Erasing Datas On Disk Before Selling Pc

[djinn]

Will sell a PC.

Lot of datas on the disk I don't want next owner will be able to retrieve.

Have found some free softwares that advertise they can definitely erase files on the disk.They ask which files I want to delete

Little problem.Already delete files during PC lifetime.So don't see them anymore but they are still inside the disk

Wish to find a software which will delete all the datas on the old beast.

Any help will be welcomed

[MeetJohnDoe]

Most disk wiping (erasing) software have the option to erase the empty space on a drive...it should be an option so poke around the features. You could also just select the "c" drive and erase it (of course, the os would also be wiped-out).

Eraser, Spybot, Glary Utilities all have the above feature.

[JohnC]

You can never I repeat never completely remove your files from a hard disk, this is why you hear of companies that charge high rates to recover "lost" files.

When I sold my old PC I replaced the hard drive with a cheap new one that was blank and installed an operating system only, then sold it on. the old hard drive can be used as a slave on a new pc or you can smash it up and dispose of it!!

Edited December 16, 2008 by JohnC

[midoban]

There are some utilities out there that will overwrite the disk multiple times. It is still not guaranteed, but makes data much more difficult to retrieve.

[Goyave]

Will sell a PC.

Lot of datas on the disk I don't want next owner will be able to retrieve.

Have found some free softwares that advertise they can definitely erase files on the disk.They ask which files I want to delete

Little problem.Already delete files during PC lifetime.So don't see them anymore but they are still inside the disk

Wish to find a software which will delete all the datas on the old beast.

Any help will be welcomed

I would use KillDisk and then reinstall an Operating System and the computer drivers. Or keep the current hard disk for myself and put a new one (with an OS + drivers) as suggested earlier in the sold machine.

[slackula]

If you want to erase everything on the disk then Darik's Boot and Nuke ( DBAN ) is free and very effective.

It will boot the computer from a CD or floppy disk and delete everything on every hard drive it finds to a level that meets Canadian government agency standards.

[Crushdepth]

If you are really worried about it, put a new drive in the computer before you sell it and keep the old one.

[dave_boo]

Go F/OSS route.

Boot any old LiveCD and open a terminal. Issue the command

dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/hda && dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda && dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/hda && dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda

Guaranteed that with the exception of those with an electronic scanning microscope NOBODY will be able to read your disk. Of course it will take a while....

[slackula]

Go F/OSS route.

Boot any old LiveCD and open a terminal. Issue the command

dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/hda && dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda && dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/hda && dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda

Guaranteed that with the exception of those with an electronic scanning microscope NOBODY will be able to read your disk. Of course it will take a while....

What if it's a SATA drive?

[dave_boo]

Go F/OSS route.

Boot any old LiveCD and open a terminal. Issue the command

dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/hda && dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda && dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/hda && dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda

Guaranteed that with the exception of those with an electronic scanning microscope NOBODY will be able to read your disk. Of course it will take a while....

What if it's a SATA drive?

You know that you subsitute sd* for SATA or SCSI or USB drives...