Help!
I'm looking for a way to completely erase my hard drive, as close as it can to
factory settings.
Reason being is that, I've been having problems with it, corruption and constant
99% fragmentation...
So, I want to erase and destroy everything on it, elminating any chance that the
old crap will come back and screw things up.
Also, more importantly, I have Grub Boot Loader installed to this hard drive's
MBR.
This was done by accident. I want to get rid of it, but standard run < cmd
< format d: doesn't work.
Any ideas?
Hopefully there's something easy and (reletively) quick that can do this.
I guess you have a version of Windows installed on your computer. If so, the
best way to erase everything is to use your Windows install CD (sometimes you
only have a "rescue CD" but it will do the same). Insert it in your CD
drive then reboot your computer. The computer should boot with the setup program
on the CD (if not you have to change boot settings in the BIOS...)
There, choose "install Windows" or whatever means reinstalling it. At
some point, you'll have to choose on which hard drive you want to install
windows. There should be an option called "manage" or "erase
partitions". You have to erase your existing hard drive partition then
re-create it. Then when the installation goes on, your hard drive will be
automatically formatted (everything erased).
There are a few ways to erase your HD, one way is to use the utility that is
provided by your HD's manufacture. Either use regular format or write zeros to
it.
Another program is called "Eraser", this utility can erase your HD to
the US dept of denfense
standards.
A few things.
This is a secondary hard drive, so no Windows.
Also, I used Arconis Disk Director Suite to format it.
Problem though, I have 48-bit LBA enabled, yet the 200gb hard drive will not
partition higher than 128gb.
Any ideas?
Do your motherboard's BIOS detect the full size of that drive?
If it does use the utility that came with your HD to reformat it.
If you don't have it just to to that HD's manufacture site and download
it.
What is the name of your HD?
If' it's Maxtor, a jumper setting will set it to half the full capacity.
If I FDISK the drive, then it is the full 200gb, and can be made into 186gb
partitions.
However, Partiton Magic and Arconis Disk Director Suite both see it as a 128gb
drive, so when I open it after FDISKed, it is flagged BAD. Partition Magic gives
me "partiton table error #108" even when the hard drive is fully
functional.
Motherboard sees it as 200gb.
WDC Hard Drive.
IF you still have a floppy drive, create a simple boot disk with the format and
fdisk commands on it, boot the system to the command line prompt and execute the
format and fdisk commands from the floppy.
I have FDISK on a CD.
The problem is, after I FDISK it so its the correct size, all partition managers
see the partition as BAD or damaged.
This prevents be from working with the hard drive, may it be resizing, copying,
or creating an image.
Quote by raptorfbIf I FDISK the drive,
then it is the full 200gb, and can be made into 186gb partitions.
However, Partiton Magic and Arconis Disk Director Suite both see it as a 128gb
drive, so when I open it after FDISKed, it is flagged BAD. Partition Magic gives
me "partiton table error #108" even when the hard drive is fully
functional.
Motherboard sees it as 200gb.
WDC Hard Drive.
I don't get what is so difficult?
Most HD manufactures has their own format utillity, therefore you will not
need any other 3rd party utiltities to do this.
Since you say this is a 2nd HD, and it's Western Digital, you can
download their "Data Lifeguard Tools 11.2 for Windows".
Quote by tiki223There are a few ways to
erase your HD, one way is to use the utility that is
provided by your HD's manufacture. Either use regular format or write zeros to
it.
Another program is called "Eraser", this utility can erase your HD to
the US dept of denfense
standards.
That Eraser program is very good, also v5.7 allows you to create a boot disk
that destroys the drive's contents at boot, once again be careful not to erase
the wrong drive, remove all others from the machine if possible.
That DBAN software is great.
You can toast other peoples compters for fun!
Thanks for all the help, I finally got the hard drive to partition correctly.
Quote by Floflo81I guess you have a
version of Windows installed on your computer. If so, the best way to erase
everything is to use your Windows install CD (sometimes you only have a
"rescue CD" but it will do the same). Insert it in your CD drive then
reboot your computer. The computer should boot with the setup program on the CD
(if not you have to change boot settings in the BIOS...)
