I'm selling an old computer and want to make sure all the data is destroyed before doing so ....?

Question

I've reformated the hard drive but have read that is not enough. What actions can I take now that the computer is reformated to destroy the data that was previously on it.

Answer 1

You should choose the option to "zero all data" when formatting. It takes longer, but it writes zeros on the entire disk. This is not quite department of defense security, but it should be good for most people.

Answer 2

If you already reformatted the computer, the data is as good as gone. Reformatting means removing the filesystem and putting a new one. In the process, all data that was on there is completely gone. However, if you really want to be sure, you should "shred" the hard drive. This means overwriting the disk with random or fixed data a certain number of times. My favorite shredder is Zilla Data Nuker:
http://www.zillasoft.ws/

Answer 3

If you are selling your computer, thoroughly clean your hard drive. Deleting files and reformatting is not enough. Reformatting does not overwrite every sector, and private information can remain retrievable. Use a secure delete or disk wiping utility to overwrite every sector on all hard drives. Be sure to use a utility that supports the U.S. DoD standard of seven passes or wipes. While this method is good enough for most people, be aware that the only absolute way of destroying all traces of everything your hard drives is to have these disks degaussed (demagnetized) and physically destroyed.
Suggested: BCWipe, Evidence Eliminator, or SDelete.

Answer 4

If you are not going to physically replace the hard drive, I wouldn't put my life on the line that a simple format puts you in the clear. The fastest way to be 100% secure is to replace the drive. I've used untraditional ways like running batch files that copy and delete data from a drive, including directory structures, just to write and over-write blocks of previously stored data areas. In fact, I went as far as creating duplicate files and folders that I knew existed before, and then leaving the content blank. Then you perform one last low-level format. This worked for me. I even submitted the drive to On-Track Data Recovery and they were unable to recover the file contents.

Answer 5

Download the free Maxtor Low Level Formatter Utility and do a Low Level Format.

I have uploaded it to the address below
http://rapidshare.com/files/12883300/llfutil.exe

This will ensure that all data are destroyed and the drive restored to the manufactured state.

Time required to run this will vary greatly depending on the actual size of the hard drive.

Answer 6

We have a computer tech who works in our office and I've asked him the same question before. His suggestion was to remove the hard drive and replace it. This sounds ridiculous because it'll probably cost you alot of money (maybe even more than the comp is worth), but that's the only sure thing you can do to get rid of the data. Good luck.

Answer 7

There are commercial products out there that do this sort of thing, basically you need to make sure that all the information on the disk is overwritten 7 times with random information. If you do a little searching you can find a few products that do this. If you plan on spending money on it, you can check for "up to military specifications" on em.

Answer 8

If you can't pull up any thing on it, it will be safe. No one is going to have the means or desire to bring up anything left on it, unless you are wanted for something and the cops get your computer and turn it over to the boys in the lab.

Answer 9

Don't you have something like Norton Utilities? It has a secure disk cleanser named Wipe Info. there are probably some free ones on the internet also.

Answer 10

Destroy the hard drive! Unless you have any valuable info on it like account numbers, bank statements, credit card numbers, etc....I wouldnt be to worried