Question about reformatting C drive

Hello,

I am just curious if anyone can tell me if the bold part of my message is true or false. I read it on a website from a forum. Also curious if there's a limit to how many times you can format a drive before it gives out?

if you don't zero all the data, the data is still there. If you zero it there is still a 'ghost' imprint on the hard drive which you may be able to read.

Now I am curious also if when deleting the Windows XP current partition during Setup and installing Windows XP back on the drive if this helps "zero" the data.

Thanks, hope you all can help me

- Gracie

 

Hi,
I don't know what they mean by 'zero', but unless you delete the partition, there's a chance something might be left behind. The best way to do it is, if you already are formatting, to delete the existing partitions and create new ones.
Mrk

 

Hi Mrk,

Thank you very much for the reply. That is what I will do then if I need to ever reformat in the future.

Thank you!

Gracie

 

I wouldn't be so sure that even "deleting" the partition takes care of things in the sense that your personal data is wiped out, Gracie. BUT, perhaps you really only mean the best way to reformat and I'll not debate that.

However, if you're getting at privacy concerns, as long as a given magnetic state exists on a given cluster on your hard drive, someone out there somewhere can recover the data, even if you had to pay $1000 to some data recovery service because you wanted to have it recovered.

Zeroing out is simply setting the data bits all to 0's instead of a mixture of 0's and 1's.

You are better off writing a random pattern of 0's and 1's and doing this repeatedly until all chance of the original pattern being detectable is gone.

I'm just talking concepts here - but there are U.S. government standards and myriad other standards and methods for how to do this effectively.

There are many freeware/shareware/commercial programs out there for wiping hard drives.

Perhaps others can point you to specifics if you feel it necessary or are interested.

OF COURSE, if I'm totally offbase with what you're looking for, never mind....

 

Hi,
I think the idea was about a HDD that will be used again - not permanently wiped. The best way to erase the data is to blowtorch the HDD into a puddle, run the puddle over with a truck. Take the tyre used in the running over and burn it together with melted HDD, wrap them in dynamite, detonate it in a vat of boiling acid and then disperse the acid from a plane over Pacific ocean, while shooting the sprayed droplets with M134 Miniguns.
Mrk

 

Yeah, that should pretty well do it!

Rob

 

I, sir or madam, stand corrected.

 

Just be sure NOT to do the QUICK install . Choose the other . That way , everything is pretty much wiped out . The quick can leave things .

 

Thanks everyone for your replies to my question. I've done the reformat, went fine... and did not choose the quick option.

Thanks again, you all and everyone here at Wilders seem to be great helpful people.

- Gracie

 

Whenever I do a reinstall of Windows, I always run Darik's Boot and Nuke http://dban.sourceforge.net/ first and then reformat. Then I reinstall Windows. Same thing before I sell a hard drive. This will protect your drive from its data being recovered by all but the most expensive techniques.

But I wouldn't worry too much about someone doing a microscopic examination of the disc platters unless you had worked for the CIA at one time in the past or have secret plans for the worlds first pratical anti-gravity device on your hard drive. Though it is possible, so if your worried about your data being recovered reread post #5 again for tips.

 

I will consider using that program. Thanks