Hard Drive Wipe program?

[madflava13]

I've got an old desktop I want to recycle, but I want to make sure my data isn't still on there. Can anyone recommend a program (free or otherwise) that will wipe the drive?
Thanks in advance.

[iaidoka2]

You could try CCleaner, it is a registry, file cleaning program that has a disc wiping utility. It's free. Just go to piriform.com to download.

[Lützow]

ORIGINAL: madflava13

I've got an old desktop I want to recycle, but I want to make sure my data isn't still on there. Can anyone recommend a program (free or otherwise) that will wipe the drive?
Thanks in advance.

I can recommend a solution which works perfectly and you don't even need to be tech-savy for this. Pull the HD from case and treat it with a hammer. [:D]

[Perturabo]

AFAIK files are recoverable until they are overwritten. Here's an idea:
Download some non-copyrighted DVD image (maybe some version of linux?). Format your disk normally. Copy the DVD image over and over again until you run out of disk space. If there's any remaining space, copy another innocuous file over and over again. Now you have overwritten your data and it should be unrecoverable.

[sullafelix]

You beat me to it. From what I've read the only really safe method is a sledgehammer.

[jimi3]

What ever you use, I believe DOD standards require wiping seven times. The only sure way to take care of the problem is introducing the HD to a Colt 1911

[Lützow]

ORIGINAL: Perturabo

AFAIK files are recoverable until they are overwritten. Here's an idea:
Download some non-copyrighted DVD image (maybe some version of linux?). Format your disk normally. Copy the DVD image over and over again until you run out of disk space. If there's any remaining space, copy another innocuous file over and over again. Now you have overwritten your data and it should be unrecoverable.

Way too much effort.

Damaging MBR or deleting partitions should be already sufficient for preventing a common user to recover any data. Just have a look into relevant Linux boards. [;)]

Unless you stored some super secret stuff on your HD, which could attract the CIA. In this case, brute force is the most viable solution.

/edit: of course, a cal. 12 shotgun will work as well. [:D]

[Fred98]

Format the drive!

Gets rid of everything!

Then install Windows.

.

[major.pain]

You need to overwrite the whole harddrive multiple times to get rid of the data, the more times the better, formatting only gets rid of the file table that tells your computer what and where everthing is on your drive, the data is still there.
I used a program called EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard Professional a while back to recover a drive i accidentally formatted trying to create a usb boot disk in command prompt, i was not too pleased as it was 400gb worth of movies and music. After a little work i recovered 90% of what i had lost as well as music and film files that i deleted months before.

[Perturabo]

Overwrite multiple times? Where does the data go when it's replaced with other data?

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: Perturabo

Overwrite multiple times? Where does the data go when it's replaced with other data?

It doesnt go anywhere.

Test A: Save Word document #1. Delete the document and PC experts can still retrieve it.

Test B: Save Word document #1. Delete the document. Create Word document #2 save it and then delete it. Create Word document #3 save it and then delete it.

Word document #1 under Test B should be impossible to retrieve.
.

[Perturabo]

I meant in case of overwriting the entire hard drive. How would it be possible to retrieve data after 1 time?

[planner 3]

Bought a machine (Laptop Used), shop had wiped it clean, installed new OS (XP). Unit worked great for a while, till I needed to try something new. Messed it up, went to Restore function, it also worked great and it was so good that I got my repair and all the Doctors files he assumed were erased or deleted. I worked on that machine for two months and finally got rid of all the files, or so I thought, still find one occasionally now and then. They never go away unless you use a hammer or shotgun. FWIW

[jessy]

Format your disk normally. Copy the DVD image over and over again until you run out of disk space. If there's any remaining space, copy another innocuous file over and over again.

[wodin]

As others have said just format it.

[Ironclad]

.

[Ironclad]

Reformatting the drive and/or reloading windows isn't sufficient. You need to use a special wipe program to ensure the data is destroyed. A free one to download is Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN).

[major.pain]

How i have tried to explain it before to someone a friend who did not use a computer much was to draw a circle on a piece of paper with a pencil, then rub it out and you can still see where the circle was. Now keep repeating this and each time you draw the next circle so it overlaps parts of your prevoius circles. After ten times or so you will only be able to trace where parts of the earlier circles are although they are still there they have been obscured by the later circles you drew, so with data on a hard drive eventully although there still may be pieces of the original they wont make up the whole and become unreadable.

[hadberz]

Just go to the manufacturer of the harddrive website and download their tools utility. Get the version that boots into dos. Most of them should have a option to write zeros to the harddrive. I will have to check, but I believe the military version writes zeros then writes ones to the harddrive. As others have said a hammer works. Just make sure your smash the platters too.