Removing memory from laptop for recycling

[FergieTCat]

Computer gurus, this is a follow up to my question of last week.

I removed both the hard drive and RAM chips (or whatever you kids call them these days -- the green thingies) from the laptop. Is there anything else I need to do to make sure no one can access my personal information beyond destroying both the hard drive and the RAM?

Thank you again!

 

[FireDancer]

Nope, you should be good to go. Just make sure you don't have user names and passwords stick-noted to the computer. Believe it or not that actually has to be stated.

 

[FergieTCat]

Thank you!!!!!!!

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

you didn't really need to remove the ram. it has no data on it when the power is removed.

 

[Barbossa]

Might be worth checking that there isn't a CD-ROM in the drive that contains personal information.

 

[DVC-Don]

You are good to go with the hard drive removed.

 

[FireDancer]

you didn't really need to remove the ram. it has no data on it when the power is removed.

This is true. While it has been demonstrated that under certain circumstances critical information can be removed from RAM the process is very specific and requires immediate access to the computer while it is still running to prepare it for such and extraction.

In short, turn off your computer, count to 10, and anything available in RAM will have degraded beyond recovery but anyone.

If you want to be extra careful feel free to remove it but in reality only the hard drive (or other persistent memory like an embedded SD module) has actually usable information.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

This is true. While it has been demonstrated that under certain circumstances critical information can be removed from RAM the process is very specific and requires immediate access to the computer while it is still running to prepare it for such and extraction.

In short, turn off your computer, count to 10, and anything available in RAM will have degraded beyond recovery but anyone.

If you want to be extra careful feel free to remove it but in reality only the hard drive (or other persistent memory like an embedded SD module) has actually usable information.

I have acquired ram data, and it does take some specific software and hardware.

in this instance all the OP needed was to remove the HDD and recycle.

in the case of a laptop, not only do you have to turn it off, you have to unplug the external power source AND REMOVE THE BATTERY to allow the ram to be without power.

(forgot to add for OP, the laptop could be configured for "sleep" mode and can retain the RAM memory of there is a power source)

sounds like the OP is good to go.

 

[sbell111]

I'd have simply sledged the laptop.