deleting files

[m468h]

I'm switching over to a new computer and would like to purchase a program that deletes files, passwords, history, etc. There are so many products out there, most seem to look pretty good. I used to use Private IE.

I'd just like to get other suggestions or opinions on any products anyone has tried and can recommend? Thanks a bunch.

 

[A_Kefka]

Me personally, I used a computer for anything sensative (financial or shopping or such), I don't trust anything to delete the info. There are programs that are supposed to overwrite a bunch of times. I'd pull the hard drive and take a blowtorch to it. The heat shoudl destroy the magnets, erasing it completely, and thats if the disks don't weld together.

 

[toyotomi]

Ok, what kind of computer are we talking about here? Laptop, PC, Mac, etc.?

Do you have any intention or desire to reuse the Hard Drive in question?

Depending on the answer, I know the perfect programs you need.

On a side note, using a blow torch wouldn't do much unless it completely destroys the platter. Also the NIB magnets themselves (which is not where the info is stored) can operate up to 230°C/446°F in some cases. If just a small portion of the disc is intact, information can be forensically lifted from that portion. The only way to truly destroy data on a HDD, is to use a proper file shredder. It's how the NSA, CIA, and DOD get rid of their digital data... and they don't mess around with data.

 

[IsabellaKing]

On a side note, using a blow torch wouldn't do much unless it completely destroys the platter. Also the NIB magnets themselves (which is not where the info is stored) can operate up to 230°C/446°F in some cases. If just a small portion of the disc is intact, information can be forensically lifted from that portion. The only way to truly destroy data on a HDD, is to use a proper file shredder. It's how the NSA, CIA, and DOD get rid of their digital data... and they don't mess around with data.

Oh! So bashing it with a sledge hammer isn't as foolproof as I thought, then.

 

[Weird Harold]

I'm switching over to a new computer and would like to purchase a program that deletes files, passwords, history, etc. There are so many products out there, most seem to look pretty good. I used to use Private IE.

I'd just like to get other suggestions or opinions on any products anyone has tried and can recommend? Thanks a bunch.

It depends on how secure you want to be.

Simply running an unconditional format with Windows Format.exe will overwrite everything on a hard-disk (including the operating system) beyond the ability of 90% of people to recover and likely beyond the interest of 99% of people in trying to recover anything.

As of when I retired in 1989, repeating an uncontitional format at least three times will erase a drive thoroughly enough to satisfy US government secure erase requirements for the lowest three classified information levels (Sensitive, Confidential and Secret.) Only complete physical destruction (melting) of a drive's platters is adequate for higher security classifications.

Norton Utilities includes WipeFile and WipeDisk which also meet US secure erase requirements but won't destry information in files other than the singular file specified for wiping; you run the risk of not finding and dleteing some personal information before wiping the disk.

If you concerend about your information getting intot he wrong hands, I'd be very paranoid about freeware and shareware programs -- If I wanted to steal you information, what better way than to have you run a program to find it for me; it would do the job fine, but only after it had sent the information to a blind information drop somewhere.

 

[m468h]

Thanks to all who've replied. I'm switching over from a windows XP desktop to a windows vista laptop. So I'm deleting files, and pictures, and then have to reload certain programs onto my laptop, such as my instant messenger, games, etc.

I have a program called Private IE on the old computer, and what it did was just delete history, any pages I had accessed, passwords, personal info, etc. so if anyone happened to use the computer, they wouldn't see what websites I had visited. That's not to say that I expected all information to be wiped from the hard drive, but I have read that is does get over written after time.

I'm just going to store the computer for now, perhaps get rid of it eventually. I hadn't planned on destroying the hard drive!

I'm looking for a new program for my laptop...to do what the Private IE did...just quickly delete all information so I don't have to do it all manually. ...just in case someone in the house needs to use it, or I get hit by a train and never come home one night. It's just pretty much for personal reasons...no I don't share all that I do on the computer with people in the house!

Just wondered if anyone had used a program similar to what I'm talking about and could recommend something...the Private IE is outdated.

Thanks again! I hope all that made more sense?

 

[m468h]

It depends on how secure you want to be.

Simply running an unconditional format with Windows Format.exe will overwrite everything on a hard-disk (including the operating system) beyond the ability of 90% of people to recover and likely beyond the interest of 99% of people in trying to recover anything.

