PC hardware: Formatting a Hard Drive
Formatting a Hard Drive
by bok2762 - 9/13/04 8:05 AMHi All,
I am donating an old PC and would like to format the HDD so that the data on it is not recoverable. I remember a free utily that does this but cannot think of the name of it. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Bruce
Re: Formatting a Hard Drive
by jconner - 9/13/04 8:30 AM In reply to: Formatting a Hard Drive by bok2762Use any windows 95/98/98SE startup floppy disk and use the FDISK utility.
Re: Will work but ....
by billzhills - 9/13/04 12:34 PM In reply to: Re: Formatting a Hard Drive by jconnerFdisking a drive does not remove the data just the partition table. Format removes the file allocation table. Using a Disk Editing Utility all the data on a hard drive can be recovered providing that the drive has not been written to. All H/D should be "0" (zero) filled.
To prevent data recovery.
Bill
.
Format won't erase all
by sheard - 11/28/04 3:43 AM In reply to: Re: Formatting a Hard Drive by jconnerIt is a falsehood to claim Formating on it's own will erase your files.
However if you format 3 ( Three ) times anyone will have difficulty in viewing your data
Attached below are the different forms of formatting
Hope that they will be of use to you and to others
FORMAT AND FDISK A NEW BOOT HARD-DRIVE:
Here are instructions for three different methods of preparing hard-drives for data....
For W9X and ME. XP can be done with the same steps using a W98SE boot-disk if you prefer to use FAT32 instead of NTSF, but change the bios after formatting to boot the CDRom drive,
put the CD into the drive and reboot the computer.
On screen instructions will lead the way then.
TO FDISK AND FORMAT A NEW BOOT HARD-DRIVE:
Have your older version Windows installation disks handy if your Windows is an upgrade because you will need proof during the installation that you are eligible for the upgrade, and have your product key code (ID) # handy so you can enter that information also during the installation.
Before you start remember this is dangerous stuff and make a
System Restore point before starting
Also double check everything that you do before doing it.
Also make a back-up of the Registry as follows:-
Click the Menu.> Go to
Type in the box type Press.
Click the "Registry" (or "File") menu > Click "Export Registry File..."
Now be careful to choose an easy to remember location in which to save the file ,
and an easy to remember name.
At the bottom of that box, under Export Range, there are 2 buttons,
Click the one that says "All", and then click
You will be sorry if you do not take the time to do the above if something goes dreadfully wrong
Go to > in the box type >
Close the files by clicking on the negatives “-“ to make them positives “ + “
If you still have your old hard-drive installed at this point, and need the ID number,
Click the plus mark + in front of
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE then SOFTWARE then MICROSOFT then WINDOWS
and now click Current Version...scroll until you find the Product ID number
(you will need this for W95)
and the Product Code Key (you will need this number for ALL later versions of Windows).
Use a CD Pen and write the number you need either on the CD itself ,or on the boot disk so that it will always be available.
This Code/Key is not available in the Registry for XP.
If your old hard drive is still available,
Save to disk (floppy, zip drive, or CD if you have a CDRW) all files
that you want to be able to restore later on.
The CONTENTS of your Favourites folder (not the folder itself), email messages, address book (only the .wab and .wa~ files), data you have personally created,
zip downloads so you don't have to hunt for them again,
mp3 files you may have downloaded, etc.
Go through your C: drive folder by folder in Explorer to make sure you don't forget anything.
Any programs you have installation disks don't worry about because you will have to reinstall them again anyhow.
Make sure you have the correct info in Dial Up Networking for your ISP icon written down somewhere so you can get back on the net, too.
Now... The instructions below include the FDISK instructions that you have to do before you can format the drive or drives....if you only have your C: drive and you want to keep it that way, you'll be fine.
Formatting the drive and how long it takes to do it will depend on the size of your hard-drive itself. Installation of Windows will take about 30-40 minutes.
Have your hardware installation disks handy for anything that Windows doesn't have drivers for and can't install for you...so go into Device Manager and click the plus mark in front of your hardware to get the manufacturer and model numbers of what you have. Then go to :-
http://driver.softlookup.com or
http://www.winguides.com/drivers or
http://www.amaxit.com/driverupdate.htm or
http://www.pCDrivers.com/index.htm or
http://www.drivershq.com/main.html
and log in using 'drivers' as the username and 'all' as the password...
look alphabetically for your manufacturers or your part/model numbers and then download the newest drivers for your hardware ahead of time.
Burn these to CD or save to other media or Hard-Drives also.
The first thing you have to do is to change the jumper for the Hard-Drive to Master with Slave if your CDRom or another Hard-Drive is attached to the same cable....
