How to clear a hard drive

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Whatisgoingonherethen

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Oct 8, 2013
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So I have some hard-drives which I dont need anymore, but is there anyway i can manually reset the hard drive to factory state without putting together a pc just to delete the data on it to be able to sell it?
 
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gergguy

gergguy

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You'll have to hook them up to a computer to format them. I would do a full format not just a quick. Alternatively there are programs that write zeros to the drive to erase all data.
 
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gergguy

gergguy

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If you manage to get the hard drives in another computer. Assuming it is a Windows system, go to Start > Computer. Right click on the hard drive you want to format (Be CAREFUL). Right click that drive and select Format.
 
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popatim

popatim

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There are utilities that can still recover from a formatted drive so if theres dataon them you really want gone you'll need to run a secure erase utility on them. Darik's Boot n Nuke (Dban) is free and works well.

You might consider just destroying these drives if thats the case. Depending on the age of the drives you might not recoup enough from the sale to make it worthwhile. A secure erase can take hours upon hours depending on the drive size.
 
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Whatisgoingonherethen

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These are 5 year old drives roughly, they're 100-150gb apart from 1 500gb hard drive
 
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Whatisgoingonherethen

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Okay, but it will definitely be safe? If I were to clear it out with that boot and nuke programme, would i be able to sell it on ebay with peace of mind that no confidential details will be uncovered?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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For the 100-150 drives, you might get $10-15 for them.
On eBay, new, with a 1 year warranty, a 160 is $25 OBO.

Not worth the hassle.

Free fridge magnets!
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Yes, DBAN will kill any data.
 
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