Wiping a hard drive clean cheaply

[Mom21]

I am basically computer illiterate when it comes to terms or doing anything other than norm on computer so please don't throw big words at me

I have a computer I want to get rid of. I know I need to completely wipe all data clean and reinstall the operating system. I've called a few places and they want $200 to do it I will be lucky to get that out of it complete with the monitor when I sell it. Software programs were around $40 with no guarantee I would do it correctly. I found something free called Erase, but didn't work with XP. So what is the cheapest way to do this so I can recoup a bit of my money when I sell it?

Thanks and remember, no big words.......LOL. Talk to me like I am a child, because on this subject......oh wait. Kids these days know more than I do about computers.

 

[NikiM20]

We take the harddrives out and DH destroys them. However, if youre planning on selling your old computer this wont work.

Oops, sorry didnt read the part where you want to sell the computer, i just saw sell the monitor..

 

[WheelCEO]

reformat your hard drive.. google it, it's very easy

 

[sherry7]

I know there is a way to reformat a computer. I've had to do it before, but had step-by-step guidance from a rep. Maybe you can google it and find instructions? I do know that you need to have your Windows CD available in order to reinstall it.

I have an ancient computer (1991!) in the basement that needs thrown out, and I've been hesitating to do it because of the hard drive. DH said he would be happy to take it with him the next time he goes target shooting!

 

[dawson5]

Have you tried googling it? I know there were some free programs to wipe a hard drive, but I'm unsure if you need an OS on there to run the program.

I did this a long time ago, I know I found something "that the defense department uses." It was free also. Darned if I can remember what it was called though. I know I found it just by googling.


You could also look at majorgeeks or bleepingcomputer and see if they have threads.

 

[Evi]

the best thing you can do is remove your hard drive and have your husband drill multiple holes in it so no one can access your personal information you can rewrite over your drive. But if someone knows how they can also reclaim all the original information. Check out cnet.com for more into.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

the best thing you can do is remove your hard drive and have your husband drill multiple holes in it so no one can access your personal information you can rewrite over your drive. But if someone knows how they can also reclaim all the original information. Check out cnet.com for more into.

exactly! cheap and easy!You can also do it yourself...no husband required!

 

[skelfbsfb]

If you have the original operating disc then it should be a straight forward operation. Just put the discs into the drive and click and it should ask what you want to do, click full restore and that should be it.

 

[TallyTutter]

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.
DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.
DBAN is a free software product that can be used at home or in a business at zero cost. The only official place to obtain DBAN is by download at this web site. We do not sell DBAN media.


http://www.dban.org/download

This is what our school district uses on all of it's computers that we salvage.

 

[Disnydad]

the best thing you can do is remove your hard drive and have your husband drill multiple holes in it so no one can access your personal information ..............

That's what I do. Then I drop everything but the destroyed hard drive off at a recycling center.

 

[gullyf]

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers...

http://www.dban.org/download

Second on Boot and Nuke... just burn the image to a disk (floppy or cd), and reboot with it in the floppy or cd drive. You *might* have to change a setting in your bios to allow the pc to try to boot from the cd before the hard drive prior to it working though...

Don't trust just the install cd to do a thorough enough job. And while even a secure wipe such as that provided by Boot and Nuke can *potentially* have data recovered, it is both highly unlikely and highly unlikely anyone is going to go to the extents necessary unless you are an ex-President or something...

Gully

 

[wdwfan16]

We remove the hard drive and then smash it. We give away everything but the drive.

 

[bumbershoot]

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.
DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.
DBAN is a free software product that can be used at home or in a business at zero cost. The only official place to obtain DBAN is by download at this web site. We do not sell DBAN media.


http://www.dban.org/download

This is what our school district uses on all of it's computers that we salvage.

Hubby said YES YES YES to that one.

Says to choose the "zeros and ones" option b/c it rewrites the whole disk with, not surprisingly, zeros and ones.

The good programs don't "erase", they replace.

He says DBAN is as good as you can get without a huge electromagnet to put on the harddrive...

DH used to work for the part of Lexis Nexis that got the hard drives from companies, to find all that "deleted" info to give to the attorneys for the discovery phase of lawsuits....he knows very well how to FIND "deleted" info...


He says....

Reformatting does almost nothing for someone who knows what they are doing... All it does it take away the directory; everything is still there. So any data miner can get your info very easily.

Drilling holes is a way to keep it from being read, but of course you'd have to buy a new hard drive (~$50) to sell it.

 

[jsmith]

Look for a down load of a program called Unishred Pro-or Universal Purge tool-DBAN makes a start-but its not the best solution-the two i listed above are used by the goverment for the destruction of classifed data-they not only rewrite the hard drive-they do it mulitple times.

 

[cglaura]

Agree w/ bumbershoot...You could also just find the least expensive compatable hd, and put the new one in, install whatever windows you had, then sell it. Not sure what you are looking to get out of it as resale price, but I put a 1.5 TB in mine just recently, it was only $99.

Did a super quick search, for example, a 250gb seagate internal is around $38. You could google what you have now to see what an exact replacement would cost.

One way to find what you have (this is for XP, probably similar for others?):

My Computer --> Local Drive C: --> Properties --> Hardware Tab --> Read line Disk Drives

Then you won't have to worry about any personal info, can just trash your old hd with a drill

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.
DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.
DBAN is a free software product that can be used at home or in a business at zero cost. The only official place to obtain DBAN is by download at this web site. We do not sell DBAN media.


http://www.dban.org/download

This is what our school district uses on all of it's computers that we salvage.

Another vote for "boot and nuke" ! You can set it for a single pass, or do multiple nuke passes overnight. Real simple, effective , and the price is right.

 

[Luvchefmic]

How do you even remove a hard drive if you want to ? Where is it? See OP its not just you ;-)

 

[dawson5]

You take the side off, sometimes you have to loosen screws on the back, sometimes it's tabs. Open it up and look. Here is a general idea of how it's set up.

 

[tar heel]

You should also consider whether your new computer has places for additional hard drives. The computer I'm on right now has three hard drives, two or them from its ancestors. We store keeper stuff, especially big files like photos and graphics, on the old hard drives so the C drive doesn't slow down b/c it's too full.

 

[Luvchefmic]

You take the side off, sometimes you have to loosen screws on the back, sometimes it's tabs. Open it up and look. Here is a general idea of how it's set up.

Thank you dawson...good grief my initial reaction was it would be easier to just have DH run the whole thing over with a tractor trailer but I thank you if I had to remove it I could, appreciate this