Software 2 Format HD

[Guest]

Hello

Usually when you format a HD it takes a while. Actually sometimes if the HD is large enough quite a while.

I have some older HD's (12) that I would like to permanently remove the files.
Is there something that you all could recommend that will do the job and "quickly"?

Suggestions anyone?


Thank you

 

[treefrog07]

Permanent removal and quick are mutually exclusive. I would download the HDD mfr's disk utilities and fill the old HDDs by writing 0s and 1s to every sector.

 

[Paperdoc]

treefrog is right, a zero-fill operation on the whole drive will wipe all data.

However, why do you want to wipe them? Are you planning to re-use them, or to give / sell them to others? Then a wipe makes sense. But if they are just junk to throw out in the garbage, a big hammer to physically break them is fast and fool-proof.

 

[ricno]

Usually when you format a HD it takes a while. Actually sometimes if the HD is large enough quite a while.

I have some older HD's (12) that I would like to permanently remove the files.

Just to also point out: A format is just a logical delete of the file system, while all your data remains on the disk. If is is enough for you to just remove the pointers to your file then a "quick format" takes not many seconds.

Doing a full format takes a long time, but does also not erase your data! It just deletes the logical file system and then checks all sectors for errors.

As already have been pointed out, to really be sure that your data is gone and non recoverable then a tool that writes to all sectors is the only way the be sure. And that will also take a quite long time depending of the size and speed of the disk.

 

[Guest]

Why don't you just use diskpart command to format disk? or you may simple go to disk managment and that place provide format option.

Or you may format partition with some software.

http://www.diskgenius.net/help/format.html

 

[ricno]

Why don't you just use diskpart command to format disk? or you may simple go to disk managment and that place provide format option.

Diskpart can do a large amount of disk related stuff, including formatting, but is an advanced tool and not always easy to work with. If he would like to format a partition through the command prompt then the classic format.com would be more suitable.

However, sandman3838 who started the thread wants the formatting to be quick and possible a safe erase of the data, and if so these tools will not be enough.

Or you may format partition with some software.

http://www.diskgenius.net/help/format.html

I could not see anything in that tool that is not already in the normal Windows Disk Management tool?

 

[Shadow703793]

Download UBCD and use ActiveKillDisk, DBan,etc to zero fill the HDDs.

Or if the drives are going to get trashed, use a big hammer on it, or take it to a firing range and put a couple of rounds in to them.

 

[ricno]

Just to also point out: A format is just a logical delete of the file system, while all your data remains on the disk. If is is enough for you to just remove the pointers to your file then a "quick format" takes not many seconds.

Doing a full format takes a long time, but does also not erase your data! It just deletes the logical file system and then checks all sectors for errors.

One update from me. Depending of the operating system of the original poster what I wrote earlier might not be correct.

If using Windows Vista, the format command does actually writes zeroes to all sectors if doing a full format, as no other Microsoft operating system has done before. A Vista format could be considered a safe, but slow, format.

This article points out this. It is also true for Windows Server 2008 and Server 2008 R2, but there is no mention of Windows 7 which is about the same age as 2008 R2, so very unclear what is true for Win7.