As of when I retired in 1989, repeating an uncontitional format at least three times will erase a drive thoroughly enough to satisfy US government secure erase requirements for the lowest three classified information levels (Sensitive, Confidential and Secret.) Only complete physical destruction (melting) of a drive's platters is adequate for higher security classifications.

Norton Utilities includes WipeFile and WipeDisk which also meet US secure erase requirements but won't destry information in files other than the singular file specified for wiping; you run the risk of not finding and dleteing some personal information before wiping the disk.

If you concerend about your information getting intot he wrong hands, I'd be very paranoid about freeware and shareware programs -- If I wanted to steal you information, what better way than to have you run a program to find it for me; it would do the job fine, but only after it had sent the information to a blind information drop somewhere.

What is an unconditional format?

 

[openminded_boca]

I'm switching over to a new computer and would like to purchase a program that deletes files, passwords, history, etc. There are so many products out there, most seem to look pretty good. I used to use Private IE.

I'd just like to get other suggestions or opinions on any products anyone has tried and can recommend? Thanks a bunch.

why get rid of it?

I'd open up the computer / remove the old hard drive / and buy ($20) a converter where you can plug the old harddrive into the new computers usb port and now you have use of the old harddrive...

use it as a backup or something like that

I did that with 4 old harddrives.

 

[GameOnPB]

Your best bet is to take the hard drive apart and destroy the "disk" it writes to, drill holes in it, burn it, cut it bury it, DO NOT use software to try to do this. There is tons of free hackers software than can pull and rebuild just about anything and everything that was deleted. And they are really easy to find. I have a program that does military grade wipes, used it on a hard drive, then ran my hacker program and it rebuilt everything.

 

[A_Kefka]

Ok, what kind of computer are we talking about here? Laptop, PC, Mac, etc.?

Do you have any intention or desire to reuse the Hard Drive in question?

Depending on the answer, I know the perfect programs you need.

On a side note, using a blow torch wouldn't do much unless it completely destroys the platter. Also the NIB magnets themselves (which is not where the info is stored) can operate up to 230°C/446°F in some cases. If just a small portion of the disc is intact, information can be forensically lifted from that portion. The only way to truly destroy data on a HDD, is to use a proper file shredder. It's how the NSA, CIA, and DOD get rid of their digital data... and they don't mess around with data.

I was talking about dissassembling the drive and putting the flame to each individual disk. Of course this doesn't help if you want to re-use it.
Propane torch gets to about 3623 °F
5300 °F for MAPP gas torch
6000 °F for Oxy-Acetelyne cutting torch, which could also destroy the disks as well as heating them till the magnets stop working.

 

[Weird Harold]

What is an unconditional format?

An unconditional format tests each byte on and writes a predefined pattern to the disk before it builds the tables and identifies the track and sectors. In the command line version of Format.EXE is commanded by '/U' which forces an full surface test and complete format without stopping to ask about over-writing files and other data.

In various versions of Windows it is called a "full" format and in other Operating Systems is also known as a "destructive format" -- as opposed to a quick format which just writes a new File Alloction Table or other file management scheme to the header of the disk without a default format pattern or surface test.

 

[toyotomi]

Ok, if you don't want to keep the HDD, and really wanna get rid of it, go get Darik's Boot and Nuke.

Download it in one of the many format choices and run it to completely wipe the HDD. Run it several times if you want.

HDD manufacturers also supply programs on their websites that will zero out a HDD. Rather than overwriting with random 1's and 0's, it just turns it to all 0's.

Since I feel like posting it, I'll also recommend the program Eraser for the shredding of files on an active HDD. If you have a file you want to get rid of and be sure it's gone, use this program. It can be set to actually exceed standards used by the various branches of the U.S. Government for deletion of confidential information.

Other than degaussing the disk or destroying it, those are your best choices.

I do however recommend keeping the HDD around and buying a cheap USB housing for it like openminded_boca mentioned. No sense letting a good HDD go to waste.

 

[whywouldi]

An unconditional format tests each byte on and writes a predefined pattern to the disk before it builds the tables and identifies the track and sectors. In the command line version of Format.EXE is commanded by '/U' which forces an full surface test and complete format without stopping to ask about over-writing files and other data.

In various versions of Windows it is called a "full" format and in other Operating Systems is also known as a "destructive format" -- as opposed to a quick format which just writes a new File Alloction Table or other file management scheme to the header of the disk without a default format pattern or surface test.

No !

A Windows long format only READS the disk to find bad sector. It does not write...

 

[Weird Harold]

No !

A Windows long format only READS the disk to find bad sector. It does not write...

