Hard Drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter Zygy
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Zygy

Which would be the best software to make a complete and guaranteed removal
of all data from my hard Drive and could I then install Windows XP from an
installation CD, before donating the PC to a school?
 
Zygy said:
Which would be the best software to make a complete and guaranteed
removal of all data from my hard Drive and could I then install Windows
XP from an installation CD, before donating the PC to a school?

http://dban.sourceforge.net/ - Darik's Boot and Nuke (free)
www.acronis.com - Disk Cleaner (not free)

Certainly you could wipe and hard drive and then install Windows on it
again. Don't forget that you will need to give the school the copy of XP
you installed as well as any other software you preinstall.


Malke
 
Malke said:
http://dban.sourceforge.net/ - Darik's Boot and Nuke (free)
www.acronis.com - Disk Cleaner (not free)

Certainly you could wipe and hard drive and then install Windows on it
again. Don't forget that you will need to give the school the copy of XP
you installed as well as any other software you preinstall.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

First I would suggest you download something like DeleteOnClick
www.majorgeeks.com/DeleteOnClick_d5641.html onto a CD or flash drive.
(Other drive cleaners are available from this site).

Second, install Windows (choosing to reformat the hard disk). This wont
render the unused part of the hard disk secure.

Third install and run drive cleaner - which will 'clean' the remainder of
the hard disk. This will 1s and 0s over the unused part of the hard disk to
make recovery impossible.

It would be as well to undelete the drive cleaner to save a headache for the
IT person.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions
 
Bill said:
First I would suggest you download something like DeleteOnClick
www.majorgeeks.com/DeleteOnClick_d5641.html onto a CD or flash drive.
(Other drive cleaners are available from this site).

Second, install Windows (choosing to reformat the hard disk). This wont
render the unused part of the hard disk secure.

Third install and run drive cleaner - which will 'clean' the remainder of
the hard disk. This will 1s and 0s over the unused part of the hard disk to
make recovery impossible.

It would be as well to undelete the drive cleaner to save a headache for the
IT person.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

You're replying to the wrong person. I'm not the OP. Your answer is
overly complicated in any case. All the OP needs to do is use a DoD
wiping utility (if he really wants to be sure that no data is
retrievable) and then clean-install Windows. Not necessary to go through
all those extra steps if you do a DoD wipe unless the OP thinks the NSA
is interested in this computer.


Malke
 
Thank you for the reply. However, on the first link you gave me I cannot get
any downloading page for DEBAN. What is their web address? I downloaded onto
a CD their software couple of years ago and still have it, but would like to
confirm that it will not damage the hard disk (like some clean up software
does) and that I will be able to reinstall Windows if I use it.
 
Zygy said:
Thank you for the reply. However, on the first link you gave me I cannot
get any downloading page for DEBAN. What is their web address? I
downloaded onto a CD their software couple of years ago and still have
it, but would like to confirm that it will not damage the hard disk
(like some clean up software does) and that I will be able to reinstall
Windows if I use it.

The program is "DBAN" and not "DEBAN". This link works fine and takes
you to Darik's Boot and Nuke hosted on SourceForge.net.

http://dban.sourceforge.net/

If for some reason that link doesn't work for you, then Google for
"Darik's Boot and Nuke".

Hardware will not be damaged by software. After you run a DoD wipe,
there will be nothing on the hard drive. You need to then create
partitions and format it. If you are going to provide an operating
preinstalled, this can be done during the installation routine.


Malke
 
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