Software for HD Data Removal

I am contemplating completely erasing all the memory on my HD and sell it online and upgrading to a bigger HD.

What software(s) (free, of course ) do you recommend to complete this task? I currently have Windows XP Home Edition.

What is this "DoD 5220 22-M method" for the removal of all previous data.

Thanks.

 

There are lots of them

try dban
http://www.dban.org/

DoD 5220 22-M method is the required Department of Defense standard for erasing a harddrive. It defines how securely a drive must be scrubbed before it can be disposed of.

 

Is it a good idea to erase it using this DoD standard? Can Dban do this?

 

Yes, dban supports DoD 5220, in fact it supports Gutmann Wipe, which is even a more severe disk wipe process.

The question is,how concerned are you about your data? Recovering data from a wiped harddrive is not something your average person is going to do. If you are worried though, DoD is sufficient unless you think Soviet spies are going to try to recover your Solitaire high scores.

When I did some work for the government, we used DoD 5220 when we wiped the drives so if it was good enough for them, it should be good enough for you.

 

There are several freeware utilities listed in the Free Software stickied thread under the rubric of system tools - give them a look-see and try the one that appeals to you.

 

I second DBAN. Awesome utility, really easy to use, very good array of various wipe methods to choose from. Burn the program as an .ISO to disc, set to boot from CD-ROM, and you're ready to go. Just remember to remove all other storage devices before you do otherwise you'll wipe those too.

I personally use the DoD 5220-M method.

 

Here's a thought - buy another second-hand hard drive off of eBay, slap the basic OS on that drive (preferably from the recovery partition or recovery disks you made and still have to hand), and drop it into the system before you sell it.

That way, if there is any private, personal information on the drive that can be recovered, it's not your information.

Then, take the drive you removed, drop it into an external enclosure, and use it as part of your backup system.

 

I will use the DoD 5220. BTW, it's my high scores in "Tetris" that worries me.

 

i was too looking for something to wipe out my HDD.
my question is does it allow me to install new OS directly(as we do insert CD,boot from CD and install) or they are few steps before that(like does it erase the BIOS screen too???)

thanks.

 

That's a good way to internalize the private info. Thanks.

 

And, of course, once you get too many used hdds lying around, or you've got one that doesn't work anymore, but still has data on its platters, there is always:



Good for getting rid of tension, too!