Selling computer.....How can I clear hard drive?

[electric_cooper]

I have been made a very good offer for my PC as I am looking to upgrade to a high spec laptop.

I have agreed the deal but have read so much about computer fraud and people sourcing information off used hard drives, etc.

Can anyone tell me the safest way to clear my hard drive without damaging it all or leaving any personal information on it?

I am a computer novice so any advice will be much appreciated

Thanks

 

[mac550]

google dban, download and burn it to disk, boot your system from the cd/dvd drive and follow what it says.

 

[Janck]

FBI can read from discs that had been formatted 8 times. So if FBI isn't after you than you shouldn't worry and just follow the previous post.

 

[teamhex]

FBI can read from discs that had been formatted 8 times. So if FBI isn't after you than you shouldn't worry and just follow the previous post.

Yeah, but not ones that have been completely written then formatted multiple times. Maybe slight pieces of info, but even then it takes some heavy duty gear to do it and is for the most part not worth it.


OP, if your really worried about it. Take a powerful magnet to it . That or smash it

 

[tremmor]

Look for some freeware called killdisk. its free ware. You can also goto the manufacture for software. query 'low level format'. thats the best ya can do.

 

[fmw]

A low level format, not only formats the drive but it writes a zero at each address. Anybody can then read the contents of the drive. It will be zeros.

 

[Bob692006]

If you've still got a copy of whatever OS you have on there you can just do a reinstall of whatever OS and format all your partitions. Won't be anything left for anyone to look at but what the OS put's back on.