Software To Completely Wipe Hard Drives

[Slogan]

Well, I'm selling my computer soon and I have two hard drives on it - I plan to format and re-install the software that will come with it - but I heard that you can recover files from a hard drive, even after a format - with a "special" certain type of data recovery program.

So basically, I want to wipe my n00dz so that no one else will find them later down the line. I lie of course, I just want everything to be wiped clean and make the drives as 'un-recover..able' as possible - stuff like personal details etc.. which may be on the system or may be brought back up if someone was to use such software.

I had heard of software that makes the drives pretty much unrecoverable but don't know any names or products which actually perform it. So any of those would be the trick. The drives are also both Maxtor, if that's of any use.

Thanks.

[.Technician.]

I think i can help here.
I recommend this to may many people. This will only work if you have a floppy drive.


*WARNING* Follow these instructions carefully.

The program is a DOS program called Killdisk. Read below how to use it. You may need to print these instructions so you can view them later to perform the task of erasing.

Instructions

Windows XP Operating System
1.In My Computer right-click A: drive.
2.From the drop-down menu, click Format...
3.Enable the checkbox beside Create an MS-DOS startup disk.
4.Click the Start button and follow the screen instructions until the process is complete.

Now its time to copy some files to that floppy:

Copy the Active@ KillDisk for Hard Drives file (KILLDISK.EXE) and DOS-extender file (DOS4GW.EXE) to the bootable floppy disk or startup disk in drive A:.

If you don’t have the Active@ KillDisk for Hard Drives file, download it from http://download2.lsoft.net/killdisk.zip.

After copying the file onto the floppy disk, remove the floopy from the computer.

Now, to erase that info!

1. With the PC power off, insert the Active@ KILLDISK for Hard Drives floppy disk into drive A:.
2. Start the PC by turning on the power. The screen will display the Microsoft DOS prompt.
3. At the DOS prompt, run Active@ KILLDISK for Hard Drives by typing:
KILLDISK.EXE

The Detected Physical Devices screen appears as below:
http://www.killdisk.com/images/Killdisk-detected.gif

4. Change the position cursor using the keyboard [Down] and [Up] arrow keys.

Information in the right pane will change according to the structure of the detected devices.

Hard drive devices are numbered by the system BIOS. A system with a single hard drive will show it as number 80h. Subsequent hard drive devices will be numbered consecutively. For example the second device will be shown as 81h.


5. Be certain that the drive you are pointing to is the one that you want to erase. All data will be permanently erased with no chance for recovery.

If there is any doubt about which drive to select, preview the sectors in the device by pressing [Ctrl + S]. The screen appears, as below:
http://www.killdisk.com/images/Killdisk-preview.gif

Scroll up and down using the keyboard arrow keys, [Page Up], [Page Down], [Home] and [End] navigation keys. Jump to a specific sector using [Ctrl + G]. When you are satisfied with the identification of the device, press [Esc] to exit this screen.

6. When you have selected the device to erase, move the cursor to that device and press [Enter] on the keyboard. The Configuration Screen appears.
http://www.killdisk.com/images/Killdisk-config.gif

Using the keyboard arrow keys, select the feature that you want to configure. Press [Enter] to make a change.

The Confirm Action screen appears.
http://www.killdisk.com/images/Killdisk-Confirm.gif

7/ This is the final step before removing data from the selected drive for ever. Once the process has started, you may stop it by pressing the [Esc] key.

Type ERASE-ALL-DATA and press [Enter]. Progress of the erasing procedure will be monitored in the Disk Erasing screen, similar to the one below:
http://www.killdisk.com/images/Killdisk-progress.gif

8. If you wish to stop the process for any reason after it has begun, press the [Esc] key. Please note, however that erased data will not be recoverable. There is nothing more to do until the end of the disk erasing process. The application will operate on its own without user intervention.

If there are any errors, for example due to bad clusters, they will be reported on the Interactive screen. If such a message appears, it will be possible to cancel the operation (by pressing [Esc]), or continue erasing data.

There finished.

[Slogan]

You are a saviour.

I do not need to perform this right at the moment - but that looks the trick.

Now, for your next party piece, can you e-mail me a printer?

Thanks for your help, by the way. :)

[.Technician.]

Email you a printer?

[.Technician.]

Exactly what do you mean by that?

[Slogan]

:D Nothing.

[.Technician.]

ok... are you sure you capable of doing those instructions? If only there was a way i could help you with writing them out. There is quite a bit there.

Will be away for abit, so if help needed rely on the others here..

[.Technician.]

Well... i am not away.. anymore...