Filed under: Clean Up Computer
How can I clean all personal files off my PC before I give it away???
January 24, 2011
7 thoughts on “How can I clean all personal files off my PC before I give it away???”
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Clean Registry and Optimize PC
im taking a computer course and they said that even if you format the drive that they still make software that they could use to get that information back. Not sure how true it is.
Actually, you cannot format the "C" drive if the operating system resides there. Your computer probably came with a bootable cd that restores the computer to "like-original" condition. Just put in that cd and follow the instructions. If you don’t have the original cd, make a boot disk and then start up from the boot disc. Then the "C" drive can be formatted.
format the hard drive is your best option but make sure you have the windows Operation System CD because it will not be able to start with a blank hard drive. after formating it you have to reinstall windows. i know this because i done it before
Just format the hard drive, that wipes everything clean. Whoever buys will just have to install their own OS. booting will not be an issue.
hey..hold up.. i don’t think you should format the drive C because the computer will not boot up after..wouldn’t it?..and since you don’t know much about it, i guess you would not tell the person the problem.right?i think you should go in the control panel and click add/remove programs.from there, uninstall programs. then,on my computer, right click on the drive C and click properties and click on disk cleanup and select everything.this should do it. oh, it’s up to you to delete all the files in your documents folder and music, pictures and received files.
Go to my computer, right click on disk drive C: and select Format…
If you have other virtual hard drives, do it to them first like D: etc…
Put in your original windows xp disk when the computer is starting up so that you get the windows xp installation screen. Inside one of the menus you get the option to format/re-partition your HDD.
It should be noted though that you cannot actually wipe your HDD completely clean, even writing over the data leaves a "magnetic shadow" that can be recovered. If you have any hugely private files, destroy the HDD completely.