Writing Zeros To Your Drive

[AnthroAndStargate]

When you guys format your hard drive(s) do you write zeros to them?

If so what program do you use.

I have this really old Gateway program that came out with Windows 95 that is called gwscan.exe - you can find it on google?

Is writing zeros to your drive bad?

 

[Quasmo]

never...

 

[henryay]

I only write zeroes when I sell my hard drive.

 

[RollWave]

0

 

[Pepsi90919]

no

 

[tweakmm]

If I was that concerned with the data on a drive I would just destroy it by immolation. Even the best ways of deletion can be undeleted by the best.

 

[SSP]

Its a good way to get rid of everything and start with a fresh drive. But I'd only do it if I saw any bad sectors.

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

If you think you have a virus would it be a good thing to do? Cause I know some viruses can hide out in the MBR.

 

[FoBoT]

http://dban.sourceforge.net/

DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.

 

[Ayah]

I don't bother with writing zeros unless I'm getting rid of a harddrive or the data on it permanently.

 

[Baked]

I don't sell my HDs.

 

[biggestmuff]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
http://dban.sourceforge.net/

DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.

 

[mundane]

Writing Zeros To Your Drive

Damn near half the bits I write to my hard drive are 0s.

 

[thehstrybean]

I do if I get bored....Depends on how big the drive is, really...I did it on the drive for my Inspiron 8100 when I sold it...

 

[mrSHEiK124]

I don't see the necessity. Like the guy I sell a hard drive to is going to use some extravagent undelete program to dig up my BF2142 screenshots and my HD movie collection.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

I don't write zeroes, I write random data.

- M4H

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: diegoalcatraz

Writing Zeros To Your Drive

Damn near half the bits I write to my hard drive are 0s.

:laugh:

 

[isasir]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff

Originally posted by: FoBoT
http://dban.sourceforge.net/

DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.

 

[imported_Ned Flanders]

I write 1's.

 

[eplebnista]

Originally posted by: isasir

Originally posted by: biggestmuff

Originally posted by: FoBoT
http://dban.sourceforge.net/

DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.

That is what I use too!

 

[Trikat]

I haven't written random data or wrote all zeros to my HD in a while and I don't think I am going to unless I sell my hard drive.
I used to have BCWipe installed about a half a year ago. WD has a program to write all zeros to a hard drive if you guys really wanted to use that.

 

[Born2bwire]

I let the hard drive write the zeros for me, the ones too.

 

[0roo0roo]

eraser or dban ig uess. and yes its a wise thing to do before tossing or selling. i remember some british documentary news piece that tracked where pc's tossed to recycling centers for electronic waste ended up. the harddrives ended up in africa where people extracted personal info to steal identities and stuff. the reporter just went into a store and bought some of these old drives and got info off em twisted stuff. the reporter then went back to the uk to track down the original owners and surprise them heh

 

[intogamer]

How are CC info cached in the HDDs?

 

[mobobuff]

Originally posted by: diegoalcatraz

Writing Zeros To Your Drive

Damn near half the bits I write to my hard drive are 0s.