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Number crunching :
Correct delete of HDD before new OS install?
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Author | Message |
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Sutaru Tsureku Send message Joined: 6 Apr 07 Posts: 7105 Credit: 147,663,825 RAC: 5 |
I finish the usage of WinXP 32bit on my PC. I'll install Win8.1 64bit on the PC. How I should delete the HDD complete (maybe also virus & Co. ..) that the new OS get a "fresh" new HDD. I did it in past like: In Windows .. Format C: Reboot of the PC and I get a DOS screen (because no OS installed). Switched off the PC for at least 30 seconds to clear the system RAM (to kill virus & Co. ..). Switched on the PC and in DOS screen format C:. Switch off the PC. Switch on the PC go into BIOS and set USB (DVD drive) as 1st device, HDD as 2nd device. Insert OS DVD in USB DVD drive. Save and exit BIOS and the OS install with DVD start. This would be a good way to delete virus & Co. on HDD - and start the new OS with a "fresh" new HDD? Thanks. |
SciManStev Send message Joined: 20 Jun 99 Posts: 6651 Credit: 121,090,076 RAC: 0 |
I would use something like Partition Master, and Delete the partition. You can do a secure drive wipe at the same time. When the disk has no partition, install Win 8, and it will build the partition to it's requirements, before formatting it exactly as it wants. When reinstalling an OS, or installing a fresh OS, I always start with a non-partitioned hard drive. Steve Warning, addicted to SETI crunching! Crunching as a member of GPU Users Group. GPUUG Website |
Claggy Send message Joined: 5 Jul 99 Posts: 4654 Credit: 47,537,079 RAC: 4 |
Format C: If you're managed to get to a DOS screen then you do have an OS installed, ie DOS, so can't have fully wiped the drive, to do that you need to delete any partitions on it. Claggy |
kittyman Send message Joined: 9 Jul 00 Posts: 51468 Credit: 1,018,363,574 RAC: 1,004 |
It's been a while, but if you boot directly from the install CD, does it not also give you the option of deleting the partitions from the target HD? "Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster |
HAL9000 Send message Joined: 11 Sep 99 Posts: 6534 Credit: 196,805,888 RAC: 57 |
It's been a while, but if you boot directly from the install CD, does it not also give you the option of deleting the partitions from the target HD? If you select custom installation you have the option for repartitioning and formatting of the drive. There should also be an option on the initial screen, repair or soemthing liek that, then you can get to a command prompt where diskpart can be used. diskpart select disk 0 clean Then you have a newly completely blank drive. SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours Join the [url=http://tinyurl.com/8y46zvu]BP6/VP6 User Group[ |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24877 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
It's been a while, but if you boot directly from the install CD, does it not also give you the option of deleting the partitions from the target HD? You beat me to it... yes it does. |
jason_gee Send message Joined: 24 Nov 06 Posts: 7489 Credit: 91,093,184 RAC: 0 |
Since it's for re-using an older drive, I'd recommend to use Darik's Boot and nuke (DBAN at http://www.dban.org/), and at least wipe the drive low level with 0's (advanced deep secure erase is also possible if you worry about old viruses resurfacing etc, but takes longer) This low level kindof wipe will delete all the partition information, and Also effectively refresh every cluster on the drive, which can be a big help (A bit like SpinRite, but not needing to rescue any data) I've done it before on 'cranky' drives, and works a treat sometimes to bring drives like new, before OS fresh install :). "Living by the wisdom of computer science doesn't sound so bad after all. And unlike most advice, it's backed up by proofs." -- Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions. |
OzzFan Send message Joined: 9 Apr 02 Posts: 15691 Credit: 84,761,841 RAC: 28 |
It's been a while, but if you boot directly from the install CD, does it not also give you the option of deleting the partitions from the target HD? It's SO much faster if you burn/copy the Windows installation media to a flash drive. Windows 7 installs in as little as 10 minutes this way. |
Cosmic_Ocean Send message Joined: 23 Dec 00 Posts: 3027 Credit: 13,516,867 RAC: 13 |
Since it's for re-using an older drive, I'd recommend to use Darik's Boot and nuke (DBAN at http://www.dban.org/) .... This is what I was going to suggest. I love DBAN. The other alternative to wiping a drive is if you have the luxury of another machine, take the drive you want to wipe and put it in another machine, and then use HD Tune (the free version is sufficient for this) and use the erase option. Only caveat is that you have to go into Disk Management (winkey+R > diskmgmt.msc) and delete all of the partitions on that disk before you can do an erase with HD Tune. DBAN is probably the easiest route though. If that's the only disk in the machine, it boots from CD and begins the wipe. Come back in 10-30 minutes and you can ctrl+alt+del or hit the reset button and then put your Windows instal disc in. Linux laptop: record uptime: 1511d 20h 19m (ended due to the power brick giving-up) |
Link Send message Joined: 18 Sep 03 Posts: 834 Credit: 1,807,369 RAC: 0 |
