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From / Date: |
Question / Answer: |
| 7207. |
Carl
Cincinnati, OH
Age: 43
Mar 10, 2010
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A couple of tech notes
If a hard drive is wiped using a DOD standard, it becomes a very expensive proposition to recover anything off of it. It is possible, just as it is possible to recover data from smashed or burnt hard drives (yes!). As an IT pro, I have no problem with wiping a drive, and reinstalling Windows to sell the machine. We use DOD-type wipes in the hospital industry before we send old computers back to the leasor. Proxy servers for anonymous internet; I don't trust them. Why? Scripts. Plain and simple scripts. Proxies typically apply to only specific ports such as 80, 21, 443, etc., etc. Most web pages now (as opposed to ten years ago) load a wide range of scripts and sometimes connect to as many as ten servers in the process of loading one site on a wide range of ports, betraying your true ip. If you don't want to take any chances, disable java, javascript and activex in your browser, as well as any media plugins. But it rather defeats the purpose of the internet as it now exists.
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| 7206. |
Rick
Venice Fla
Age: 63
Mar 10, 2010
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New and improved credit approvals
BIG TIME FYI--I am CEO of my own co. and operate with LLCs and other corps. I just refied a house I own in Fla with SunTrust Bank. For more than 15 years my business has run hundreds of millions thru SunTrust, and they have financed multiple business properties. The mortgage on the Fla house was thru SunTrust. It took 6 months and I had to prove who I was,(keep in mind the house was already financed by SunTrust) provide SS card, change my name to "birth cert" name, list jobs I held in the 1970s before I founded my co., etc. It was incredible. I'll never finance anything again. If I can't pay cash, it doesn't happen.
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Thanks for sharing that with us, Rick. I underlined the last two sentences to be sure readers don't miss the point.
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| 7205. |
Teresa
Lewiston, Idaho
Age: 48
Mar 9, 2010
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P.O. Box vs. CRMA
Perhaps I missed this: Absent a "real" ghost address, what would be the better option--a USPS box or a CRMA? (IIRC, the USPS will more readily hand over and/or pry into one's business.)
Thank you!
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The CMRA is superior in that you can receive packages via FedEX and UPS.
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| 7204. |
Lloyd
Alhambra, CA
Age: 42
Mar 9, 2010
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Private companies accessing DL database
I went to a website looking for a trailer for an upcoming movie. The trailer is R-rated, so they want age verification. They ask for your full name, zip code on your driver's license, and your birthdate. I figured there's no way they're going to actually be able to verify this, so as long as the birthdate you give says you're of legal age, everything's fine. There's an agreement to click on that says the information you're giving is correct and that you consent to a check against public records or government issued ID. Of course I gave fake information. Apparently, they really do check, because it rejected me! Now how the H are the able to access the DL database?
Submitted Link #1: http://www.kicksomepast.com/restricted/...
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| 7203. |
Jeff
Athens, GA
Age: 36
Mar 8, 2010
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Hard drive wiping
I agree with the previous poster. Buy a new hard drive. They're cheap and there is no question about your data. Take a sledgehammer to the old drive, and pretend it's your old boss. If you have never reinstalled windows on a PC, find someone who can and trade them a case of their favorite beverage. How much would it cost you to recover from identity theft? A hard drive and case of beverage is cheap in comparison. If it's an old PC, sledgehammer the drive and give the rest to your favorite charity.
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| 7202. |
John
Los Angeles, CA
Age: 41
Mar 8, 2010
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RE: Hard Drive Wipe
I've used a commercial product for years to wipe hard drives clean from Symantec called Gdisk. Its included in their Symantec Ghost Solution Suite 2.5.1. There is a DOD wipe option that does a 7x write over your existing data. I have tested this with several disk recovery utilities to no avail. It can take up to 48 hours on very large hard drives. For added protection I would then remove the hard drive from your laptop/computer and physically destroy it. If you are going to sell your laptop I would just purchase a new hard drive and replace your old drive, if you want to be ultra safe.
Submitted Link #1: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Back-Up-and-Re...
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| 7201. |
Alex
Lisburn, UK
Age: 35
Mar 8, 2010
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Wiping a hard drive
What is the most effective way to wipe my computer's hard drive, protecting my privacy, before I sell it? I am naturally sceptical of software publishers' claims about the effectiveness of their respective programmes to erase a hard drive.
I have previously scrapped an old external hard drive by physically taking it apart. I want to sell the PC with XP installed on it and think that replacing this computer's internal hard drive will be too expensive - that and don't know if I will be able to reinstall XP on it so what can I do to be sure that selling this computer won't come back and bite me on the behind? Thanks for any responses.
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Personally, I would never sell a computer I had used. I do not trust ANY of the claims about wiping a hard drive clean.
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| 7200. |
Martha
Kenora, Ontario
Age: 20
Mar 7, 2010
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Ordering Books by Mail Order
Hello,
I recently read Skip College and am trying to order some of the recommended books.
Unfortunately, I don't have a credit card or a Paypal account. I do have actual money.
Do you know of any websites that accept mail orders for their books?
Thank you very much.
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Go to any bookstore. You can order through them and pay cash.
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| 7199. |
Jack
Bronx N.Y.
Age: 44
Mar 7, 2010
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7197
7197 Hi Lexie
There is a way to get around using your legal address. Use your "GHOST" address.
I just so happen to be a Notary Public in the state on New York. Good Luck.
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| 7198. |
Eric
Palm Beach, FL
Age: 25
Mar 6, 2010
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re: Mike 7174 (proving you own an LLC)
I'm not a lawyer and can't provide legal advice, but it appears that New Mexico law may provide a way to prove who owns an LLC: you just print up a piece of paper that says you own the LLC. See New Mexico Statutes 53-19-20(B)(1), providing that the LLC's articles of incorporation or its operating agreement may "provide that a membership interest in a limited liability company may be evidenced by a certificate of membership interest issued by the limited liability company."
