I believe that you can format a hard-drive with a program that fills it up with random zeros and ones but people are still telling me that you can still recover the data after this, I know you can after a normal format but a zero-level format? I don't trust some people because I am more of a computer guru that almost everyone I know maybe even more then anyone I know. I'm in a school and the best with computers, that's bad. Out of 1,000 people and a low amount of computer geeks?

Live by God, and by God only.

Better listen to what those people are telling you. Yes, a low-level format -- even doing what's known as a "military wipe" -- doesn't guarantee that the data is completely gone.

Time for you to Google and get a better computer education!

"I don't trust some people because I am more of a computer guru that almost everyone I know maybe even more then anyone I know"

You didn't really ask a question, so I guess you just wanted to brag?

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @8x210mhz
512mb PC3200
Ti4200/8X 128mb
WDC 60GB

My question would be, what is it that you are so darned worried about other people getting their hands on?

If your "data" is so secret, maybe you'd better just physically destroy old hard drives. In this day and age, hard drives are relatively cheap.

Although you can still recover data after a "zero" format you need some sophisticated equipment to do it. You shareware data recovery software isn't going to do it.

The is really only one way to guarantee data on a hard disk is unrecoverable and thats to take a sledge hammer to it. Even then with the resources of the CIA behind you, some data will still be recoverable.

Stuart

It would take someone with the resources of NSA to recover data from a hard drive that had been zero filled (slight exageration). A normal person with all the software in the world at his disposal would not be able to do it. The platters would have to be removed and examined with special equipment.

Jam nailed it best, "I believe........I know.........I don't trust........," the heck you worried about; with the ratio you posted and regarding your data the only person to beware of is your alter ego.

-- Always do what you are afraid to do --

"I'm in a school and the best with computers, that's bad. Out of 1,000 people and a low amount of computer geeks?"

^^^^What do you mean?^^^^

Hi

Evidently, some people can see when someone has entered panic mode. (ie those who are panicked, often waffle ) Having read many of Adam's - aka MicrosoftMan previous posts, its seems they are more perturbed than usual.

StuartS and ham30 have already posted good answers. I'll add, if you are worried -- google for a secure wiping utility, that meets the DoD standard. See killdisk, the retail version, as an example.

I didn't mean to brag. Its a teacher who wants her hard drive whipped so she can sell her PC and we had a discussion in Visual Basic class about it so I asked here. What you all thought was bragging, was meaning that I'm not really dealing with FBI computer geeks at my school.

Live by God, and by God only.

Yeah, whipping it might be fun. Probably won't work though!

Try format c: /u. the 'u' switch prevents the DOS unformat command from working. Or if you are more adventurous, you could delete the partition with FDISK and recreate another.

In the words of Devo...Whip it Good!

Hi

Adam -- this Link might be helpful. Other links from it, you would find interesting as well.

Yes, data is easily recoverable from a normally formatted HDDD. Yes, data is not-so-easily recovered from a HDD written with zero's (This from someone who is former military with a TS clearance level that worked with numerous ComSec (Communications Security) devices. The only sure way to completely destroy data from a hard drive is to physically destroy it. Melting would be the preferable option, but smashing the platters to pieces works fairly well too, although portions of the platter would still not be damaged. The bottom line is, why would a common computer user ever need to go through such great lengths to insure their data is unrecoverable?

Adam, I think you could do a normal format, or even a low level format and your teachers information would be safe. Like anenfan said, there are precious few applications that could ever meet DoD standards for data recovery, and even at that, I'm sure your average computer user wouldn't have those applications.