Otherwise jumper it for Master or Single
(Western Digital drives are unique in that they use NO jumper for the Master/Single position and only get jumpered for the Master with Slave or the Slave position...these drives come pre-jumpered as Master already, meaning NO jumpers are required so they have them offset on the pins; they only give you the jumpers in case you need them).
Once all connectors and cables are securely attached
(The large grey cable has to have the red/black line down the side attached to the number 1 pin on both the motherboard and on the back of the Hard-Drive and the newer 80-wire cables are colour coded and must be connected properly....
The blue end goes on the motherboard, the black end goes to the Master device, and the grey middle connector goes to the Slave device if there is one).
Then boot up the computer and press whatever key you need to in order to get into your Bios SETUP (usually the key).
Once there, use the keyboard arrow keys to get to the auto hdd detection program and press Enter and it will run automatically....
press Y for yes if the size of the drive is seen correctly and then press Y for all other drive information for the other IDE controllers even though they will say zeros
(You may not get that particular window for choices on newer BIOS’s so if the Hard-Drive and CDRom are showing on those motherboard BIOS’s, you're fine).
Once that is finished, use the ESC key to leave there and then go to Save and Exit.
Have your boot disk in the drive because when you press Y to Save, the computer will reboot by itself.
If your bios can't see the whole Hard-Drive, you will have to use the ezdrive/ezbios program that comes with the DataLifeguard download to install the bootmanager program and it will walk you through all of the following steps to setup the drive and install Windows on it, but only use this disk if your bios can't see the whole drive.
(Newer computer rarely need this program)
Use the boot disk for the operating system you want to put on the Hard-Drive
(If you need one that gives you CDRom support go to
http://www.Boot-Disk.de
and download one now and make sure you get the right version for the Windows that you will be putting on the Hard-Drive
Then extract that file to a temporary folder on your Hard-Drive somewhere,
Read the ReadMe file to know how to create the disk,
Then put a floppy disk into the drive and follow the instructions from the ReadMe file to get your disk made.
If you downloaded the Boot-Disk and it's an .exe file, you can just click it and it will start to create the Boot-Disk for you automatically.
Also, when you use the Boot-Disk you downloaded, it will default to being the R: drive for the CDRom,
However this is only temporary until you reach the Windows Desktop.
To check for your version Windows, go to :-
Control Panel\System and under your Registered Owner name, you will see some numbers.
If the number is 4-00-950 with no letter or the letter "A" after it, you have W95A.
If the number is 4-00-950 with letter "B" or "C" after it, you have
version W95B or W95C and will get the W95B Boot-Disk.
If you have Win98 or Windows ME or Windows 2K or WinXP, the choice is obvious for you from the site.
FDISK & FORMAT
Once you have booted to the A:, then type FDISK and you will get a menu
Enable large disk support at this point when you are asked.
First choose to Delete Partitions.
If you have existing partitions and want to have just one partition or if you want to change the sizes of those partitions, choose first to Delete the Logical Drives within the Extended partition.
Then Delete the Extended Partition.
Then Delete the Primary Dos Partition. DO NOT REBOOT...just go back to the Main Menu of Fdisk and do the following :-
(If the steps in this paragraph don't work for you, it's usually because the drive
is brand new from the factory and no partitioning has been done to it yet,
so don't worry about this and go to the next steps instead.)
Create a Primary Dos Partition
(If you only want one partition then use the entire drive when asked
If you want more partitions, then type in a certain amount.
Figure on at least 4000MB for Windows and the internet, and the swap file and then make the partition Active by either saying Yes when asked or press the ESC key to the main menu
and choose #2 to make the partition active.
(Less room is needed for this partition in reality; however, should use this amount as a safeguard for any programs that still will not install to anywhere except the C: drive and also for the extra files that programs will throw into the C:\Windows and C:\Windows\System folder by default without your knowing about it even if the actual install folder is located on another partition.)
If you want partitions, choose #1 again to create Logical Drives, and then choose #3 to create an Extended Partition and when asked use the balance of the drive to do this.
Press the ESC key and you will be asked about creating Logical Drives within that
Extended Partition...say Yes and create the Logical Drives using parts of the balance of the drive for each partition you want to create.
Make note of the drive letters being assigned.
Use the ESC key to get out of Fdisk and back to the A: prompt and reboot with the same floppy disk to make the changes take effect,and this time Enable CDROM support when asked.
If you have a restore/recovery disk and Master CD from your vendor for your type of computer and if you haven't changed any of the hardware since you bought it new,
you should use those disks to do what you want at this point.
