Multifunction Laser Printer Storage

Question

I work for Florida Fish and Wildlife and I have been asked to find out about storage within the multifunction laser printers at dell.  Recently, there has been talk about coppiers with Hard Drives that store the data temperarly (until overwritten) and they have become a security risk because printers, scanners, and coppiers often leave the agencies without anything being prepped (hard drive being wiped). Our agency primarly buys its printers from dell and I am curious if anybody knows if and how data is stored on the multifuction printers when people are scanning or copying, if there are internal hard drives or flash memory that the data stores to, and if it is flash memory and it does store data what would be the best way of clearning the data (I believe a reset would sufficiently wipe anything stored within flash memory)?

PudgyOne · Answer

FWCNaret,

As of May 11, 2010, I was told the only printer that has a hard drive is the...

Dell 5330dn Mono Laser Printer

Dell 3333dn / 3335dn Multifunction Laser Printer

Dell 2335dn Mono Laser Printer

I hope this answers your question.

Copy Machines, Security Risk?

Rick

PudgyOne · Answer

So the list we have of then printer than can have a hard drive is:

5130cdn

5110c Laser

5100cn

5330dn

7130cdn

3130cn

2145cn

2335dn

But the same policy stands if the printer is replaced and was purchased with a hard drive, receiving expects a hard drive back.

The customer cannot just take the old one out.

There will still be private data on the printer.

Dell is trying to figure out a way to erase the data.

Rick

FWCNaret · Answer

Thanks for the really quick responses?   I'm pretty sure we have most if not all of the models above in our environment. If we did order a printer with a hard drive, would it show up under 'Current Configutation' on Dell's site when you put in the service tag (I ask because the service tags I'm putting in show no Hard drive)?  Also,  when you say 'Receving expects a hard drive back'  are you talking about printer leases?  Currently, our agency doesn't lease any of our Dell printers, and so far the oldest dell printers in our environment are only about 6 or 7 years old so we haven't had to recycle any yet.  In the future however, we will have to send them to a recycling company that may re-allocate it out.

PudgyOne · Answer

FWCNaret,

My sources at Dell tell me that if the printer was shipped with a hard drive, then if it's returned to Dell, receiving expects a hard drive.

It sounds like it has a Laptop hard drive in them and my contacts tell me, because there can now be a security issue, Dell is trying to see if they can figure a way to have the person remove their personal data, should the printer be sent to a recycling place, for their own protection.

You did see the video, correct?

Copy Machines, Security Risk?

Rick

FWCNaret · Answer

Ok, luckily we bought our printers from dell so we don't have to give them back when we are done with them, but if all of the Dell printers have 2.5 or 3.5 hard drives installed like the coppiers in the video,it will be easy to just take them out or wipe them before we donate them or recycle them.

PudgyOne · Answer

FWCNaret,

I would imagine that you could somehow wipe the hard drive, unless it has some functions that control the printer. I have no answers.

What happens to the printer if the hard drive would fail? Can it just be replaced with another? Does it need programmed, again?

I don't know much about the laser printers and the person that knew, has retired from the printers forum.

Rick

Printers

Multifunction Laser Printer Storage

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