uk quotes me for disposing of them.

In the past I have used Systems and Solutions in Witney, but they handed me back my old hard drive after disposing of the computer -- which I really don't want! 

If other people have used other firms for recycling, perhaps they could add some suggestions here.

NB I take my old laser cartridges to Cartridge UK in Corn Street Witney who return them for free. They also do ink cartridges & refills -- also new printers. Have used them for many years.

Thu 6 Jan 2022, 16:14

Thanks Christine,

I thought that might be the case - yes, it's inkjet.  Just couldn't pin it down on the WODC website, but might be me!

Yes, that's the company.  Don't know if they do the same with HDDs/mobile phones, but the website states "free"!  And I had to take a photo and send it to them - all a bit bothersome as I'd told them the make and model. 

Thu 6 Jan 2022, 13:56

If it fits in the electrical box OK, the printer will be taken way for recycling. One of mine was taken earlier this week. Not sure I would use this for laser printers (for health reasons), but inkjet printers are less of an issue.

Out of interest, Hannen, was the company you contacted www.reviveit.co.uk/printer-recycling ? They say they are free to "most" people, and I'm asking because I have quite a few computers, HDs and old mobile phones which I would not want to simply leave outside in my black box or, indeed, simply take to the tip (for privacy reasons). And I'm trying to work out how best to dispose of them. 

Thu 6 Jan 2022, 13:27

This no longer works and we can't get ink cartridges AND it's water damaged.

We need to get rid of it.  I contacted a specialist recycling company and they said that they would collect it for £195 + VAT!

Is there a way of getting it to WODC?  Black box?

Or is it a tip only job?