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Ever had the need to migrate from an existing workstation to another? I’ve done so on several occasions and every time I do so, I always have this lingering paranoia that I’ve left something behind. It might be an all important file, or some software application, or some good browser bookmarks that I’ve been using for years, or even some private stuff that might be used in blackmail. To avoid these headaches, I usually follow a checklist when carrying out the migration exercise.

This checklist is by no means comprehensive, but it goes a long way to minimising the loss and impact. In addition to that, it also helps to protect your privacy.

Backup and remove your browser bookmarks
Depending on the browser you’re using, you can export your bookmarks. Once you’ve done so, it’s usually a good idea to remove them.

Clean browser history and cache
Frankly, browser history should not exist to begin with. It is usually a good idea to set browser history to 0 days. However, if you didn’t set this, then go through the browser options and clear the history. Also clear the browser cache, offline files, passwords, private data, and cookies.

Backup and remove mail archives
Mail clients like Microsoft Outlook have auto-archive functions. When run, they move the mail to a local .pst file. To avoid losing important mail and to protect it from prying eyes, backup and remove the archive.

Backup and remove personal files
Personal files include things like MP3, movie files, images, documents, porn, etc. Remove them and remove them good.

Clear temporary folders
Do a search for temporary directories (’temp’ and ‘tmp’). This includes temporary directories that are created by programs during execution. If you use Winzip, check for and remove the contents of the ‘unzipped’ directory (default uncompress directory).

Uninstall plugins
If you are using an extensible software (e.g. Firefox or IE browsers), uninstall any plugins that you might have installed. Also remove widgets from the system.

Uninstall excess programs
When I say excess, I mean software that you’ve installed during your tenure of the machine. It is usually a good idea to leave a machine in the same condition that it was given to you. Go through the installed programs (in Windows: Control Panel > Add / Remove Programs) and remove any programs that you might have installed.

Zero-fill/sanitise free space
Deleted files are not deleted. When performing a delete, the OS usually just deallocates the space and removes the reference to the file. However, the data is still there and can be recovered. To securely clean the drive of any (incriminating) data, it is best to zero-fill the free space. On Windows, this can be achieved using a simple command line utility provided by Microsoft called SDelete (Secure Delete). While it is officially supported on Windows 95, 98, NT, and 2000, it should also work for the newer variants of Windows (XP, ME, etc).

That’s about it. If you notice anything that should be on the list, let me know. Good luck with your workstation migration.