However, if you have separate installation disks for Windows, and your hardware and no
Master restore/recovery disks, then, again, at the A: prompt, type
FORMAT C: /S
NOTE:- the /S switch doesn't work with Windows ME so leave it off,
If you plan to install XP, don't use the /S switch either
to get the boot drive ready to receive data.
When you are finished with the C: drive, now type :-
FORMAT D: then FORMAT E: etc. for the logical drives you created.
If you have enabled the CDRom support, you can change to the CDRom drive
The W98 boot disk will make the drive letter two letters higher than your last partition drive letter but the downloaded Boot-Disk will be R , put your Windows installation CD into the drive and type SETUP....the installation will begin.
TO FORMAT AN EXISTING HARD-DRIVE:
If you have a Restore/Recovery disk and Master CD from your vendor for your type of computer and if you haven't changed any of the hardware since you bought it new, you should use those disk to do what you want...otherwise, follow the directions below :-
Even if you do have the Restore/Recovery/Master disk setup complete the first couple of steps anyhow
FORMAT ONLY..FIRST RULE: BE PREPARED AHEAD OF TIME
Save to disk floppy, zip drive, or CD if you have a CDRW, all files that you want as described above
If you have a Boot-Disk that gives you access to the CDRom in order to reinstall if your version comes on CD skip the next item
If you do not have a Boot-Disk, then follow the directions below
Follow them anyhow even if you have floppy disks for your W95 and Office programs
Use the boot disk for the operating system you want to put on the Hard-Drive
If you need one that gives you CDRom support go to:-
http://www.Boot-Disk.com
or www.Boot-Disk.de
and download one now and make sure you get the right version for the Windows that you will be putting on the Hard-Drive, and then extract that file to a temporary folder on your Hard-Drive somewhere,
Read the ReadMe file to know how to create the disk, then put a floppy disk into the drive and
follow the instructions from the ReadMe file to get your disk made.
If you downloaded the Boot-Disk and it's an .exe file, you can just click it and it will start to create the Boot-Disk for you automatically.
Also, when you use the Boot-Disk you downloaded, it will default to being the R: drive for the CDRom,
However as previously written this is only temporary until you reach the Windows desktop.
To check for your version Windows, go to Control Panel\System and under your Registered Owner name, you will see some numbers.
If the number is 4-00-950 with no letter or the letter "A" after it, you have W95A.
If the number is 4-00-950 with a letter "B" or "C" after it, you have version W95B or W95C and will get the W95B Boot-Disk.
If you have Win98 or Windows ME or Windows 2K or Windows XP, the choice is an obvious one
Have your hardware installation disks handy for anything that Windows doesn't have drivers for and can't install for you.
Go into Device Manager and click the plus mark in front of your hardware to get the manufacturer and model numbers of what you have.
Then go to:-
http://driver.softlookup.com or
http://www.winguides.com/drivers or
http://www.amaxit.com/driverupdate.htm or
http://www.pCDrivers.com/index.htm or
http://www.drivershq.com/main.html
and log in using 'drivers' as the username and 'all' as the password...
Look alphabetically for your manufacturers or your part/model numbers and then download the newest drivers for your hardware ahead of time.
Burn these to CD or save to other media or Hard-Drives.
Have your older version Windows installation disks handy if your Windows is an upgrade because you will need proof during the installation that you are eligible for the upgrade and have your product key code (ID) # handy so you can enter that information also during the installation.
If you have any version of Windows newer than W95, you will need the
Product CODE key...Windows 95 needs the Product ID number for the installation.
This information can be found by going to RUN type REGEDIT, click the plus in front of the following:
HEKY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows
Click the words Current Version.
Scroll on the right side and write down the information you need for your operating system version. This assumes you haven't already formatted the drive....if you have, then the Registry won't be available to you. (This number will not be in the registry for XP)
FORMAT
Boot up with your boot disk and enable CDRom support when W98 asks you.
Otherwise the CDRom support will automatically appear if you used a boot disk that you downloaded or created yourself.
Keep an eye on the screen to see which drive letter has been assigned because it won't
be the same one you had in Windows before, and then change to that drive letter.
Make sure you can access the CDRom with that disk by changing to the CDRom drive with a CD in the drive and type DIR at the CDRom prompt. If it shows you the list of files on the CD, you are OK and can change back to the A: prompt.
At the A: prompt, type :-
FORMAT C: /S
NOTE: the /S switch doesn't work for Windows ME nor does it work for XP so leave it off
to get the boot drive ready to receive data.
If you have already formatted the drive, then at the A: prompt type :-
SYS C: instead...
don't do this if installing XP.
