Hard Drive Erase forever

  • Thread starter Thread starter lisa
  • Start date Start date
L

lisa

Hello everyone

I hope you can help. I need to erase an hard drive and
make sure that is can never ever be recovered. I have
heard even if you format a drive that information can
still be recovered? Is that true?

And if it is true what can be done or what program can I
use to make sure that it is completely unrecoverable.

thanks everyone
Have a great Day!!!

Lisa
 
Download DriveScrubber (30 day Free Trial)
http://www.iolo.com/ds/download.cfm

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| Hello everyone
|
| I hope you can help. I need to erase an hard drive and
| make sure that is can never ever be recovered. I have
| heard even if you format a drive that information can
| still be recovered? Is that true?
|
| And if it is true what can be done or what program can I
| use to make sure that it is completely unrecoverable.
|
| thanks everyone
| Have a great Day!!!
|
| Lisa
 
Formatting a drive is akin to removing the labels from the file cabinet
drawers, from the file folders, and dumping the contents of the file folders
into a heap in the middle of the floor. While the task won't be easy, a
person can subsequently sort through that pile of files to re-create a
relational connection.

As Carey suggests, there are programs that will "shred" those unlabeled
files.
 
Yes, this is true... You can get programs that write "blank" data
(zeros) repeatedly over the harddrive to better make the pre existing
data unrecoverable... I beleive that these programs are available
from a number of companies... (McAfee had such a "shredder" utility,
as I recall)

However, if you do not care what happens to the drive, you could just
take it out of the computer and destroy it.. (Drill a few holes down
through the platters with an electric drill, that will stop
"recovery".) I know it sounds severe, but it is the approved method
for some data.

ymmv,

JM
 
If oyu plan that the drive will never be used again, just drop it onto a cement floor a few times and make sure you crack the controller circuit board on the drive itself. The use of a drill can be laborious and messy! It will take a monumental effort by an expert to recover any files after you do this simple proceedure

If you plan to reuse it and have Norton System Works installed, used Wipe Info

If you don't have this then go and download Drive Scrubber.
 
Eraser from www.sourceforge.net is free and will wipe the
drive clean. Anybody would have the dropped hard drive with
the broken board can (with some skill and equipment =FBI
types) can put the platters in another drive and read all
the data, that's how drive savers earns their money. If you
have really sensitive data (nuclear physic secret maybe)
best use something like Eraser for 10 passes, then open the
drive and (while wearing eye protection) smash the platters.
Some are glass and will shatter, others are aluminum and
need to be damaged a lot. The CIA runs them through metal
shredders and then burns the stuff at high temp until it is
a molten lump.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


| If oyu plan that the drive will never be used again, just
drop it onto a cement floor a few times and make sure you
crack the controller circuit board on the drive itself. The
use of a drill can be laborious and messy! It will take a
monumental effort by an expert to recover any files after
you do this simple proceedure.
|
| If you plan to reuse it and have Norton System Works
installed, used Wipe Info.
|
| If you don't have this then go and download Drive
Scrubber.
 
Doesn't the CIA also put a bullet through the user's head to ensure that no
one ever knows the data existed?

steve
 
soft chuckle.


| Doesn't the CIA also put a bullet through the user's head
to ensure that no
| one ever knows the data existed?
|
| steve
|
|
in message
| | > Eraser from www.sourceforge.net is free and will wipe
the
| > drive clean. Anybody would have the dropped hard drive
with
| > the broken board can (with some skill and equipment =FBI
| > types) can put the platters in another drive and read
all
| > the data, that's how drive savers earns their money. If
you
| > have really sensitive data (nuclear physic secret maybe)
| > best use something like Eraser for 10 passes, then open
the
| > drive and (while wearing eye protection) smash the
platters.
| > Some are glass and will shatter, others are aluminum and
| > need to be damaged a lot. The CIA runs them through
metal
| > shredders and then burns the stuff at high temp until it
is
| > a molten lump.
| >
| >
| > --
| > The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
| > But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
| >
| >
message
| >
| > | If oyu plan that the drive will never be used again,
just
| > drop it onto a cement floor a few times and make sure
you
| > crack the controller circuit board on the drive itself.
The
| > use of a drill can be laborious and messy! It will take
a
| > monumental effort by an expert to recover any files
after
| > you do this simple proceedure.
| > |
| > | If you plan to reuse it and have Norton System Works
| > installed, used Wipe Info.
| > |
| > | If you don't have this then go and download Drive
| > Scrubber.
| >
| >
|
|
 
Back
Top