Need help

[omnisome]

Hi,

Can someone tell me how I can format my HDD without installing an OS, I'm going to be selling it see.

Thanks,
Nathaniel

 

[blackhawk1928]

Hi,
Well, in my opinion the best and easiest way to do so would probably just connect it to another computer as a slave drive or simply just another secondary drive. Then you can use a variety of third party applications to perform the task. If you have windows, you can use the built in windows tools to do a complete format of the drive. However I do not recommend it, if you are going to be selling the drive, for security purposes, I recommend you download a third party application such as EASEUS Partition Mananger or Free Partition Mananger Home Edition and perform a format via those programs, because they provide features that enable you to do a secure format, zero filling, overwriting...etc. This is to ensure no data is left on it.

 

[omnisome]

EASEUS Partition Manager; I download and put it on a CD-R disk? And reboot? I've never heard of that way before see.

 

[blackhawk1928]

No, you take the HDD and connect it to a different computer as a slave drive. Then use the software EASEUS on that other computer to format. You don't need to burn anything to a CD.

 

[omnisome]

Thanks for the responses, I've decided however to keep the 160GB drive spare. Is it okay to remove the 160GB drive without reformatting and to just add the 1000GB? Anything to be done in the BIOS here?

Thanks,
Nathan.

 

[blackhawk1928]

Yes it should be safe. Also depending on your motherboard you may or may not have to do something in BIOS.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

If ya keeping as a spare, get one of these ....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153071

Pop it in and format w/ Windows tools, no 3rd party apps req'd

 

[omnisome]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I've decided to buy a 1TB Hitachi Desktar 7200rpm SATA2 3.5" for £45, or $69

Can't buy from Newegg because I live in the UK but thanks anyway.
My motherboard is Biostar TA770E.

 

[omnisome]

Best answer selected by Omnisome.