The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Question for anyone that has wiped their hard drive with software.

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by JWBlue, Aug 21, 2009.

  1. JWBlue

    JWBlue Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    85
    Messages:
    844
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I am using Sercure Erase. The DOS screen says that the program has begun to wipe the hard drive, but there is no noise at all from the hard drive and the light on the hard drive is not blinking.

    Is the program not working?
     
  2. Garandhero

    Garandhero Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    262
    Messages:
    1,522
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Likely is just working quietly in the backround setting up or preparing or something... you'll know soon enough either which way :)
     
  3. JWBlue

    JWBlue Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    85
    Messages:
    844
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    31
    17 minutes. Not a peep.

    (Wiping the hard drive takes 2 hours).
     
  4. DarkSilver

    DarkSilver MSI Afterburner

    Reputations:
    378
    Messages:
    2,249
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I tried to format the HD using Windows 7 Disc, it takes only a few seconds. I think recent software have made ridicolous powerful. So, it only takes seconds to clear thing up?
    As for wipe-out entire HD using 3rd party-software. I haven't try it before.
     
  5. Shaythong

    Shaythong Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    6
    Messages:
    397
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Some software uses this thing called quick formatting which just jumps through clearing sectors and fragmentation.
     
  6. Lithus

    Lithus NBR Janitor

    Reputations:
    5,504
    Messages:
    9,788
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    That's a quick format, where it doesn't actually do anything to the data, it just destroys the allocation table.

    Even the standard format with the Windows discs only destroys the allocation tables, though it does perform a chkdsk. However, the data is still left intact, and easily retrievable.
     
  7. Garandhero

    Garandhero Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    262
    Messages:
    1,522
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    56
    17 minutes for a 2 hour proccess.... I think you're probally OK. Give it an hour.
     
  8. JWBlue

    JWBlue Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    85
    Messages:
    844
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    31
    A watched pot never boils.

    I stepped away. It finished in about 40 minutes. Faster than I thought it would take.