There, choose "install Windows" or whatever means reinstalling it. At
some point, you'll have to choose on which hard drive you want to install
windows. There should be an option called "manage" or "erase
partitions". You have to erase your existing hard drive partition then
re-create it. Then when the installation goes on, your hard drive will be
automatically formatted (everything erased).
I hope this helps...
he is absolutely right.. i've done this ... its lik just formatting everythign
so ur ex-HD is gone.... forever... =P
Help!
I'm looking for a way to completely erase my hard drive, as close as it can to factory settings.
Reason being is that, I've been having problems with it, corruption and constant 99% fragmentation...
So, I want to erase and destroy everything on it, elminating any chance that the old crap will come back and screw things up.
Also, more importantly, I have Grub Boot Loader installed to this hard drive's MBR.
This was done by accident. I want to get rid of it, but standard run < cmd < format d: doesn't work.
Any ideas?
Hopefully there's something easy and (reletively) quick that can do this.
I guess you have a version of Windows installed on your computer. If so, the best way to erase everything is to use your Windows install CD (sometimes you only have a "rescue CD" but it will do the same). Insert it in your CD drive then reboot your computer. The computer should boot with the setup program on the CD (if not you have to change boot settings in the BIOS...)
There, choose "install Windows" or whatever means reinstalling it. At some point, you'll have to choose on which hard drive you want to install windows. There should be an option called "manage" or "erase partitions". You have to erase your existing hard drive partition then re-create it. Then when the installation goes on, your hard drive will be automatically formatted (everything erased).
I hope this helps...
There are a few ways to erase your HD, one way is to use the utility that is
provided by your HD's manufacture. Either use regular format or write zeros to it.
Another program is called "Eraser", this utility can erase your HD to the US dept of denfense
standards.
Eraser
A few things.
This is a secondary hard drive, so no Windows.
Also, I used Arconis Disk Director Suite to format it.
Problem though, I have 48-bit LBA enabled, yet the 200gb hard drive will not partition higher than 128gb.
Any ideas?
Install SP1 for big disk support.
SP2 installed already.
Do your motherboard's BIOS detect the full size of that drive?
If it does use the utility that came with your HD to reformat it.
If you don't have it just to to that HD's manufacture site and download it.
What is the name of your HD?
If' it's Maxtor, a jumper setting will set it to half the full capacity.
If I FDISK the drive, then it is the full 200gb, and can be made into 186gb partitions.
However, Partiton Magic and Arconis Disk Director Suite both see it as a 128gb drive, so when I open it after FDISKed, it is flagged BAD. Partition Magic gives me "partiton table error #108" even when the hard drive is fully functional.
Motherboard sees it as 200gb.
WDC Hard Drive.
IF you still have a floppy drive, create a simple boot disk with the format and fdisk commands on it, boot the system to the command line prompt and execute the format and fdisk commands from the floppy.
I have FDISK on a CD.
The problem is, after I FDISK it so its the correct size, all partition managers see the partition as BAD or damaged.
This prevents be from working with the hard drive, may it be resizing, copying, or creating an image.
I don't get what is so difficult?
Most HD manufactures has their own format utillity, therefore you will not
need any other 3rd party utiltities to do this.
Since you say this is a 2nd HD, and it's Western Digital, you can
download their "Data Lifeguard Tools 11.2 for Windows".
click here for download
Western Digital HD utilities for Windows
When formatting choose your HD carefully, you won't want to format the wrong drive.
http://www.dban.org/
Data Lifeguard Tools still only formats it up to 137gb.
Choose the advance format option to adjust your harddrive size.
Did that. Slider, when dragged to 100% gets me 137gb.
i nkow how to nuke a hard drive if u have DOS u just have to f disk it which ersaes it all on one hard drive speaking of f disk my comp need it bad
Does your bios detect the correct size for your HD?
If it does, then use the DOS version of the Western Digital utility
here
requirements: A floppy drive and a blank floppy disk.
just becareful, do not format your main drive.
That Eraser program is very good, also v5.7 allows you to create a boot disk that destroys the drive's contents at boot, once again be careful not to erase the wrong drive, remove all others from the machine if possible.
That DBAN software is great.
You can toast other peoples compters for fun!
Thanks for all the help, I finally got the hard drive to partition correctly.
he is absolutely right.. i've done this ... its lik just formatting everythign so ur ex-HD is gone.... forever... =P