Found a dead computer, hard drive has files...should I get the drive to the owner?

[Figit090]

I picked up a laptop that someone had thrown out, it didn't work, someone has spilled liquid on it and it ended up in a donation bin. I wanted to see if I could get it to work (figured it was a brick).

Well, I stuck the hard drive in my working computer and it's perfectly fine. I did however find several folders of images and personal files I would imagine someone might want back if they knew they could have them. Some with wedding and honeymoon folders and it looks like about 6gigs of JPGs. Of course plenty of personal info was on there too but I won't even go there, it's not my business. All I see here is the opportunity to give someone their old photos (2007-2009 and such), regardless of the other stuff.

My main concern is, having found their name everywhere I easily found out who they are and can email them without any trouble; I'm wondering if it would be a bad idea to offer them the hard drive back, or to email them a zip file with the pictures...?

I can see possible implications like assumed theft on my part or them realizing their personal computer has been seen and feeling personally violated. I was wondering what others would think: if you threw out a computer not realizing your data was still alive, and someone emailed you saying "hey I found some computer parts and when I checked the drive, some of your info was still on it" how would you feel?

Perhaps I could just neglect the computer and say I had parts from it? I'd like them to get their pictures back but I don't want to weird them out.
I could potentially even put it in an envelope with a short note and just have it given to them...it would be easy to give it to a clerk and have it passed on.

 

[Turbo Habanero]

Personally if there's nothing that's intimate or along those lines in those photos I would probably contact them or send it to them with a note.

If there is it could be embarrassing for them and might be best just destroyed in your hands and left alone.

Either way tough decision

 

[IJ.]

I'd wipe it and keep it...

 

[Figit090]

Personally if there's nothing that's intimate or along those lines in those photos I would probably contact them or send it to them with a note.

If there is it could be embarrassing for them and might be best just destroyed in your hands and left alone.

Either way tough decision

Yeah, thankfully though it looks like the most personal it gets is some banking statements and random crap, the pictures look average, I haven't seen anything embarassing but I didn't look at much. I did notice a log from a computer tech so it looks like they didn't know much about computers...

I'd wipe it and keep it...

It's only 80gigs, I just pulled a 60gig from an xbox and I don't exactly need it, total space on my PC is over 2tb now...
it also has a "caution" S.M.A.R.T. health status I'm not sure if a format will cure. (reallocated sector count and uncorrectable sectors? not sure how to read the results well)

 

[IJ.]

Could always drop the PO's an e-mail and explain the situation, they may be happy to have you recover the files for them.

 

[Supracentral]

it also has a "caution" S.M.A.R.T. health status I'm not sure if a format will cure. (reallocated sector count and uncorrectable sectors? not sure how to read the results well)

That drive is dying, no amount of formatting is going to make it reliable again. As for contacting the previous owner. That's really up to you. However, you may be opening a can of worms that you don't want to deal with. While there are ways to make yourself truly anonymous so you could contact them without fear of repercussions, I doubt you want to go through it.

Personally I'd wipe the drive and throw the whole thing back in the trash. That way everything is back the way you found it, except you took the extra step of protecting them from the next person finding it.

 

[Canuckrz]

Could just mail it to them without a return address, with a note to take it to a computer shop to get their images extracted or and be more careful about discarding things containing personal information.

 

[Grandavi]

Sadly.. I agree with the wipe it and toss it idea. It seems we live in a world where being considerate can mean "here... destroy me". You just can't tell beforehand what will happen of the reaction you will get. I have stopped underestimating people's insanity level.

 

[mkiii222]

I agree with SC and Grandavi.

SMART indicates that it's going bad and like SC said it will just continue to get worse. You're more likely to end up with a lawsuit than a thank you when dealing with someone else's private data. They threw it away and have already written off any files they may or may not have backed up. Just wipe it, toss it, and move on.

 

[Grandavi]

If its bothering your conscience.. you could call them and ask them "theoretically... if I had found a hard drive with your files on it.. would you want me to wipe it or return it?" (use a phone booth for added anonimity... do they exist???)

or... you could just pop it in the mail if you have their address with an explanation. You can usually put a harddrive in a ziplock bag and freeze it for about an hour if the bearings are freezing up which would give time to remove critical data.

 

[destrux]

If they cared about them enough they would have gone to a computer shop and done this already before they junked it. The first thing computer illiterate people do when their computer with important stuff won't work anymore is go to a repair shop and assume that miracles can be worked to get their stuff back. If they didn't do that before scrapping it chances are they had backups of the stuff or just don't care about it (maybe they are divorced).

 

[Figit090]

Could always drop the PO's an e-mail and explain the situation, they may be happy to have you recover the files for them.

If I'm to worry about lawsuits (doubtful but hell, some people live off of lawsuits), I can't have any info that can legally be traced to me, I.e. IP address and the path the email took (don't know a whole lot but I think it can be done). I could set up an email just for this at an internet cafe but I don't have time for that.

