is it? i sold my computer on ebay and i was going to format the hd and reinstall a fresh windows on it before i ship it out. can they get my credit cards numbers or info i entered? its a 120gb hd if it matters...
2007-06-15 12:16:04 · 12 answers · asked by zachleez 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Doing a system restore does not wipe it out, it just appears to be gone but can be recovered with file recovery software.
If you would like to erase and wipe all information from your harddrive, I reccommend you use Active@ KillDisk. This powerful and compact DOS software allows you to destroy all data on hard and floppy drives completely, excluding any possibility of future recovery of deleted files and folders. This is security software for unrecoverable data elimination for any computer capable of booting in DOS mode from floppy drive. It uses access to the drive's data on a physical level via BIOS bypassing logical drive structure organization, thus it does not matter operating systems and file systems located on the machine, it can be DOS, Windows 95 / 98, Windows NT / 2000 / XP, Linux, Unix for PC. Active@ KillDisk conforms to US Department of Defense clearing and sanitizing standard DoD 5220.22-M. You can be sure that once you clean up with Active@ KillDisk, sensitive information is purged out forever. We highly recommend you to run this FREE utility for the hard and floppy drives you want to dispose of, recycle, re-use, sell or donate to somebody.
Please note: If the CIA or FBI is after you, destroy the hard drive. It is possible to recover data even if it has been erased and written over many times.
2007-06-15 12:19:19 · answer #1 · answered by Samuel Adams 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Once you've performed a disk format, perhaps using system recovery disks supplied by the manufacturer, all info on the hard drive is deleted. To the best of my knowledge, the disk is wiped clean of all information, which is therefore not retainable.
You're installation of a fresh OS after the disk format should be clean, and no longer will your information be available. Just in case I'm wrong, there is something you can do that will delete everything on your system. I haven't done it unfortunately, but the idea is to connect a couple of contacts on the motherboard using a small screwdriver. This would delete everything, and you would probably have to start from BIOS to get things going again.
So no worries. Just format the hard disk, and reinstall the OS with your system recovery disks. Good Luck!
2007-06-18 19:43:50 · answer #2 · answered by Trist' 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get the Windows Updates and reboot. Run Disk Cleanup to free up some space.. Then run DEFRAG. If there is any trace of info left, it will be a really huge challenge to find anything. You are pretty safe.
But don't sell to a guy with only a few positive Feedbacks. Be fussy. Try to figure out if he's a regular guy or GEEK.
Good luck and Happy Computing!
2007-06-15 12:20:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, if you didn't specify that windows will be installed, then you can and should delete it. You should take off your windows stickers and stuff(if its off of that comp, you can install it on a future comp if you have the disc. Download GParted from source forge.(gparted.sourceforge.net)Burn it to a cd and boot into the cd (change BIOS settings). Delete the windows partition and reboot, the computers drive will be erased. Backup personal data FIRST! If you want to be nice, you can install a free linux distro. Try ubuntu, opensuse, or MEPIS. They are all pretty easy to install.
2007-06-15 12:40:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, your computer is not clean. And you should not sell the computer until you have performed a "secure delete" of the hard drive contents and free space. A secure delete encrypts all the information on magnetic media, thats your hard drive. Then deletes the information making it unreadable. It does this several times to make to make the information unreadable.
http://www.delete-computer-history.com/internet-privacy-software.html
2007-06-16 10:30:30 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have to agree with the Beer man, Samuel Adams. You won't to download Killdisk, or it's equivalant. There are different levels of protectoin within this program. There is a government standard for protection... and this is what you want. It does not come with the free version of Killdisk though.
REgards,
Brandon
2007-06-15 12:55:01 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i consider g337n... this is the fast and elementary way. authentic, they might nevertheless locate information if the law enforcement officers quite bypass at it, yet for standard consumers, rerun domicile windows setup from the CD. make certain you opt for the thoughts to delete the partition, then to create a clean partition of the comparable length you basically deleted. this might wipe out all your previous information, and then create a clean area to place in domicile windows into. different thoughts ought to bypass away some information intact. Please comprise the disks (which you have) for the hot buyer. they actually ought to choose them.
2016-10-09 07:18:10 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its up to you, if youre a gambler. Ive done it before-it takes a very smart person to retrieve anything thats been erased from a hardrive, but they are out there. Like I say--depends on how much its worth to you.
2007-06-15 12:21:50 · answer #8 · answered by Nemo the geek 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dude, I don't know.
Now I'm wondering about hard drives I've sold in the past.
2007-06-15 12:42:23 · answer #9 · answered by Goodwin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just reinstall windows it wipes it out
2007-06-15 12:18:37 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