Now if you have enabled the CDRom support, you can change to the CDRom drive
Whilst it is loading, watch for which drive letter it that has assigned, and put your Windows installation CD into the drive and type :-
SETUP....
The installation will begin.
For XP, after formatting the drive, reboot to the Bios,
Change it to boot to the CDRom drive,
Place your XP CD into the drive, and reboot and follow the onscreen instructions.
TO FDISK AND FORMAT A NEW SLAVE HARD-DRIVE:
FDISK AND FORMAT SLAVE HARD-DRIVE
You should have two IDE controllers on the motherboard.
It is prudent that you put the two Hard-Drives together on one cable daisy-chained on the Primary IDE controller and the CDRom on the secondary IDE controller.
Make the first Hard-Drive the master (the one you normally load Windows into)
Look at the jumper settings on the back of the drive to do this, and then make the new Hard-Drive the Slave (by altering the jumper location).
Boot up to go into the Bios, then go to the Auto HDD detection area and run the program saying
Yes to all the drives detected as long as the sizes are recognized correctly.
When it is finished, go to Save and Exit and re-boot up with your boot disk that goes with your operating system.
NOTE:- If your BIOS can't see the whole Hard-Drive, you cannot use the ezdrive/ezbios program that comes with the Hard-Drive on a floppy disk unless the BOOT Hard-Drive also has the program installed on it , because Windows won't be able to see the drive as a slave drive when you get to the desktop although DOS will be able to see it.
If ezdrive/ezbios is already installed on the first/boot Hard-Drive, you can use the software on the slave drive to do the following steps through that program instead.
Alternatively you will have to consider using the new Hard-Drive as the new Boot-drive instead of using it as a slave drive.
When you get to the A: prompt, type FDISK and then choose
CHANGE DRIVES so that it gets to the number 2 drive (the new one).
Then choose CREATE EXTENDED PARTITION and use the WHOLE drive amount for that partition.
ESC key and it will ask if you want to create LOGICAL DRIVES within that Extended partition,
say Yes
Depending on how large the new drive is, you can create one complete drive with the whole space or you can create smaller partitions at this point.
If you decide on partitions and the drive is very large this has an advantage because smaller drives will Scandisk and Defrag faster
If you decide to partition, make each one a third to one half of the drive in size depending on the size of your new drive.
As you create the Logical Drives keep track of the drive letters that get assigned because you will need to format them later and this way you will know which drive letters to format.
When you are finished with creating the logical drives, ESC back to the A: prompt and reboot again with the boot disk.
When you are at the A: prompt again, type FORMAT (DRIVELETTER): and format each of the new drives you created by typing in the drive letter for each format you type in.
If the new drive letters are D: E: and F: then you would type in FORMAT D: and when it is finished then you would type in FORMAT E: etc. until all new drives are formatted.
When you are finished, take the floppy disk out of the drive and boot up to the desktop.
I accept that the afore-going is heavy but if you wish to do things yourself sometimes it takes a lot of effort.
You could Print it out to have at your side whilst working.
Re: Format won't erase all
by Dravid233 - 11/28/04 11:22 AM In reply to: Format won't erase all by sheardI recently purchased a P4 1.6GHz from a friend. It had installed a Maxtor 20GB HDD, which was however virtually full (about 1.5 GB free) mostly games, which I wish to keep. I need more space for Internet Conection and use, Office programs and personal data files, plus room for expansion. I have purchased a new Maxtor 80GB HDD and wish to add it. Can I add this new drive as Master and reduce the 20 GB drive to Slave? Do I need an O/S on the 80GB new drive if I do so? Which drive should I ultimately set as the active partition? The 20GB drive already has Win ME installed and I have CD and boot-up discs for ME. I understand about jumpers and IDE cable fitting, fdisk and format procedure.
Move it and die.
by R. Proffitt
- 11/28/04 11:26 AM
In reply to: Re: Format won't erase all by Dravid233
Well not you , but "programs" since about 1995 don't survive such a move. You could DUPLICATE or CLONE that drive onto the new 80G drive.
Since that instruction comes with your new drive, I won't duplicate that here.
Bob
Re: Move it and die.
by Dravid233 - 11/28/04 12:13 PM In reply to: Move it and die. by R. Proffitt
Ouch Bob! What do you mean, I already have the instructions? All I got was a plastic bag with the Hard Drive in it and a receipt for £43.00. No instructions at all. Sorry, but could you.....? Again, do I need an O/S on the new drive, whether it is set as Master or Slave? And which drive do I set as Active?
