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Is My Drive Recycled?

02/29/2008 7:19 AM

I have this question for you guys. I bought my laptop almost a year ago. About three months after, I took it on a job. Later, used Google Desktop to locate a doc with a key phrase, and it pulled up all sorts of conversations, some resembling email, that I have never had. Never seen these statements before, period. Things about picking the kids up from school, helping a customer, etc. (Haven't had these conversations with anyone) Luckily, nothing bad. But where could these things have come from? Is it possible that my hard drive is recycled? Bought it at Best Buy, it's a Toshiba. Thanks for your input.

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#1

Re: Is my drive recycled?

02/29/2008 8:07 AM

The search engine scans for any material containing the specified code words and store a reference in temporary files on the HD. Fortunately they will disappear in time depending of your settings.

This feature is actually handy as well. You can just open a file and close it straight away and later you can read it at leisure.

I am not 100% sure but I think emails are loaded as a whole.

The CR4 threads opened by you are also saved. Instead of printing I go to the temporary file and save interesting threads. (I use a dos program to access the data.)

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#3
In reply to #1

Re: Is my drive recycled?

02/29/2008 4:30 PM

I understand the part about how the search engine works, but how does it pick up something off of my computer that I never read before, or wrote, or looked at, or put in? I mean, these were email conversations (some of them) that I've never had, with people I've never heard of. I know this because GD shows you where it is retrieving it from. I love GD for it's ability to find docs easily that I may have forgotten the name of, but it sure makes me wonder what the heck is on there that I don't know about. In these days of dragnet operations and FISA blankety blank, it doesn't sit well with me.

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#2

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

02/29/2008 10:56 AM

When you bought your laptop, yours may have been a demo on the shelf. which could have had that on there.

When I bought mine, got home and fired it up, nothing but crap came on it. Bought it back, and thats what they told me, I was'nt too upset because with the power it had and what I paid for it. I figured that much.

They wiped it and reformatted it.

That was 2 years ago, never let me down yet.

phoenix911

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#4
In reply to #2

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

02/29/2008 4:34 PM

I doubt that it was a demo, since, A) One was on the shelf. B) I saw them pull it from a stack of like boxes above. C) Even if it had, at one time been a demo, in store demos are not connected to the internet, to the best of my knowledge. Wish I had an explanation, but I may never know. Oh well...

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#5

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 12:02 AM

Hello Igotmine,

Suggest you reduce page file and restore to minimum then run disk clean-up, yes check the files then say ok. Reboot, defrag, reboot.

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#6

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 12:09 AM

I've never heard of this. Find your reciept, get the serial numbers for the drive and the system and call the manufacturer.

They should be able to tell you a lot more than Best Buy.

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#7

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 12:17 AM

Did you check if your lap is labeled as "refurbished"... To me your statement sounds like about used HD. You might know, even if you format ur HD not saying about just deleting, there is probability of recovering all the data, unless a claster is not magnetized again (overwritten).

Cheers, Ali G

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#8

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 8:28 AM

There is plenty of software around to wipe the empty portions of the HD. It certainly sounds as if the Laptop or Hard Disk was previously used by someone.....if it was cheap, don`t worry.

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#11
In reply to #8

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 1:19 PM

Well, it wasn't cheap, IMO. I guess I should be happy that I haven't had any problems with it, but, as I said before, what else might be on there that I don't know about? Also, I just hate the thought that they might have gotten one over on me. LOL.

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#9

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 9:48 AM

What is the make and model of your laptop and, if I might be so bold as to ask, what did you pay for it?

Thanks

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#10
In reply to #9

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 1:03 PM

It is a Toshiba Satellite series. I think it is a T2080.? I just pulled out the original packaging. It was around $800 before adding software I needed, etc. If it was a refurbished one, they certainly made an effort to conceal that from me.

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#12
In reply to #10

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 2:23 PM

You most likely got a "grey" market laptop. The hard drive software is loaded as an image from a master. So the whole stack of laptops at Best buy probably had the same hidden messages. Grey market laptops are manufactured by the OEM, but are distributed indirectly usually without an OS added later by a third party. They typically are covered under warranty.

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#16
In reply to #12

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 8:06 PM

Thanks, this could be the case. I appreciate your input, and will ask Best Buy or Toshiba about this possibility.

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#13
In reply to #10

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 2:48 PM

You think you know what you bought but you know they concealed it from you???

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#14
In reply to #13

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 8:03 PM

Did you read this thread from beginning to end??? Let me see if I can catch you up... I bought what was presented as a brand new laptop at Best Buy. There was a whole stack of them there. (new, in boxes) About 3 months after I bought it, I used Google Desktop. It retrieved things I had never before seen. These things were conversations by email. Since I know for a fact that they are not my conversations, and that no one except for me has ever used my computer since I purchased it, it leads me to believe that I may have been sold a computer built with a recycled hard drive. Now, if it is recycled, it was certainly concealed by them. If I had knowingly bought a recycle, this discussion would not even be taking place. Hope that explains it sufficiently.

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#19
In reply to #14

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/02/2008 12:22 AM

Igotmine,

Yes I did read the entire thread before replying and there is a certain curiosity in your laptop issue. A record of when and by whom these conversations were entered should be available to you, use this dated info when discussing with PC mag.

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#20
In reply to #19

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/02/2008 6:36 AM

Ah, will do. I wonder just how commom this is.

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#15
In reply to #10

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 8:06 PM

At $800.00USD that should be a new, blank drive. It may have been used by someone at Toshiba but not at Best Buy.

Now, if you have the original packaging see if you can locate the serial numbers for the unit and the drive. It may not be on the box - it could have been on the cellophane.

The best place to look for the numbers is under the physical unit for the system. For the numbers on the drive, make sure your system is powered down and pop the drive. The number should be on the drive itself. The drive should be on one of the sides of the system or behind a sliding panel up front.

Write a letter to Toshiba-USA (otherwise the response you'll get will be in an Asian dialect) and explain the situation and see what they say.

Back up your data onto C/D.

To do a real 'wipe' on a drive you'll need a program that erases to military code. All this means is that it will write 00000's to every address on the drive. Norton Utilities does just that.

Best of luck,

Orpheuse

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#17
In reply to #15

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 8:16 PM

Thank you so very much for all of your help. Have the receipt, ser. no., and will collect the one for the drive. Maybe I can get a new one, or at least get them to pay for the wipe software. I found some dates on those messages I talked about, and sure enough, they were pre-purchase.

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#18
In reply to #17

Re: Is My Drive Recycled?

03/01/2008 8:50 PM

Yeah, they'll probably exchange it for you. Keep us posted - I'm curious to find out how Toshiba handles this.

Thanks and good luck

Orpheuse

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