Perhaps newer versions than I have any direct experience with have done away with the write and verify testing, but have you ever actually looked at what is on a disk after a full format with a hex dump utility or something similar?

A newly formatted disk should have &HE8 in every unused byte.

 

[Ran4]

Well, buying a commercial software is not the way to do it... You can't be _completely_ sure that the files will be deleted.

Just format the drive fully 3 times, recovering data after that is very hard.

 

[m468h]

Ok, if you don't want to keep the HDD, and really wanna get rid of it, go get Darik's Boot and Nuke.

Download it in one of the many format choices and run it to completely wipe the HDD. Run it several times if you want.

HDD manufacturers also supply programs on their websites that will zero out a HDD. Rather than overwriting with random 1's and 0's, it just turns it to all 0's.

Since I feel like posting it, I'll also recommend the program Eraser for the shredding of files on an active HDD. If you have a file you want to get rid of and be sure it's gone, use this program. It can be set to actually exceed standards used by the various branches of the U.S. Government for deletion of confidential information.

Other than degaussing the disk or destroying it, those are your best choices.

I do however recommend keeping the HDD around and buying a cheap USB housing for it like openminded_boca mentioned. No sense letting a good HDD go to waste.

Thanks for that info...I will bookmark those sites..

 

[m468h]

Some of these answers are way over my head....but I appreciate your responses!!

 

[mrtbear1956]

hi all

BEST way is to tear it apart and burn the inside in a fire that is real hot , it will get rid of it tololy or take a ax to it and cut it up .

 

[cd1_christine]

Dban

I have a program that does military grade wipes, used it on a hard drive, then ran my hacker program and it rebuilt everything.

Then your program doesn't do military grade wipes. It may say it does, but it doesn't.

Darik's Boot and Nuke, aka DBAN.

I've never seen anything recover from a DoD 5220 wipe, and I've worked with a lot of data recovery software. DBAN will do wipes even better than the 5220, also. And it's free.

There is a possibility of recovering data from a few sectors on the drive, due to the way drives remap bad sectors, but it would be only 512 characters worth of data at a time from random files in random places on the disk, repeated maybe a dozen times or so. Not exactly something you need to worry about, given the amount of data on the drive, and also the fact that since these sectors were marked as bad by the drive itself, then they're not completely readable, anyway.

 

[Kitty_Schrödinger]

I was talking about dissassembling the drive and putting the flame to each individual disk. Of course this doesn't help if you want to re-use it.
Propane torch gets to about 3623 °F
5300 °F for MAPP gas torch
6000 °F for Oxy-Acetelyne cutting torch, which could also destroy the disks as well as heating them till the magnets stop working.

Is it me or it is getting hot in here? never thought torch talk can be hot

 

[A_Kefka]

Is it me or it is getting hot in here? never thought torch talk can be hot

When I'm looking at your av just about anything is hot.

 

[Cathleen]

Oh! So bashing it with a sledge hammer isn't as foolproof as I thought, then.

I was so looking forward to doing that, too!

Maybe I'll just drop it into the ocean, of course after I've run every program, torched it, rerun every program, taken it apart and tweaked with the insides, put it back together in an attempt to use it as usb then realize there's still a few bytes left. Then I'll head out on a whale watching charter and drop it into the Atlantic. Hell, that takes too much energy, give me the damned sledge hammer!

Oh, ooooOO a sawzall, even better, I've always wanted to use one of those.

 

[A_Kefka]

The sawzall is always a good time. Once actuallyl thought about making a more intimate attachment for the front, lol. A friend and I were chatting about how to make your own toys. Never tried it though.

 

[Weird Harold]

Hell, that takes too much energy, give me the damned sledge hammer!

A sledgehammer takes an awful lot of energy, too. I keep a few obsolete drives around as tension relief targets when I get frustrated with a computer that I can't afford to relplace.

I find then when they've been filled with .357 inch and .277 inch holes (at ranges from 25 to 250 yards) I feel much better and any data on them is much harder to recover -- about 99.999% unrecoverable if I use enough ammunition. packing them with Pyrodex (tm) or a smokeless powder before I start shooting generally adds another .0009% of unrecoverablility.

 

[nakedphriend]

i 2nd DBAN.
However, NASA (well technically ontrac) was able to recover nearly all the data off of a hard drive from columbia. If someone REALLY wants to get recover the data, they will. Just pop out the drive and keep it somewhere secure if you're that paranoid.