But suppose you walk back into Costco, armed with one of these "certificate of membership interest" naming you as the LLC's owner. And for good measure, you're carrying a copy of New Mexico's "Limited Liability Company Act" including 53-19-20(B)(1) to show that these "certificates of membership interest", are, in fact, what one does to prove ownership of an LLC. Do you think this will immunize you from difficulty? Of course not - it might convince some low-level "brain dead Costco worker bees," but others might still give you problems.
My point here is simply to say that even the real, legal way to prove ownership of the LLC isn't all that satisfactory - so, like with all privacy challenges, find a creative solution that fits the present situation.
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| 7197. |
Lexie
Fullerton, Ca
Age: 40
Mar 6, 2010
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Notary
Hi! and Thank you for your book - great info... My question is this: when filing out a Notary application it is required by law that you give your legal physical address - and it is noted 'by penalty and perjury... My 'legal' adress is a PO Box and is noted with the DMV - however - they (the state) will not take this as a pysical address. I talked with the office of the secretary of state and was told that I am required to list my physical address and required to notify the state with in 10 days if I move or face possible fines and or arrest. Any ideas on how to get around this other that changing my address every 10 days? Thank you for your help....
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There is no way to get around that if you feel you must be a Notary.
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| 7195. |
Katie
Saint Paul, MN
Age: 30
Mar 6, 2010
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Close a minor account w/large bank?
Before I knew any better I opened an account for my young child at a very large bank. Of course, my info is on the account, too. Since we've moved and the address hasn't been updated, I wonder if I should close it, or would it be beneficial to keep it open just to cash checks in the future, etc, that are from that bank?
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Keep it.
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| 7194. |
Katie
St Paul, MN
Age: 30
Mar 6, 2010
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Alan - AAA
I've used them, as have my parents, for years, and never had any problem. They do send out a privacy notice every year if you want to "opt-out" of any advertising.
As a side note: I've found a good way to track who might be passing your info along is to use shortened forms/nicknames of your name for specific companies, and then you can be sure who to call to stop it!
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| 7193. |
Seth
collbran, co
Age: 50
Mar 6, 2010
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bank runs
"Here is an article that is a good example why to have a second bank account in Canada. I don't know if the event will occur, but if it seems if it is possible it would be prudent to have that 2nd account."
It's far worse than that. Take a look at your bank's policy for withdrawals sometime. They can simply refuse to give you your money if doing so might cause a run on the bank.
This has been true since the Great Depression, and federal banking laws in fact require banks to prevent runs by shutting down withdrawals if they exceed a certain level of deposits.
This is why you should always have three to six MONTHS worth of cash in your personal possession at all times. Just as you may need a food stash to ride out a disaster that cuts food supplies (nationally we have less than a 30 day supply of food on hand at any given time) it's prudent to have a stash of cash or other monetary source (like gold or even silver) in a safe somewhere you can get to it in an emergency.
Keep in mind that in a true economic collapse, you might not be able to get to your account in Canada either, although having money in Canada is better than having it all in one basket in the US.
If I ever get enough, I'll stash some in Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland, just to have places to go if things get really bad here.
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Re-read the sentence I underlined, above. Few things will give you better peace of mind than having cash on hand in case of a shutdown of the banks. And a cyber attack on the banking systems could trigger just that.
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| 7192. |
Gary
Fort Wayne, IN
Age: 58
Mar 6, 2010
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anonymous-proxy-servers
A German-based proxy service software for anonymous web browsing with servers located in many nations. I have tried this service on Windows and Linux and it works quite well.
They also offer "Jondo Fox". Its their version of the Firefox browser set up to work with the software once installed. Much information on privacy issues information provided on the site and through the news, forums, etc. I am submitting this entry through one of the servers. I also found it a very informative website to browse. Any comments after reviewing greatly appreciated.(Click on British flag in upper right corner of website to view it in English)
Submitted Link #1: http://anonymous-proxy-servers.net/en/jondonym...
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| 7191. |
jiim
Greenville NC
Age: 36
Mar 5, 2010
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"There's no future for bank secrecy. It's finished. Its time has run out."
See link
Submitted Link #1: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100305/wl_time/0859...
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| 7190. |
Teresa
Lewiston, Idaho
Age: 48
Mar 5, 2010
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To Brian re: Scroogle
Brian, as far as I know, sites like Scroogle and IxQuick only provide you with anonymous SEARCHES. As I understand, once you go to the site (especially Google), that's that.
If I am mistaken, someone will be along to correct :)
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| 7189. |
Teresa
Lewiston, Idaho
Age: 48
Mar 5, 2010
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Phonegangster?
I have seen several posts about vnumber. I did search the messages here, and wonder if anyone has had a look at PhoneGangster:
Submitted Link #1: http://www.phonegangster.com/...
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| 7188. |
Brian
Detroit
Age: 21
Mar 5, 2010
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Scroogle Image Search
Anybody know of an anonymizing search engine (like Scroogle) that uses Google's "Image Search" and "Product Search"?
I like Scroogle but am unable to use Google's Image and Product search functions with it.
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| 7187. |
Patricia
N Yarmouth ME
Age: 58
Mar 4, 2010
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Requirements opening bank accounts
Hello: I have been researching the issue of whether one's Social Security number is required if you open a bank account as an LLC that is owned by a trust you created. I see as many "yes" as well as "no" answers on this matter. Please advise.
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I believe that whoever signs the checks will have to furnish his or her SSN.
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