Formating my HD

Anksy

Anksy

Anksy

Soldato
Joined
29 Mar 2007
Posts
5,762
im wondering how can i get my harddrive back to original state, basically completely wipe it so i can do a complete new install of xp, only reason im asking is because i was going to format but ive been told that doesnt wipe everything, thanks.

im just waiting here for a reply now as i need it done asap.
 
Last edited:
been a while installing xp , ( on Vista ) but if i remember correctly when you insert your xp disk , before you install you can sellect options to format / Delete partition + Create partition etc.
 
To "wipe" a HDD just format it with the OS CD and it will delete the MBR, you will not find any data when you re-install. The same result will occur if you just delete the partition. If you want to destroy the data (which is different from wiping) then you need to do a FULL format. (Quick format deletes the MBR, Full format scans the disk surface and writes the disk totally with 1s or 0s). This will, for most people, be fine for destroying data, although there is software that can recover data even after this. To totally 100% destroy it then you either need to physically mangle your disk or use data-destruction software like Blancco (which can be VERY expensive).

Hope thats clear, if its not what your asking then I'm lost ;)

- Pea0n

Edit: When you delete something in windows all it does is un-flag the data as being available. It still remains on the disk intact until it is over written by different data.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom