Permanently Delete All Data on Your Harddisk
When you get rid of your computer, how do you get rid of the data on it? How do you make sure that nobody can recover your personal data from it. Formatting the harddisk is not enough. It is still possible to recover files from a formatted disk. The Read Write Web blog has a story about this. They describe different tools for permanently deleting your data from overwriting the disk 7 or 35 times to more violent ways like smashing the disks to smithereens. While the latter method may be a bit extreme (and it will most certainly decrease the value of your computer should you want to sell it on eBay), the article does point out an often overlooked security problem. It is definitely worth thinking about it before you retire your computer.