Quick format tool

[k3lvin]

Hey there,

I have about 30 computers that have been replaced but they all need to be formatted so that there is no company data left on the drives. usualy I just use a XP disk and run the install on till it formats the drive. Is there not a faster and more unintended way of doing this? Maybe a network boot into MS-DOS or something crazy like that

Thanks

 

[Freestone]

If you truly need no company data on the drives, then a quick format will not do the task. While it may appear as if the hard drive has been erased, data still resides on the drive intact and is easily recoverable.

DBAN (

http://www.dban.org/)

and Kill Disk (

http://www.killdisk.com/)

claim to make data unrecoverable. Be aware that these tools take time to do their work, so it is not a quick process.

If you just want to quick format, then a DOS boot CD would probably work.

http://www.bootdisks.us/ms-dos/5/ms-dos-bootable-cd-images.html

is just one site offering ISOs.

 

[k3lvin]

Brilliant! I will try out all 3 methods. Thanks a lot

 

[ArizonaGeek]

I've been using KillDisk for about 5 years now and love it. DBaN is just as good and free and will insure no data is left on the drives.

A quick format is not the way to go. I know people that go to pawnshops and thrift stores looking for cheap PC's and try to recover data off them. Most of the time they can.

Cheers
Rob

The answer is always "PEBKAC!

 

[k3lvin]

Thanks for the good advice guys. I went for KillDisk in the end works really well. The good thing about it is that once the program is loaded I can take the cd out out and wipe the next hard disk so only need one disk too.

 

[cdogg]

Just to add to the info here, the free version of KillDisk only does "one-pass zeroes" which is not that effective. It's certainly better than nothing and is free, but I highly recommend you pay for the pro version which gives access to more secure wiping methods (or look at the other ones I've suggested below).

I want to also mention that the "quick" format using an XP disc only blanks the partition table entry and does nothing to wipe data off the drive. The "full" format option isn't any better. In fact, the only difference is that it runs a chkdsk surface scan in the process.


More software options:

http://www.deq.mt.gov/Recycle/Electronics/DestroyingData.htm

http://www.howtowipeyourdrive.com/HowToWipeYourHardDrive.aspx

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[k3lvin]

Yea I have stopped formating and started kill disking from now