how can you completly wipe your hard drive?

Question

how can you wipe your hard drive COMPLETLY.. and make it like it has JUST been bought.. that the only things would be like your "My Computer" ect...

Answer 1

Wow most of these answers are pretty terrible. They're wrong.

Go to your hard drive manufacturer's website and download a utility called low level format or writing 0s (zeros) to the drive. You install that on a floppy disc and run the program. It goes through every single place that data can be stored on the drive and turns all of the bits to a 0 thereby destroying any and all data that once existed. Including windows and boot up instructions.

Answer 2

Assuming you are speaking of doing so in Windows, here are a few notes:

You can't completely wipe a drive you've booted the computer with (That is to say you can't wipe the drive that has Windows residing on it). If you are wiping a secondary hard drive, simply open "My Computer" right-click on the Drive, and choose "Format".

If you wanted to start fresh with a new copy of Windows XP or 2000, generally those CD's are setup to be bootable. In that case, simply put the CD in the drive and (assuming your boot order is CD first then Hard Drive) the system will automatically launch the installer for the operating system. One of the functions of the installer is wiping the hard drive.

As for pre-built computers (like a Compaq, Dell, HP) generally these computers come with a "recovery" CD. In that case simply put the CD in and follow the instructions provided with it, it will restore your computer to the state it was when you bought it.

Answer 3

If you were to "wipe" your hard drive completely, there would be nothing on it- no My computer or anything. You would have to reinstall windows [operating system] and all other programs all over again.

I usually reformat my hard drive every 6 months to keep it cleaned up. Of course, I back up all the files I want to keep on CD first and would suggest you do this. Any photos and documents should be backed up on something other than your computer- either disk, CD, DVD, USB drive or another computer/server.

Once you have done that and are usre you want to wipe the hard drive, exit windows to DOS.

Once in DOS, in the C:> prompt type reformat c:
It will ask you if you are sure, click Y and it will completely wipe out any information still on the drive. You will then have to reinstall all other programs including windows manually, so be patient.

Hope that answers your question!

Answer 4

There is a disk you can buy that will take care of that but It sounds like you just want to erase all but your Windows XP (or what ever you have)There should be a program disc with your computer that will install what ever program you have just re-install it! That or go out and spend $130.00 on a new Windows XP program and install that, then there is the easy almost perfect way and would be a systems restore, just pick The earliest date you can remember having your computer the way you like it and there you go!

Answer 5

It depends on how you mean this.

Usually you have a system restore disk that comes with your computer that will blank it out and return it to the way it was when you got it. If you don't have one of these, you have to format the hard drive, reinstall an operating system, and reinstall all of your software individually.

If you mean like so the FBI can't come along and read it, then you need to take apart the hard drive and destroy it, and buy yourself a new one. They can always recover stuff on there.

Don't tell me which one you meant - I don't want to know. lol

Answer 6

the only way to completely wipe it is to completely wipe it,, there will be nothing left,, you will need a clean copy of windows to reinstall

if you are SURE you have a copy of windows and you really wanna wipe the hard drive, then reformat the hard drive,, do a search on how to reformat if you do not know how,, make sure you ask for directions for your specific computer

Answer 7

My computer (e.t.c) ??? This is a windows menu option! - you would ahve to leave windows on the drive for this to still be there.

Re-formating or wiping a hardrive using windows doesn't delete 'everything'; rub a big magnet over the hard drive I guess, this should destroy any of the memory on it.

Answer 8

wipe your hard drive whithout any software...
1-born a bootable cd or create a startup floppy disk
2- reboot your computer and let boot it from cd or floppy
3-in appeared menu choose first option
4-after a few seconds command line show A:/
5-in command line type FDISK and press inter
this command wipe any data and partitions too
if you like save your partition use this command FORMAT [dirve letter]: and press inter
sample >> format c:
format command wipe any data in selected partition that in this sample is drive C
have any question?
my Y!IM :sohrab_ark

Answer 9

Use the Ooperating CD that came with your PC. IT will probably be a Windows CD of some sort (XP, 2000, ME) Make your PC boot to the CD and follow the instruction for a fresh installation of windows (NOT A SYSTEM REPAIR)

*hint if your comfortable with installations. When it comes time to to select the partitions, delete all the ones you see and tell the intallation to create a new one.

Answer 10

You have to use a program(don't remember what it is) to screw up the drive so bad that no trace of info can be found on it. Simply formating it doesn't clean everything...always bits of into on there still. If it's just a home PC formating is fine, if its got top secret info then formating is not good enough.