good software to clean hard drive

[imported_blablabla]

I am selling my laptop, and I am transfering to other storage the documents that I need.

I am concerned about my banking stuff (I do all banking online, plus I use MS Money)...

By simply deleting the files, as far as I know they are still kept in the hard drive. Is there a way I can "shred" sensitive files?

thanks

 

[BladeVenom]

Check out eraser at sourceforge.net.

 

[letdown427]

May be worth looking into getting a company to properly erase all data from it, then installing the OS again.

How are you selling it? If you're ebaying it, it may be worth a thought playing those nigerian b@stards at their own game. Get the hard disk properly erased, and then make it sound on the auction listing like you haven't done anything except delete files and empty recycle bin, and explain how you're selling it because you think it may have had a virus or something, so as you bank on it etc you're getting a new pc.

They'll think they're onto a winner, bid far too much for it, and then you profit!

It's very hard to completely wipe a drive so that data is completely unretrievable, but you can probably make it hard enough that it is out of reach of most who'd try to recover it.

That's just my .02, I'm no expert in the matter, I'm sure someone else can giv ebetter input. bump

 

[MercenaryForHire]

DBAN and you're done.

- M4H

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
DBAN and you're done.

:thumbsup:

Perfect for when the FBI comes a knockin.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
DBAN and you're done.

:thumbsup:

Perfect for when the FBI comes a knockin.

DBAN is way too slow for that. Drive bay above it filled with thermite FTParanoidW.

- M4H

 

[jlbenedict]

just format the drive a couple of times...
You should be fairly safe; unless you are selling the laptop to a former NSA/CIA employee..

The average buyer of your laptop will most likely NOT know how to recover the data.

 

[networkman]

I've used DBAN with great success before selling off PCs and hard drives to 3rd parties.

A couple people even told me later that they checked the drives before formatting to see if there were any files they could look at. :Q Fortunately, they didn't find anything.

 

[Rommel44]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
DBAN and you're done.

:thumbsup:

Perfect for when the FBI comes a knockin.

DBAN is way too slow for that. Drive bay above it filled with thermite FTParanoidW.

- M4H

I prefer Hexogen

 

[dummy2001]

Just send me the data and I'll shred it extra securely.