Wiping hard drive for new user

[Squid_uk]

Hey guys!

I am looking to sell my old laptop on ebay but would like to permenantly erase data from the drive, but also still be able to use the drive after. The only issue I have is the graphics card on the laptop does not work so there is no visable output on the screen or any external monitors, however I do have an external docking station for SATA which I use for my new laptop.

I dont have anything super sensitive on the drive, just the odd downloaded movies, work invoices and family photos.

What methods would guys recommend?

[magillagorilla]

You could just do a Full Format on the drive. If the person is not savy with disk recovery tools, they will never see your data. If you are paranoid there are dozens of free applications that will "0" out the entire drive. The utilities actually write zeros over every bit on the drive.

[aedipuss]

remove the drive, find the manufacturer, go to their website, get their tools download, do a low level format from the dock.

[edit] are you sure there isn't a "recover/re-install" partition on the hard drive you are going to kill?

[roma_turok]

1) Use File Shredder from Glary Utilities to permanently delete files or folders:



2) Create and log in to New user account

3) Delete old user account, when you ask delete old account files, select yes

4) Wipe free space with utility from Glary Utilities:

[Squid_uk]

remove the drive, find the manufacturer, go to their website, get their tools download, do a low level format from the dock.

[edit] are you sure there isn't a "recover/re-install" partition on the hard drive you are going to kill?

I look on the WD site and couldnt find any format tools.

I am looking to sell the laptop for spares so not sure wether to delete the partitions or not

[aedipuss]

Data Lifeguard Diagnostics is what they call it. the format routine is called write zeros.
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?level1=7&lang=en pick a drive like yours, but the software is all the same so it doesn't really matter.

depends on whether or not the laptop is going to be repaired and the windows license is needed for that machine. if not wipe the whole thing.

[jman98]

A bit of warning - some of the better disk wiping programs can take days, yes days, to run on some laptops depending on the hardware. For most cases just wiping out the old partitions, installing Linux to the disk, and then wiping it again would be good enough. The odds of some random user being able to do the kind of data recovery necessary to get your old data is pretty low so in my opinion there's little need to go crazy with caution here.

[Moontrash]

Eraser

set it up to do a 3 pass erase in options...depending on the size of the HDD it will prolly take 3 to 6 hours to fully do.

Or you can do just a full format. Load it up in the dock and go to My Computer where you can see the drive...right click on it and click "format"...don't use "quick format" and it will redo it all.

[jagabo]

A full format will not overwrite the data on a hard drive. It will simply write a new empty file system and scan the disk for bad blocks (read only). Quick format only writes the empty file system. In both cases any unformat utility can recover a large portion of the files that were on the disk.

[Backpain]

Do a google on "Killdisk" There is a free version which works well.

[fritzi93]

Do a google on "Killdisk" There is a free version which works well.

Yeah, I've used active@killdisk too. It can write zeros to a drive,as can the free versions of Acronis from WD and Seagate. There are lots of others as well. As mentioned, it can take quite a while to fill a drive with zeros.

Approaching it from the angle of recovering files, I've only used freeware recovery programs, and it's a big fat pain in the ass, even if the drive is not the system drive and has not been written to after file deletion. It takes a lot of time to do and what you get is a ton of individual unorganized files (a lot of them system files), not folders. Maybe there are not-free programs that make it easier?

I've always wondered if the dangers of one's private information being recovered have not been overstated, at least for the average home user. Surely one zero pass should be enough?

Again, you're going to a lot of trouble to try to recover files. Once you've done that, the fun is just beginning. You have to go through that mess to save and organize usable files into new folders.

[EDIT] To address the original question, you can create a bootable USB drive with a free version of Acronis or Killdisk and wipe the laptop drive that way, no need to take the drive out to do it.

Ideally, you'd do that, then do a factory restore from image. You did make one when you first got the laptop, didn't you? Or there may be a utility to do so even now from a hidden partition on the laptop's hard drive.

[netmask56]

I disassemble any hard disks I know longer need that are too old anyway. It's on to the chopping block. HDD are cheap these days so why run the risk?

[RabidDog]

HDD are cheap these days so why run the risk?

Hmm a quick check of the prices might make you realize that hard drives are now in short supply, ergo prices have arisen.
But getting back to the question, what info have you got stired on there thats so valuable?
Its good practice to change your passwords after selling on a hard drive anyway

[jman98]

I've always wondered if the dangers of one's private information being recovered have not been overstated, at least for the average home user. Surely one zero pass should be enough?

Again, you're going to a lot of trouble to try to recover files. Once you've done that, the fun is just beginning. You have to go through that mess to save and organize usable files into new folders.

This is a good point. Each person must decide for his/herself what is an acceptable level of risk here. University researchers have shown that it is still possible to recover data after many disk writes of zeros and ones in attempts to "erase" the hard drive, but such tools are far beyond what any normal person would have access to. I personally believe that one pass should be sufficient for almost all home users.

[Squid_uk]

UPDATE!

Ok guys I decided to go with Killdisk in the end. I used the 'kill' function to completly wipe the disk. Only problem now is when the drive is connected windows detects it (by making the new device sound) but I cannot find the device using explorer. Have I erased something I shouldnt have?

[MilesAhead]

I believe you can accomplish the same thing using DiskPart clean all

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300415

Just be careful when you select the drive that it's the one in the dock.

It's already on your system. No need to download.

[jagabo]

UPDATE!

Ok guys I decided to go with Killdisk in the end. I used the 'kill' function to completly wipe the disk. Only problem now is when the drive is connected windows detects it (by making the new device sound) but I cannot find the device using explorer. Have I erased something I shouldnt have?

You probably have to create a new partition.