Missing information.
by R. Proffitt - 11/28/04 2:13 PM
In reply to: Re: Move it and die. by Dravid233
Drive clone software might be downloadable as well as instructions. But you left out the make of the drive (or I missed it).
I won't have to find it since it's on the drive maker's web site. Go there and get it.
Bob
Re: Missing information.
by Dravid233 - 11/28/04 2:30 PM In reply to: Missing information. by R. Proffitt
Hey Bob, thanks. Why did I not think of that? Its a Maxtor by the way. I'll be back to let you know how I fared.
HERE'S YOUR ANSWER....
by R. Proffitt - 11/28/04 2:46 PM
In reply to: Re: Missing information. by Dravid233
Now that I know enough of the products involved, what you what to read is...
http://www.duxcw.com/digest/Howto/hd/cpyhd/
Notice the link to MAXTOR.
I think this should answer it all.
Bob
Re: HERE'S YOUR ANSWER....
by Dravid233 - 11/29/04 9:43 PM In reply to: HERE'S YOUR ANSWER.... by R. Proffitt
Bob, thanks for the link. Its a great article and very informative and I have saved it in Favourites. However, I already took your advice and went to Maxtor.com and d/loaded MaxBlast3 program. Its a great program and allows partitioning, formatting, cloning, etc, and without data loss (supposedly). It even allows you to set cluster sizes within partitions if desired. Unfortunately, I had already fitted the new 80G drive as a Master and relegated the old 20G drive to slave, and furthermore had set the new drive as an active partition, this all from the Windows boot floppy. I had to thus install an O/S on the new drive and as I installed the same O/S as was on the old drive (and yes its Win ME) I caused some kind of conflict, with the 2 drives seeming to share some windows components. Some game programmes, DirectX and video card drivers would not work, though everything else seemed fine. In frustration, I re-partitioned and formatted both drives from the Maxtor floppy, set the Master 80G drive as 2 partitions of 40G each, one Primary and Active (C), and the other an Extended partition with logical drive (E), and set the Slave 20G drive as a single Primary (D). I installed Win ME on the C drive and everything is fine, though have had to reinstall everything that I lost from the 20G drive. Still, 100G of storage, all clean installs, and file system and placement now super organised.
Paul
Zerofill that Hard Drive
by R. Proffitt - 9/13/04 8:53 AM
In reply to: Formatting a Hard Drive by bok2762
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/geom/formatUtilities-c.html
The best tool IMO is the drive maker's utility. Try http://www.yourdrivemakersname.com or similar.
Bob
Re: Formatting a Hard Drive
by ahmalik - 9/14/04 5:18 PM In reply to: Formatting a Hard Drive by bok2762Active@ Kill Disk Hard Drive Eraser v1.1
If you delete a program or format your hard disk, there's always a chance your data can be recovered. If you want to completely erase data, eliminating any possibility of recovery, consider using this free, DOS-based utility. To use the program, you boot in DOS mode from a floppy disk. The utility then erases your drive's data. Because the utility bypasses your drive's logical drive structure organization, it does not matter what operating system you're running: you can use the utility in Windows 9x, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Linux, or Unix for PC. This program conforms to US Department of Defense's standards (5220.22-M) for clearing and sanitizing standard sensitive information. To use the program, download one of the following files and save the executable to your floppy disk. If you have a bootable floppy disk, download "killdisk.zip;" if you need to create a bootable floppy disk, download "killdiskfloppysetup.zip". Download <http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/0,fid,22920,fileidx,1,00.asp> killdiskfloppysetup.exe Download <http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/0,fid,22920,fileidx,2,00.asp> killdisk.zip
Active@ Kill Disk Hard Drive Eraser v1.1
Author: LSoft Technologies Inc. <http://www.killdisk.com/>
Price:Free
Operating System(s):Windows 9.x, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows NT, Windows 3.x, DOS, Linux, UNIX
NB: The file size is Approx. 215KB & I can send you by email if you cannot find it on Authors' or PCWorld Site.
Re: Formatting a Hard Drive
by fuzzyCWD - 9/17/04 1:29 PM In reply to: Re: Formatting a Hard Drive by ahmalikThis utility not only does a DoD clean(7 passes), it will even go so far as to do a Gutmann clean(35 passes), but that takes a vary long time for a 40 gig hdd.
Re: Formatting a Hard Drive
by pracsec - 11/26/04 8:37 AM In reply to: Re: Formatting a Hard Drive by fuzzyCWDHere is a great one for removing data (1 pass to DOD) AND has hardware discovery built-in.
Check out pracsec on the web - there is a new personal edition to wipe drives.
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