Thread: Best way to wipe hard drive?

My desktop here is 6 years old and I think it's on its last legs. What's the best way to completely wipe the hard drive before getting rid of the computer?

http://www.dban.org/

Good freeware method. Will do 1-35 wipes at your option.

Take it out of the computer and put it next to a strong magnet. Speaker magnets work well.

I'm sorry Dana, I'm afraid I can't allow that.

take a hammer to it.

Can't you just F Disk anymore?

I always tell my clients to take the drive out, and put it away in some closet somewhere. You never know when you may need it again.

Originally Posted by job

Can't you just F Disk anymore?

That does not take the information off of the disk. Most of the 0's and 1's stay in place and can be read with the right recovery software. The best security if you don't plan on giving the computer to charity or something else is to take the hard drive out take it apart and use a belt sander on all of the disks surfaces.

sledgehammer!



Just take it outside and have fun being destructive. Just make sure you wear safety glasses.