That drive is dying, no amount of formatting is going to make it reliable again. As for contacting the previous owner. That's really up to you. However, you may be opening a can of worms that you don't want to deal with. While there are ways to make yourself truly anonymous so you could contact them without fear of repercussions, I doubt you want to go through it.

Personally I'd wipe the drive and throw the whole thing back in the trash. That way everything is back the way you found it, except you took the extra step of protecting them from the next person finding it.

Good to know, thank you. the yellowed rows in the SMART data said (If I remember correct): current: 100, worst: 100, threshold 24 or something. I thought 100 was fine, but I guess I don't understand how SMART data works, shouldn't "worst" have a number like 60 or something LESS than 100?
Either way I want to part of putting my data on it now.

Could just mail it to them without a return address, with a note to take it to a computer shop to get their images extracted or and be more careful about discarding things containing personal information.

I might consider that, but I do live very close so I'd rather drive there and inquire where they are, then hand it off. It's at a college and both individuals work at various locations in the college so I could try one or both.

Sadly.. I agree with the wipe it and toss it idea. It seems we live in a world where being considerate can mean "here... destroy me". You just can't tell beforehand what will happen of the reaction you will get. I have stopped underestimating people's insanity level.

Too true, I obviously have cautions about this or I wouldn't have started the thread. You're correct about the insanity, I can't believe some people.

I agree with SC and Grandavi.

SMART indicates that it's going bad and like SC said it will just continue to get worse. You're more likely to end up with a lawsuit than a thank you when dealing with someone else's private data. They threw it away and have already written off any files they may or may not have backed up. Just wipe it, toss it, and move on.

If its bothering your conscience.. you could call them and ask them "theoretically... if I had found a hard drive with your files on it.. would you want me to wipe it or return it?" (use a phone booth for added anonimity... do they exist???)

or... you could just pop it in the mail if you have their address with an explanation. You can usually put a harddrive in a ziplock bag and freeze it for about an hour if the bearings are freezing up which would give time to remove critical data.

If they cared about them enough they would have gone to a computer shop and done this already before they junked it. The first thing computer illiterate people do when their computer with important stuff won't work anymore is go to a repair shop and assume that miracles can be worked to get their stuff back. If they didn't do that before scrapping it chances are they had backups of the stuff or just don't care about it (maybe they are divorced).

In response to the majority here;
Sounds like a good solution(s), and you're right they have used computer service before and any computer shop would have done what I did and then some...

The only problem is, it could have been stolen. I believe it had some crappy childish stickers on it that I would not have expected from the supposed owners, at least one covering the DELL logo on the lid, I'll have to give it more thought.

Thank you all for your thoughts, I'll think about my options, perhaps take a stroll to the offices with the drive in an envelope and if the opportunity presents itself I might hand it over. Also need to be careful who gets it though because as was mentioned, if I don't wipe it someone else might get their information...

 

[SupraMario]

Copy stuff to thumb drive...mail it to them without a return addy destroy drive.

 

[te72]

Could just mail it to them without a return address, with a note to take it to a computer shop to get their images extracted or and be more careful about discarding things containing personal information.

Probably what I would do. However, I'd nuke a drive before I threw out a computer, or ran it through the shredder first...

Copy stuff to thumb drive...mail it to them without a return addy destroy drive.

Caveat: Would YOU stick a random ass thumb drive in your computer? I wouldn't... If you do that, at least include a note explaining what is on it. Perhaps include the brand of laptop in said note. They probably remember at least that much.

 

[SupraMario]

Caveat: Would YOU stick a random ass thumb drive in your computer? I wouldn't... If you do that, at least include a note explaining what is on it. Perhaps include the brand of laptop in said note. They probably remember at least that much.

True, or print off a wedding photo with the note saying how you found them.

 

[RazoE]

Fap to the pics then burn the hardrive like any normal person....

amirite? ...right guys..? I'm not the only one am I?........shit....

 

[te72]

True, or print off a wedding photo with the note saying how you found them.

Clever idea actually, that would work.

Fap to the pics then burn the hardrive like any normal person....

amirite? ...right guys..? I'm not the only one am I?........shit....

Shaeff? :rofl:

 

[Figit090]

True, or print off a wedding photo with the note saying how you found them.

haha, that's not creepy at all. course...all of this has a possible creep factor.

Fap to the pics then burn the hardrive like any normal person....

[sneeky color]amirite? ...right guys..? I'm not the only one am I?........shit....[/color]

pahahaa!! nice touch at the end there.

Clever idea actually, that would work.

Shaeff? :rofl:

Perhaps! I'm just thinking of dropping it off next chance I get. No hurry at least since the computer's been dead for years and gone from where I found it for months. I will try to get it back though, carefully, I think. I'll even wipe my prints! lol... now I wonder if my computer could have left any kind of mark on the drive saying I accessed it...