[MilesAhead]

You probably have to create a new partition.

That's why I suggested using DiskPart. Silly to create a partition just to erase it and delete it.
Select the disk with DiskPart and do Clean All. All done.

[mammo1789]

A full format will not overwrite the data on a hard drive. It will simply write a new empty file system and scan the disk for bad blocks (read only). Quick format only writes the empty file system. In both cases any unformat utility can recover a large portion of the files that were on the disk.

jagabo is correct. As I sad many times you cannot never ever delete anything on hdd you just overwrite the files with zeros or ones or random junk so another data is overwritten over you private data. many programs can recover even multiple pass wipe, shred, kill (dot gutman or other method) including free programs like Recuva or more expensive like Wondershare Data Recovery or with almoust every all fix program glary advance system care and others( and those are programs that every little literate pc person can have on his pc). I recovered sometimes doc or pictures that were wiped 14 passes with gutman method ( considered the safest one ) and couldn't recover some files that I quick overwritten. It depends on where the files were located, from mine experience its harder to recover files from the outside of the disks than from the inside ( the beginning and the end of the hdd plates ). It all goes to how important are the files ( by that I don't mean dvix movies from int that you can download any time) the guy sad invoices and that's probably important stuff. For example the agreement for merger of very important company ( that was considered deleted by the clerk and kind of secret to the stock market because was to early to be published and was not signed yet but intention was there)was send to repair shop 4 months after because was some problem with the disk and the technician recover the agreement ( among other stuff) and send it to some friend that was active trader. You guess what happened next on the market

[mammo1789]

O I forgot to tell you to try free very good low level formatting tool http://hddguru.com/software/HDD-LLF-Low-Level-Format-Tool/
HDD guru I highly recommend (it solve me some problems with xp booting after windows 7 install on some old pc , problem that is one in a million) so it "deletes" all the data and boot mbr sector which is important

[MilesAhead]

A full format will not overwrite the data on a hard drive. It will simply write a new empty file system and scan the disk for bad blocks (read only). Quick format only writes the empty file system. In both cases any unformat utility can recover a large portion of the files that were on the disk.

jagabo is correct. As I sad many times you cannot never ever delete anything on hdd you just overwrite the files with zeros or ones or random junk so another data is overwritten over you private data. many programs can recover even multiple pass wipe, shred, kill (dot gutman or other method) including free programs like Recuva or more expensive like Wondershare Data Recovery or with almoust every all fix program glary advance system care and others( and those are programs that every little literate pc person can have on his pc). I recovered sometimes doc or pictures that were wiped 14 passes with gutman method ( considered the safest one ) and couldn't recover some files that I quick overwritten. It depends on where the files were located, from mine experience its harder to recover files from the outside of the disks than from the inside ( the beginning and the end of the hdd plates ). It all goes to how important are the files ( by that I don't mean dvix movies from int that you can download any time) the guy sad invoices and that's probably important stuff. For example the agreement for merger of very important company ( that was considered deleted by the clerk and kind of secret to the stock market because was to early to be published and was not signed yet but intention was there)was send to repair shop 4 months after because was some problem with the disk and the technician recover the agreement ( among other stuff) and send it to some friend that was active trader. You guess what happened next on the market

So what you are implying is infinite storage has been created on mechanical hard drives. I never have to buy another because no matter how many times I write new data, I can get some utility to recover the old data. Kind of like compressing a video to one byte. Just zip zip zip until you can't zip anymore!!

[Squid_uk]

Any recommendations on what to use to install a new partition?

[jagabo]

You can use Windows' built in partition tool. Or any of the products mentioned earlier in this thread. Or most of the tools in this list:

http://majorgeeks.com/downloads8.html

[zzyzzx]

Won't a low level format (usually a download from the HD maker) work as well?

[mammo1789]

So what you are implying is infinite storage has been created on mechanical hard drives. I never have to buy another because no matter how many times I write new data, I can get some utility to recover the old data. Kind of like compressing a video to one byte. Just zip zip zip until you can't zip anymore!!

you didn't understand me correctly obviously the principal at which hard drivers work is that once you write data to the plates of the hdd you cannot undone them instead you write over the written data again( you can do that million times all the hdd, flash and all rewritable media work that way ). That is done in couple of ways the simple one is that windows erases only the information that there is something on the plates and windows treats that place or space on disk as empty next time you "ask" for free space to write another data it will give to you that same space and new data is written over the existing one ( that;s why if you only delete trough windows recycle bin for instance and new information is not writen on the hdd the data can be recovered from that spot because is still physically there ) The wiping process or low level formatting is actually writing zeros or ones or junk information over existing one physically on the same place where data was written on the disk 1 trough many times 14 for example, theoretically the information for space and physically the space of the hdd is rewritten with new data which is nothing and the windows or recovery programs cannot identify the files only the nothing and conclude that is free space but in practice it's not that simple the layers of previous files are sometimes left behind ( small fragments that indicate that there was some files or new zeros and ones didn't entirely cover the previous files ) and some programs can "see" that and try to recover them in state of working ( but prefer to do that on another drive to avoid "erasing" the left fragments that were found). Some programs can find those fragments even after couple of rewrites with zeros and ones some wont ( and as i sad before from my experience it's also important where the files are physically located on the plates, which can help or make it difficult for the recovery process

O and to answer explicitly you question the answer is yes and no. You could delete some files with simple method (even with wiping method)mentioned before and write new data over existing data ( for example delete one picture and copy another ) yes you get double the space but when you recover the deleted file ( its best to be recovered on the different location on the disk or another disk because otherwise if you recover to the same spot you rewrite the new picture with the old one again and get the old picture again and lost the new one creating infinite loop