My mom wants me to transfer some of her files from our old computer onto a disk, and I know that even if something is deleted, it can still be recovered, but that there is special software that can permanently erase things. What should I be looking for to buy at the store or online to do this?
2007-01-11 08:42:14 · 10 answers · asked by LSN 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Security
The computer can't connect to the Internet anymore.
2007-01-11 08:54:01 · update #1
The old computer is going to be given to charity. We still want the programs on there, but don't want any personal files left.
2007-01-11 09:15:34 · update #2
It is very difficult to remove files from a hard drive. Simply deleting the file doesn't remove its 'image' from the disk. In fact, it is possible to recover data on a hard drive even after the drive has been formatted, and the entire drive re-written, even if the drive is smashed!
Fortunately, it is (in theory) possible to encrypt or "erase" data enough to make it very difficult (if not impossible) to recover. For technical details you can read this paper from Peter Gutmann:
http://www.usenix.org/publications/library/proceedings/sec96/full_papers/gutmann/
The current popular method of 'erasing' data is to overwrite the data many times with alternating/encrypted - random - bits. The general recommended time is 8 to 10 overwrites. The idea is to reset the magnetic fields enough to prevent - removing any ghost images of the data file.
Doing this yourself is difficult if not impossible without expert computer knowledge. However, there are many software vendors that provide great solutions to help erase data on your hard disk using the methods Peter Gutmann discusses.
Look at the many different vendors and be careful which vendor you choose and why. Some vendors do a 'so-so' job of removing data, while others do 'military grade' erasures of data.
If you just cleaning a disk that you plan to re-sell or destroy is one thing. If your trying to remove data that you wish no one to ever see again is another problem in itself. The latter might require a combination of erasing hardware and hard drive destruction.
Look for software that advertises: "Secure Deletion", "Data Erasing", "Drive Wipe" or "Data Wipe".
2007-01-11 09:11:03 · answer #1 · answered by discrete 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are tons of free applications for this purpose but first clarify the following questions:
Are planning to completely erase the entire disk i.e. reformat. after backing up your files?
Or do you just want to completely remove specific files from the old disk while continuing to use it?
There are many ways to perform either option and tons of free tools to do so. I would first recommend going to the hard drive manufacturer's web page and downloading any utilities they offer. I have yet to find a manufacturer that didn't offer free formatting and disk/file backup tools. After you give us more specifics I will give you some steps and guides to help out.
2007-01-11 16:55:08 · answer #2 · answered by Grundig The Mad 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This Wikipedia link has a list of freeware software to either wipe files and/or erase the entire HD. There is a nice one called SDelete. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_wiping
DOD standard requires data to be written over at least three times. I had a job that required old HD's to be deleted and then physically destroyed.
2007-01-11 16:56:30 · answer #3 · answered by mmarrero 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put "erase all data" in Search Engine. The programs will tell you if and how they write over file data to make it unrecoverable.
Shareware or freeware
2007-01-11 16:47:15 · answer #4 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
use the oem disk that came with ur computer or use the built in partion to format ur computer all memory will be deleted also it will be back to the way u got it from the store
2007-01-11 16:54:18 · answer #5 · answered by guitarsrkewl08 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need a "Shredder". They overwrite the physical area several times with nonsense data so that the old stuff cannot be recovered. Several are available for free or as shareware. Try searching for shredder on tucows.com or pcmag.com.
2007-01-11 16:46:43 · answer #6 · answered by Carter 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Plenty of good free software tat will allow you to delete data securely by overwritng it multiple times.
I use SHRED 2 from PCmag that was once free but is not a subscription service.
Great simple piece of SW.
Link is at
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1559894,00.asp
$7.97 for single download
ANother source is here for SW that can shred files or drives by multiple writes.
http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/security/fwerase.html
also
http://www.thefreecountry.com/security/securedelete.shtml
I hope this helps !
2007-01-11 16:47:19 · answer #7 · answered by Multi_expert 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
not my preferred software, but it will get it done... Norton SystemWorks 1.0
run this to 'zero' out your hard drive. data is unrecoverable after that, I beleive this also meets gov't standards (as I learned this from a gov't IT person).
2007-01-11 16:47:45 · answer #8 · answered by bilko_ca 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
run KILLDISK from killdisk.com
run it 7 times to erase ALL data to the DOD standards
2007-01-11 16:45:51 · answer #9 · answered by Mictlan_KISS 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
After you move the files, run defrag.exe, the builtin defragmenting tool in windows.
2007-01-11 16:46:02 · answer #10 · answered by andalucia 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