Murlocke

The truth is a hard drive format doesnt erase your data completely, and it can actually be easily recovered with certain programs!

I want to start by saying that the "One Pass Zeros" wipe can still have left over data, but most users will not be able to recover it. It is extremely safer than just a normal reformat. If you are paranoid then do a "US DoD 5220.22-M" wipe, however this test could take a very long time and also can not be done in the free version of this program.

Step 1:
Download and install KillDisk. This guide will be covering the windows version of the program.

Step 2:
Launch the program, and select the drive you want to wipe.


Step 3:
Select "Kill".


Step 4:
Select "One Pass Zeros" and click "Start".


Depending on the drive size, this test could take a few hours or more. However, your hard drive's data will be much harder to recover.

Modki

Good FAQ. Most people won't try to recover data from a drive if you just delete eveything off of it, but it never hurts.

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Metalica732

dude next time i format my drive i will think of this thanks man

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Sideburns

wouldn't it be smarter to write random numbers multiple times?

phantomgrave

How can I do this with a hard drive i'm booting from?

Murlocke

N/a