There are loads of freebie blank disc space erasers available, which overwrite randome junk txt files onto the blank space. One is called Eraser and can be downloaded here:
http://www.tolvanen.com/eraser/
David
should me easy enough but my pc hates me! basically i've sold my desktop so i'm taking everything off it, figured reformating the hard drive
and installing just the OS would be the simplest thing to do as there's a few files that won't allow me to delet them!
i'm right clicking C drive - format - start, then it gives me the warning about it will erase all data etc, click ok then it brings up a box
teling me windows cannot format this drive, quit anything using the drive and make sure no windows are displaying etc and try again.
there's nothing running at all so anyone give me a clue or tell me another way to do it?
thanks again!
you can't format a mounted drive.
boot from windows cd, then choose format.
Yeah, as Jestre says.
Reboot, hit delete to enter the bios and change the first boot device to cd-rom (you will have to have a dig around for it, it should be in advanced
options). DOnt forget to save the changes.
Reboot again with the windows cd in the drive. Wait for it to load up and when given the option select install windows, then format.
This method works assuming you are using win me or later.
David
Alternatively - reboot into DOS and format from there
format c:
If you want to reinstall the OS, assuming a later Windows, you could reboot with the Windows CD in and you should be able to re-install over the top
of the previous installation.
By following the on-screen prompts you should be able to format the previous partitiion before the OS is installed.
Hope this helps, I've done it this way a few times, home and work.
quote:
Originally posted by John Watts
If you want to reinstall the OS, assuming a later Windows, you could reboot with the Windows CD in and you should be able to re-install over the top of the previous installation.
By following the on-screen prompts you should be able to format the previous partitiion before the OS is installed.
Hope this helps, I've done it this way a few times, home and work.
If you don't mind downloading a heap of stuff, there's some disk-wiping utilities HERE.
This is a useful disk to have handy, BTW.
rgds,
David
all going fine now, formatted the drive just re-instaling windows now.
thanks again for helping me out guys, i'd have been lost without this place the last few days!
I don't even think that formatting removes all of the data - so if there is any 'sensitive' data you need to do something else to it.
Formatting doesnt remove all the data, it just detroys the MBR and FAT so that links to individual files are removed. The data is still all on there,
and can be recovered relatively easily.
There are loads of freebie blank disc space erasers available, which overwrite randome junk txt files onto the blank space. One is called Eraser and
can be downloaded here:
http://www.tolvanen.com/eraser/
David
Was quite surprised recently when reinstalling XP on a freinds machine, booted from install disk and manually reformatted the HDD prior to the install process. Yet when I started XP for the first time it had managed to 'recover' loads of data and settings from the old setup. Obviously the XP setup has some form of automatic lost partition data recovery built in!!
best way to remove everything is to pass a lrg magnet over the drive !
If you know what type of drive you have then go to the manufacturers site. They all have utilities for free download to format, wipe, low level format etc. The way to obliterate the drive is to write 0's to all sectors but it's a long process. The magnet would destroy the drive.
quote:
Originally posted by Taz Surfleet
best way to remove everything is to pass a lrg magnet over the drive !
there realy wasn't anything that bad on the drive i just wanted to give it a fresh start for it's new owner.
"Actually that will do bugger all,"
beg to differ, as an it consultant ive seen this done, its known as Degaussing. Degaussing is a process whereby the magnetic media are erased, (i.e.,
returned to a zero state). Degaussing (demagnetizing) reduces the magnetic flux to virtual zero by applying a reverse magnetizing field. Properly
applied, degaussing renders any previously stored data on magnetic media unreadable by keyboard or laboratory attack.
oh forgot to add pete's right if you dont know what your doing you oprob will destroy the hard drive
Most of the degaussers I've used (for security wipes of mainframe computer tapes) run on AC and make everything vibrate hugely! I doubt there
would be much of the disk drive mechanism left afterwards...
The utility disk site I posted previously has links to applications that write 0s to the disk, if you REALLY want to do that.
David
Best way is to take out the platters with a lump hammer, then run an angry grinder over them 
It's rumoured the military/MI5 can recover information from a drive even if it's been overwritten a number of times, which is why the
shredding utilities write random crap over the disk a reasonable number of times.
computer forensics can recover data from hard drives that have been overwritten 10 or more times!!
the latest 'data destruction' software writes random data to the entire disk and makes upto 100 passes
as you can imagine this takes some
time!
Our business disks are destroyed by a specialist company who dismantle them and disolve the platters with acid... try reading them!