19 replies to this topic

[hateheals]

I need to comepletely erase the whole of my hard disk.It should be in such manner that I get the same options i got when i first plugged in my hard disc.Ive heard about a few softwares that can do the job but i dont know their names properly[]!!!!!!iS there any means to do that without softwares??What softwares are the best for such a job?

[jlhaslip]

Just a note to advise you that this is not a simply task.
Well, the process of formatting the drive is simple enough, (in the MS-DOS control panel, format c: will do it) but you should take some precautions like saving your critical data, saving the zip and exe files for software you have installed, writing down or storing the access keys for softwares you have purchased, saving your drivers, and you will also need a copy of the Install disks for the Operating system.
Google "re-install Operating system" before you actually re-format the Hard Drive to save yourself some grief.

And you don't mention which Operating system you have, either, so this information may not be valid, depending on the machine you are running.

[hateheals]

the OS in microsoft windows XP with SP2,processor is s pentium 4 3.00 GHZ,motherboard and intel make model details i dont really know,RAM satnds at 512 MB ddr,adn hard disk is seagate ATA HDD 232GB....and BTW...will typing the format command in the windows repair console do?coz i dont really have and idea as to HOW to access the command prompt BEFORE windows boots....

[jlhaslip]

Have you stored all that stuff first? You may regret doing the wipe of the hard drive unless you store the info you might need.
And Windows XP has the capability for doing a restore, so are you certain you need to wipe the HDD? What problems are you having? or What is the reason for wiping the HDD?

[hateheals]

erm.......certain files that are infecting mt pc and cannot be deleted..even by using the latest Avtivirus uptated to the date......the data is immaterial....i have it all on DVD....the restore points i have are all mostly after the day i found the two suckers in my PC......and i tried restoring once...system just refused to restore....wonder why...feel wiping HDD is best soultion....

[Will.Allison]

Just boot from xp disk and reformat the Hard Drive and then reninstall windows. If you don't know how to do this, put in the windows xp disk and then restart your computer. Look for the message that says "press any key to boot from cd" and then press a key. You will then be brought to the windows installer where you can reformat(wipe) your hard drive and then install windows again. But as jlhaslip said, back up any data you might still want.

[hateheals]

i DID that....to no avail.....the files that infect my system still stick to my C:.......any softwares that can do the job???

[Will.Allison]

If you really did reformat, there should be no files left on your computer. Are you sure you reformatted and completely reinstalled windows? (all your files would be gone)

[Tetraca]

When you format, you don't really remove the files you just mark them as deleted so if extra space is needed the disk is allowed to overwrite it. This is the same thing that happens with the Trash can. You can recover the files quite easily because of this, though it gets more complex if you reformat with a different filesystem (the data will still be there, and readable...with whatever hasn't been overwritten). To really delete files completely off the disk you need a program like Active@Killdisk that you run before an OS starts. It will wipe out all the data off the hard disk by passing and replacing all the data with zeros. The files will be pretty much unrecoverable.

Edited by Tetraca, 19 July 2007 - 07:21 PM.

[hateheals]

is that software free or do we need to pay for it....kindly provide me with the link that gives details about this software...adn does working itrequire any extra knowledge regarding file formats and all...if yes....kindly tell me what is it .....