how to erase data on Harddrive

[SHaTTaFaKKaP]

I would like to wipe a drive of mine clean, because i'm selling it to someone, what programs can I use to accomplish this task, and there is Windows Vista installed on it.

 

[peterhuang913]

Dariks Boot and Nuke (DBAN) download and review - secure hard drive erasure from SnapFiles

 

[carnageX]

DBAN (like peter suggestd) and/or Killdisk. I'd suggest DBAN over Killdisk, b/c DBAN can do multiple passes (which can take days on larger drives sometimes).

 

[MetalOwns]

Dariks Boot and Nuke (DBAN) download and review - secure hard drive erasure from SnapFiles

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I wouldn't use anything else. Just do a couple passes with it. You'll have to reinstall Vista afterwards though.

 

[carnageX]

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I wouldn't use anything else. Just do a couple passes with it. You'll have to reinstall Vista afterwards though.

You'll have to reformat the whole drive after a couple passes with DBAN =P. The whole drive will be written with 0's and 1's =P.

 

[SHaTTaFaKKaP]

You'll have to reformat the whole drive after a couple passes with DBAN =P. The whole drive will be written with 0's and 1's =P.

how do i reformat the drive?

 

[carnageX]

That's done when you go to install an OS anyway, SHaTTa. You know how you can pick to format the drive when you install an OS? Yeah, that'd be the formatting I'm talking about. Killdisk I know just makes the drive into RAW data....not sure what DBAN does (haven't used it before).

 

[veedubfreak]

Dban writes to the disk 7 times, then erases everything on the final pass. We use it to wipe all of the drives out of machines we're recycling at work.

 

[MetalOwns]

how do i reformat the drive?

Put in the Vista DVD, and reinstall it. It's pretty easy. You have the Vista DVD right?