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    Need help with data erasing

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by kairi2, Aug 23, 2009.

  1. kairi2

    kairi2 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have a new Sony Vaio CS118 that I am selling, however I need to have the data overwritten or erased. I have found a program called "Eraser" but as far as I can tell, that will only work with data that hasn't been deleted yet. I deleted everything already. What would you guys recommend?
     
    kairi2, Aug 23, 2009
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  2. Tinderbox (UK)

    Tinderbox (UK) BAKED BEAN KING

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    Try DBAN it`s great.
     
    Tinderbox (UK), Aug 23, 2009
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  3. ressom.

    ressom. Notebook Consultant

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    ressom., Aug 25, 2009
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  4. msrie

    msrie Notebook Geek

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    i am using it at mo, and it says 200 hours to blank 40gb at max levels, lol.
     
    msrie, Aug 25, 2009
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  5. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    If you really want to be sure the drive is "clean" - get a new blank drive and swap it.
     
    DetlevCM, Aug 25, 2009
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  6. Tinderbox (UK)

    Tinderbox (UK) BAKED BEAN KING

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    Just do the simplest cleaning , write zeros once is good enough.
     
    Tinderbox (UK), Aug 25, 2009
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  7. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    actually, writing zeroes once is not good enough if you want to make data "unrecoverable".

    In that case you want a few passes - but even then, it remains possible to retrieve data.

    The more passes the more difficult.
     
    DetlevCM, Aug 25, 2009
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  8. Tinderbox (UK)

    Tinderbox (UK) BAKED BEAN KING

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    Simply zeroing data during a reformat is sufficient. That is, unless someone takes the drive to forensic laboratory, removes the spindles, and puts them in a mind-bogglingly expensive machine.
     
    Tinderbox (UK), Aug 25, 2009
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  9. Tinderbox (UK)

    Tinderbox (UK) BAKED BEAN KING

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    Last edited by a moderator: May 6, 2015
    Tinderbox (UK), Aug 25, 2009
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  10. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    There was someone who accidentally formated a drive and asked for help herer - I beleive someone was able to point to a utility able to recover data.

    If you do a couple of a passes - CCleaner lists 7 as secure, and 30 as best - its still possible to recover data - but that's when you need your "mind-boggling expensive machine".

    But one pass isn't enough.
     
    DetlevCM, Aug 25, 2009
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  11. Tinderbox (UK)

    Tinderbox (UK) BAKED BEAN KING

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    What does he need to keep secret the Guantanamo torture list, then he should max it out. :eek:
     
    Tinderbox (UK), Aug 25, 2009
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  12. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    the problem is that even innocet data can be used in ways harmfl to you....
     
    DetlevCM, Aug 25, 2009
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  13. Tinderbox (UK)

    Tinderbox (UK) BAKED BEAN KING

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    Yeah , but what day he does his laundry on only needs 1 pass, unless it`s really dirt!
     
    Tinderbox (UK), Aug 25, 2009
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  14. Baserk

    Baserk Notebook user

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    The day Joe Sixpack has a helium cooled Magnetic force scanning tunneling microscope in his garden shack for images at molecular level and a super computer in his basement for pixel data analysis, one-pass zero's will not be enough.

    OP, I'd recommend DBAN or KillDisk.
     
    Baserk, Aug 25, 2009
    #14