How to completely wipe a hard drive as if it was brand new.

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Mrnix

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Mar 17, 2013
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Gonna be upgrading to SSD soon and also upgrading to Windows 7 so I'm going to install it on my SSD and effectively start fresh. I still of course wish to keep my current hard drive and use it, just as a secondary drive. I wan't the OS on the SSD now so I really just want to remove everything from the old drive including the OS and start fresh. So, what is the best I can clear my hard drive including OS to get maximum performance out of it
Thanks in advance :)
 
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Dark Lord of Tech
How to Use DBAN

Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN automatically and completely deletes the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

DBAN's website is http://www.dban.org/. < DOWNLOAD it here
How to Use DBAN to Securely Erase a Hard Disk Drive

Turn on computer and boot from the DBAN CD.
The DBAN application opens. DBAN is a simple, text-only application.
You will see a boot: prompt and a menu of options.
Press the Enter key to start DBAN in interactive mode.
DBAN continues to boot. This will take a few moments.
You will see a screen...
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ss202sl

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May 23, 2012
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Wait til you get the SSD. Install the SSD(only) and install windows. Once the OS has been installed and updated, install the hard drive as a secondary drive remove all the partitions off of the hard drive, create 1 large partition on the hard drive, format it, and you're done.
 
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bquick

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May 23, 2013
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When installing Windows 7, if you have both your hard drive and SSD plugged into the computer you can format through the OS installation.

Solution: When installing Windows 7 you will come across the disk management screen. From here you can choose to format your Hard drive completely to clear everything stored on it.

indexf7.jpg
 
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Dark Lord of Tech

Dark Lord of Tech

Retired Moderator
Aug 18, 2009
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How to Use DBAN

Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN automatically and completely deletes the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

DBAN's website is http://www.dban.org/. < DOWNLOAD it here
How to Use DBAN to Securely Erase a Hard Disk Drive

Turn on computer and boot from the DBAN CD.
The DBAN application opens. DBAN is a simple, text-only application.
You will see a boot: prompt and a menu of options.
Press the Enter key to start DBAN in interactive mode.
DBAN continues to boot. This will take a few moments.
You will see a screen listing Options, Statistics, and Disks and Partitions.
Leave the defaults for Options.
From the Disks and Partitions list, select the hard drive you want deleted.
Move the cursor up and down using the J and K keys, and select the drive with the Spacebar.
When the drive you want to erase is selected, press F10 to start the wipe.
The time required to wipe your drive will depend on the size of the drive. DBAN offers an estimate on the Statistics pane.

http://www.it.cornell.edu/security/depth/practices/dban.cfm

 
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