erasing data Forever?

hopeful_builder · 12 Mar 2012 at 21:20

Just sold an external Hard Drive and need to clear the data. I need to format it so the data cannot be recovered.

Is simply right clicking on it under my computer and Quick formatting from there sufficient?

RJC · 12 Mar 2012 at 21:21

Dban is good, runs external to windows.

http://www.dban.org/

scrlk · 12 Mar 2012 at 22:21

hopeful_builder said:
Just sold an external Hard Drive and need to clear the data. I need to format it so the data cannot be recovered.

Is simply right clicking on it under my computer and Quick formatting from there sufficient?

For future reference, a quick format tells the system that the area on the HDD containing the data is available for storage - it's still there until it is overwritten with new data.

Maundie · 13 Mar 2012 at 09:22

A good way of doing it is also deleting the partition and then recreating another partition, then run a format and unless who you sell it to is a Master Cyber-Criminal (or the FBI) I doubt they'd be arsed to waste the time trying to get your old data from it.

hopeful_builder · 14 Mar 2012 at 13:45

RJC said:
Dban is good, runs external to windows.

http://www.dban.org/

Thanks RJC, this did the trick. Never knew that existed! Burnt to a CD and kept in the Media library.

hopeful_builder · 14 Mar 2012 at 13:47

Vinni3 @H|H said:
For future reference, a quick format tells the system that the area on the HDD containing the data is available for storage - it's still there until it is overwritten with new data.

Thanks vinnie, I had no idea. I knew how to format but I wasn't sure exactly what it meant.

I was just concerned that things like me CV and accounts were on the HDD and would hate to think somebody off eBay could retrieve it etc