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I have a HP 8560-c with windows 98. How clean does reformatting with the recovery disc leave the hard drive? Are any remenants of data left behind?
there are always remnants of data, no matter what you do, short of destroying the platters. i've had plenty of experience with data recovery, and even after a drive has been zero filled multiple times, there was still data that we were able to pull from the drive. granted, this is not somethingthat your average user will be able to do, but it is still possible to get the information from the drive.
a low-level format, or zero filling your drive would be your best bet, though, without destroying the drive, if you're that concerned about your data being recovered.
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I appreciate your rapid response, but now I have what may be a dumb question. How do I do a low level format or zero fill my drive?
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Try reformat this drive using a i386 configured mainboard and run on disk utility ->low level format from AMI or ADWARD setup. This routines ignore the size limits.
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there is a dedug script that will do a low-level format, but the easiest way would be to determine who your HDD manufacturer is, and getting a low-level or zero filling from their website.
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If he's just looking wipe all old data, couldn't he just boot with a floppy and do a c:\>format c: /u
Shouldn't that wipe out all data on the drive?
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Careful!!!
A 'true' (debug - style) LLF is not really recommended with modern/more recent/current drives...
The util sometimes referred to as a LLF (Low Level Format) util on HD web-sites is usually a more aptly described as MLF (Mid Level Format); it writes zeros to the drive and puts it back to pretty well factory gate status.
It is also recommended to use the util for the make of drive you have...
More ('very much more') informed details on all of this at:
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/geom/format.htm
And if you want the debug routine:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q106419
It is said that if 'someone' is sufficiently determined/keen, 'he/she' can recover data even after a several reformats...
US military etc. will only regard a drive as truly safe from recovery if it is totally destroyed... - which means along the lines of drilled full of holes and then burned to a cinder...
Remember the Los Alamos fire; fire-damaged drives there were recovered in part or totally...?
But if you're not in the US military etc., then perhaps a bog-standard reformat is enough; or an MLF run?
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Dan
I have I.D.the HDD as Western Digital, went to there site and down loaded the diagnostic and zero fill program, put it on a floppy as instructed. I shut down my PC inserted the floppy and start it up. I get a message ( non system disc) and does not let go any further.Then I put in the floppy after I start up without it, put the floppy and do a restart in dos, and get the same message??
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