How do I wipe a Hard Drive

stilltheone

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Don't forget that i many cases, by removing the HDD you may be effectively writing off the entire computer as you it could be financial unviable for someone to reuse.

It's easy and cheap enough for someone to fit another HDD, but the operating system (if they want to use windows) is a different matter.
To do it legally, they would either need to already own a multiuser licenced version of windows, or to buy a full retial copy of this.

Actually this is not the case if they have the original OEM installation disc. The licence is not invalidated if you change the HDD.
It is only if there was no recovery disc, only a Recovery Partition and no image was available could there be difficulty.

Either way, it's a storm in a teacup all this nonsense about smashing it and drilling holes in it.

The software solutions suggested are ample. Unless the HDD contains information pertaining to national or corporate security, there is no need to destroy a serviceable piece of equipment.

mttylad

Before erasing everything, unless you have the CD key still somewhere ensure you get the cd key info out of the current installation.

You could always make it unreadable the same way I just made my prized 750gb dive unreadable, drop it

adouglasmhor

linhug wrote: »

You cannot remove everything from a hard drive. Anyone with even the basic
computing skills can bring it back. I would keep it and get family member a brand new one they are quite inexpensive these days

5 years at least out of date info. Internet myth.

http://whereismydata.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/deleting-and-wiping-data/

andy2004

Good read adouglasmhor, Thank you

martinthebandit

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Don't forget that i many cases, by removing the HDD you may be effectively writing off the entire computer as you it could be financial unviable for someone to reuse.

It's easy and cheap enough for someone to fit another HDD, but the operating system (if they want to use windows) is a different matter.
To do it legally, they would either need to already own a multiuser licenced version of windows, or to buy a full retial copy of this.

or install one of the free operating systems on it, currently running Ubuntu on this laptop

samtheman1k

st999 wrote: »

What private info do you have on your hard drive that would make it worth someone's while to try and recover it?

Could be MSE forum passwords, cached bank account numbers, contact lists, personal photographs...do you really need to ask that question?