selling laptop - Empty space wipe

[Dink]

i'm selling a laptop and want to leave the hard drive intact with OS

the laptop is broke so can't format the one partition and re-install from backup.

so i was looking to see if some one could help me wipe the empty space of the drive.

thanks dink

 

[guysy]

I've used this before: http://www.fileshredder.org/ seemed to do the job, didnt try any recovery after to test though.

 

[sbridgey]

Impossible to erase all data from a hard drive. I have previously recovered data from a "erased" drive. I would never sell a computer containing a hard disk that once contained my data, who knows who is going to buy it?

 

[Dink]

Impossible to erase all data from a hard drive. I have previously recovered data from a "erased" drive. I would never sell a computer containing a hard disk that once contained my data, who knows who is going to buy it?

yeah i know what you mean but you can make it very hard via software means.

i want to keep the os in place other wise i'd let dd go urandom on it for a while

 

[ChrisR]

Impossible to erase all data from a hard drive. I have previously recovered data from a "erased" drive. I would never sell a computer containing a hard disk that once contained my data, who knows who is going to buy it?

Whilst I agree I'd likely be whipping a drive out before selling anything I don't agree with the statement that it's impossible to get the drive to a state that makes recovery either very very expensive or not possible.

 

[@Spoonie]

Impossible to erase all data from a hard drive. I have previously recovered data from a "erased" drive. I would never sell a computer containing a hard disk that once contained my data, who knows who is going to buy it?

It's not impossible. Use the right tools and you are going to struggle to get anything back.

For example http://www.digitalintelligence.com/software/disoftware/pdwipe/

and free one:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897443

 

[sbridgey]

You are wrong, it is 100% impossible to remove data to a level it cant be recovered. I have done computer forensics at uni so I know this for a fact. If you want to and have the resources you can recover anything even from a smashed up hard drive, this is why the MOD store all of their old hard drives it a secure location and don't try and destroy them.

 

[Dink]

@guysy that software didn't really do a lot found pretty much everything thing with some recovery software

windows has gone and it's getting wiped with dd for windows

 

[Budgie]

Burning a HD has to be a pretty fool proof way.

 

[Revels]

How much are you selling the laptop for?

By that I mean if it's hundreds, buy a new HD and swap them over and not have the risk of someone getting your details. The person you're selling it to might be legit but if they sell it on after that.

Obviously if you're selling it for £50 it's not worth doing that.

 

[Dink]

How much are you selling the laptop for?

By that I mean if it's hundreds, buy a new HD and swap them over and not have the risk of someone getting your details. The person you're selling it to might be legit but if they sell it on after that.

Obviously if you're selling it for £50 it's not worth doing that.

it's not even that much lol

thats why i just want to wipe it and dd has come good another couple of runs should sort it.

 

[Don]

You are wrong, it is 100% impossible to remove data to a level it cant be recovered. I have done computer forensics at uni so I know this for a fact. If you want to and have the resources you can recover anything even from a smashed up hard drive, this is why the MOD store all of their old hard drives it a secure location and don't try and destroy them.

The Home Office used to take their old HDDs to Rolls Royce in Crewe and drop them into acid bath. You cant remove data by erasing, but you can overwrite with something like Zero fill which writes '0's all over the HDD. The recognised standard for secure data wipe is 6 passes in our place. Whether that is the best course to take, I dont know...

 

[sbridgey]

The Home Office used to take their old HDDs to Rolls Royce in Crewe and drop them into acid bath. You cant remove data by erasing, but you can overwrite with something like Zero fill which writes '0's all over the HDD. The recognised standard for secure data wipe is 6 passes in our place. Whether that is the best course to take, I dont know...

That sounds about right to me, you can get data back even after zero-ing its just a lot harder.

 

[ChrisR]

You are wrong, it is 100% impossible to remove data to a level it cant be recovered. I have done computer forensics at uni so I know this for a fact. If you want to and have the resources you can recover anything even from a smashed up hard drive, this is why the MOD store all of their old hard drives it a secure location and don't try and destroy them.

Will have to agree to disagree then.

Yes if you have a state nation attempting the recovery then they obviously have a massive wealth of resource to go at it, but things can still be done to render the data unrecoverable (usually involving some form of physical destruction).

I may not have done it at uni but I have worked in information security for a while for various places.

 

[rich-6]

Burning a HD has to be a pretty fool proof way.

Thats what i was just thinking,


I've just got my hands on a portable one for backing up my drive before i reformat it, It was 'erased' I've just pulled all the holiday photos back up, Itunes library, Music, Pictures of their house being renovated etc, Took all of 10 minutes.

Nosey yeah, but i was trying to format it.