how do i wipe a hard drive completly clean?

Answer 1

Buy (or look for a free) utility that performs DoD level 3 formatting (writes 0's across the whole drive three times or something) Supposed to be guaranteed to be unrecoverable.

Answer 2

If I had something to hide (which I don't) and expected to be raided by the police soon, I'd overwrite my whole drive AND THEN reformat it from a floppy AND THEN remove it, hit it with a sledge hammer, and toss it in an incinerator.

The thing is, most of the software you might want to hide from raiding cops was probably put there by a Trojan virus, and the cops might have been the ones who sent it your way. It's the computer version of planting drugs on someone they want to arrest for political reasons, but don't have any actual crime evidence. So they fabricate some. You probably won't even know it's on your computer until they put the handcuffs on and take you away.

Answer 3

To do this the NSA security offices do at least 3 over writes with 0s and 1s. A simple reformat drive will not get rid of personal information. Software is sold that will over write effectively but the real security measure is to hammer the drive with a hammer or sledge or melt it down, forensic software can read most reformatted drives in a short while.

Answer 4

Files that are deleted are recoverable. Use Secure Clean. It doesn't just delete files. SecureClean wipes files. Wiped files are overwritten, and therefore become unrecoverable.

SecureClean scans your hard drive for deleted and hidden personal information. It then completely cleans your computer hard drive.

Do you want your files permanently removed? Or just moved from one place to another on your computer? If you want them permanently removed or wiped, you need SecureClean.

Answer 5

you is merely no longer waiting to objective this from living house windows (using living house windows to format thechronic living house windows is operating on, that is loopy). merely insert a bootable operating equipment setting up disc (a living house windows or Linux one will do), reboot and shop on with the teachings for doing an finished format. even with how tempting it could be, do no longer %. the fast option (which finishes in actually very few seconds) as all it does is tell yourchronic it truly is empty. in reality, the fast format does no longer erase something. in case you want to make constructive thechronic is thoroughly sparkling and formatted, then you fairly favor to finish an finished format. Even after an finished format, some files fix professionals can nevertheless retrieve info off the hardchronic. the merely thanks to ascertain everlasting files loss is to apply an excellent-magnet.

Answer 6

There is a product called "Drive Washer". Put the CD-ROM in follow the steps and it permanently eliminates all hard drive data. But remember to back up any data you don't want permanently erased.

Answer 7

get a software called purge disk home edition or something for like $25, or just format the disk. If you have a PC, go to your regular drive and right click on it and clcik format.

Answer 8

program called wipe disk, norton used to have it. you can set the number of times it writes 1/0 all over the disk.

Answer 9

Format it

Formatting your drive ERASES EVERYTHING including Windows, viruses, worms, spyware etc

The advantage of formatting your drive is that it prepares the drive for windows to be reinstalled

Answer 10

use a start up disk take out partition fdisk or just about any other partition tool then reformat.thats all theres to it