Wiping clean a computer

[dyson357]

Hello,
i have a compaq presario computer about that im thinking of selling due to upgrading to a laptop and would like to wipe it clean.
ive got 2 restore discs that i made when the computer was brand new.
can anyone tell me how to use these discs.....do i put them in b4 windows starts up properly or wait till its loaded?
thank you.

 

[Mu33rto]

First of all you want to wipe the data of the system. Just in case the person to buys it runs some recover software to get information. http://www.irongeek.com/i.php?page=videos/using-dban-to-wipe-a-drive You want to go into the bios and make sure the the cd-rom/dvd-rom boots first...Then the disc will tell you what do to next.

 

[dbhosttexas]

Follow the instructions on how to permanently wipe your drive.
http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/how-do-i-permanently-erase-hard-disk/

Linux shred is a DOD grade shredding utility that will make any data on the disk completely unrecoverable.

Depending on the condition of the drive, it is a weak drive, shred will let you know if it will fail for sure. It's pretty abusive.

Once the drive has been "shredded", you can reboot to your recovery CD, and if it is in good shape, you can go ahead and perform your restore.