sony SUCKS

[puke_face]

.

[Jrecee]

That's why I only use microsoft point cards to make purchases. Does sony have an equivelent?

[s1mplehumar]

Some of you may remember the incredible 360 deal I scored last month: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=10186&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=1510

The previous owner left ALL of his credit card information saved to the console. I reformatted the drive and called the guy's mother (who sold it to me) to let them in on the situation. She thanked me to no end.

[DerekG52]

An important tip - formatting does not remove any data from the disk itself. It essentially wipes the links between the master file table and the files on the disk. It's certainly possible with software to recover everything back from a formatted disk. You would need to connect to a pc and do a physical wipe (writing 0's to every sector) to ensure stuff was gone. As it were, I don't have the link handy but there is an open competition to any professional data recovery service to recover data from a disc that has been wiped once and no one to date has accepted it.

[lost_within]

Dont want to sound rude, but some of you guys must have only read the first post.


I later wrote:

and this is not word for word:

"I formatted the drive twice, the first time I format to go BACk onto the ps3 to make sure NONE of my information is there, it looks like a new ps3, I then format AGAIN so when the next person turns it on its like a brand new ps3 being setup for the first time"

By doing that I always make sure my account is completely gone. I have learned how to delete the accounts, ALL of them, its ab it more than just formatting, but in the end what I am saying is I have made sure ALL information is gone...and this happend.

I just wanted to let YOUg uys know that if you sell one be careful, be on the look out, thats all. AND!...fuck sony.

[gtmtnbiker]

"I formatted the drive twice, the first time I format to go BACk onto the ps3 to make sure NONE of my information is there, it looks like a new ps3, I then format AGAIN so when the next person turns it on its like a brand new ps3 being setup for the first time"

You still don't understand. The information is still on the disk unless it's been wiped out. Think of a hard drive as a book. You do a format, you rip out the table-of-contents. The rest of the book is still there.
You create a new table of contents and start loading new data. The new data will overwrite some of the pages in the old book but the rest is still there. You can't access the data using ordinary means but with a specialized program, you can read all of the data, sector by sector.

[lost_within]

"I formatted the drive twice, the first time I format to go BACk onto the ps3 to make sure NONE of my information is there, it looks like a new ps3, I then format AGAIN so when the next person turns it on its like a brand new ps3 being setup for the first time"

You still don't understand. The information is still on the disk unless it's been wiped out. Think of a hard drive as a book. You do a format, you rip out the table-of-contents. The rest of the book is still there.
You create a new table of contents and start loading new data. The new data will overwrite some of the pages in the old book but the rest is still there. You can't access the data using ordinary means but with a specialized program, you can read all of the data, sector by sector.

No I DO understand, that is why I am warning all of YOU GUYS incase you sell yours. Formatting does not just solve the problem. What I am saying is I even checked to make sure you cant see anything when a normal reboot is done, but if someone is good enough, EVEN ON A PS3, they can still get your information

[RadarScope1]

That's why I only use microsoft point cards to make purchases. Does sony have an equivelent?

Yes, they do, and this is why I prefer to use those cards for ALL of my online purchases on consoles. I've never and never would enter my CC info on PSN or XBL. Plus, the cards give me some spending restraint when I only have a finite amount of points to spend at a time.

Still, that sucks for the OP and it's something you shouldn't have to go through. I hate waiting for me new card from the bank. I always find the one I lost the day after I cancel it.

[fastbilly1]

I getcha, thanks for the heads up Lost_within. I am sorry we had to learn this this way though.

[lost_within]

I getcha, thanks for the heads up Lost_within. I am sorry we had to learn this this way though.

It could be worse. See the only reason I started doing this was we sold an xbox 360 a few years ago and someone busted my girlfriend for 100$...we could never figure out where the money was going to...then we figured out someone was using her old account to go and pay for gold each month. So we solved that problem, after that I do everything possible to clean a console to the best I can clean it without taking the harddrive out and putting it in a computer.

I just want you guys to be safe and know that even though you cant see it...its still possible, even on a console, for someone to get your information. Funny thing is I only put that card on my account ONE time to get ONE game at like 3 am when all the stores were closed...and I STILL got screwed.