Filed under: Registry Cleaners
I need simple, step-by-step instructions on how to wipe my hard drive completely clean.?
May 7, 2011
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Clean Registry and Optimize PC
How do I delete hard drive data permanently?
Why Delete Hard Drive Data?
When you tell Windows to "delete" a file, it does not actually remove the file from your computer. Instead, it deletes the file’s "address" on the drive, meaning that the file is still on your hard drive and that someone could find it if they knew how to look. By sending something to the Recycle Bin, or even by emptying the Recycle Bin, Windows only removes the address to where the file itself is stored and will not actually delete hard drive data.
Now that the file’s address is gone, Windows recognizes that location as available space to record your future data. Windows will then write over that location where the deleted file was saved. If Windows never gets to save to that location (Windows saves in an order starting with inside the disk to outside the disk), your data will still be there.
You may be thinking that people would still have a hard time finding your data when it is actually very easy. If you donated or got rid of your old computer in some way, the new owner just needs to remove the hard drive and place it as a secondary drive in his/her PC. Windows will reassign an address to the newly discovered hardware and display the data.
How To Delete Hard Drive Data
Formatting the hard dive does not remove the data. Most people do this to delete their hard drive data. The best way to delete hard drive data, without destroying the hard drive itself, is with WipeDrive. WipeDrive can read the hard drive and reset the magnetic strips to the original factory state and is the best tool with which to delete the hard drive data.
WipeDrive Helps You Wipe and Delete Hard Drive Data
WipeDrive is the perfect tool for anyone who needs to:
•Wipe and erase hard drive data before selling or donating a computer.
•Wipe and erase the hard drive of all personal data before returning a computer to a company or employer.
•Wipe and erase the hard drive before discarding the computer to prevent identity theft.
•Completely wipe and erase a damaged operating system with possible hidden viruses.
If you are keeping your computer and operating system, but need to clean it up to improve performance, then check out SecureClean.
Wipe Hard Drive – Delete Hard Drive Features
1.Listed as an Approved Disk Sanitizing Tool by the U.S. Department of Defense.
2.Wipe any size hard drive (IDE or SCSI).
download the wipe drive demo bern it on a cd then put it while booting but sence its a demo it will not remove all of it but it may solve your problem but you have to reformat afterwards
To completely "nuke" your HD use DBAN(Darik’s Boot and Nuke). It will completely eradicate all info on your HD, and is relatively user friendly. Make sure you read all documentation for this software. Link below.
Update:
I’m assuming of course that you have the OS disc(not just the recovery disc). The second link will take you to a page with some useful info for reformatting(which is what this process is actually called) with Win98.