msattler wrote: It's been a while, but if you boot directly from the install CD, does it not also give you the option of deleting the partitions from the target HD? Yes, it does and that's pretty much all I use. Delete all old partitions, create new ones and quick format them or just quick format the system partition if I want to keep the data on the other ones (which is the more common case). Except for cases like that: jason_gee wrote: I've done it before on 'cranky' drives, and works a treat sometimes to bring drives like new, before OS fresh install :). Here it really might help to completely erase the dirive, either it's OK after that or it was the last time it was in use. I also always wipe a drive if I retire it just so it is done once I decide to bin it or if someone else wants to have it. |
Ulrich Metzner Send message Joined: 3 Jul 02 Posts: 1256 Credit: 13,565,513 RAC: 13 |
You are installing a brand new OS on the disk, what are you caring about the old content on the disk? :? Old content is step by step bashed by the new OS using the disk and will be absolutely safely erased with the future use. I don't get it, what do you want - erasing compromising content?! :? ;) [edit] Forgot: You'll simply have to choose "format" to get a "blank" disk to use for the new OS. Aloha, Uli |
Batter Up Send message Joined: 5 May 99 Posts: 1946 Credit: 24,860,347 RAC: 0 |
OP just do a clean install from your media. You have 32bit hardware so you won't have to about Win 8 EFI |
jason_gee Send message Joined: 24 Nov 06 Posts: 7489 Credit: 91,093,184 RAC: 0 |
You are installing a brand new OS on the disk, what are you caring about the old content on the disk? :? It's true for those reasons that User initiated low level formats fell out of common practice in the early '90s onwards. However, partition and sector information written at the beginning of a drive's lifecycle does not adapt to the thermal calibration / head alignment / wear in mechanisms over time, and also tools like cgsecurity's testdisk have demonstrated data is often retrievable over multiple soft formats (and overwrites), making simple (both full and quick) high level formats mostly cosmetic. 'Nuking' a drive, optionally with special patterns that randomise the magnetic polarisations, is for those who really want their drive to be closest to a fresh start (including refreshed sector information), short of buying a new one. Mechanical drives wear, and bits move around. Deep erase is to realign the tracks/sectors, sometimes even refreshing a drive that habitually goes into thermal recalibration (click-click-click) due to age. [Edit:] Also I happen to know Dirk is passionate about making things perfect, so the DBAN option with full military erase might be the go ;) "Living by the wisdom of computer science doesn't sound so bad after all. And unlike most advice, it's backed up by proofs." -- Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions. |
Ianab Send message Joined: 11 Jun 08 Posts: 732 Credit: 20,635,586 RAC: 5 |
People are talking about 2 rather different scenarios here. If you just want a "clean" install of a new OS. Then when you get to the section asking where you want to install too (C drive), just delete the existing partition, and point it at the "free space" on the disk. This will create a new partition, and do a "quick" format on it. This won't actually overwrite each sector of the disk, and it's technically possible to still recover data from the disk. But in normal use, it's just treated a "random data" on the unused blocks of disk, same as normal deleted files. Now doing a "secure wipe" is when you have a disk that might have sensitive data on it, and the disk is leaving your control. There are various levels of thoroughness, but it's just how many times it's overwritten, and how random the data is. If it's the basic "Write everything to zero" then any normal recovery utility will just recover a heap of "0"s. Maybe the NSA can take the platter out, look at it with an electron microscope, and recover data, but in the real world, it's gone. So, it you are re-using a disk like the OP? Delete partition, recreate, format and it's "clean". Giving the disk away? Then get an overwriting utility, and run it at the paranoia level of your choice. Then re-install. Ian |
Batter Up Send message Joined: 5 May 99 Posts: 1946 Credit: 24,860,347 RAC: 0 |
If the data is that sensitive smash the HDD with a hammer several times and cast them into the sea. This works on all types of drives BTW. |
Link Send message Joined: 18 Sep 03 Posts: 834 Credit: 1,807,369 RAC: 0 |
If the data is that sensitive smash the HDD with a hammer several times and cast them into the sea. This works on all types of drives BTW. Sensitive data should only be stored on encrypted drives or inside encrypted file containers like those offered by TrueCrypt. For working with sensitive data the entire drive including the system partition should be encrypted anyway as many programs might write parts of the sensitive files for example into your temp directory. |
Batter Up Send message Joined: 5 May 99 Posts: 1946 Credit: 24,860,347 RAC: 0 |
If the data is that sensitive smash the HDD with a hammer several times and cast them into the sea. This works on all types of drives BTW. Social engineering and or water boarding can crack any encryption. |
Cosmic_Ocean Send message Joined: 23 Dec 00 Posts: 3027 Credit: 13,516,867 RAC: 13 |
If the data is that sensitive smash the HDD with a hammer several times and cast them into the sea. This works on all types of drives BTW. Which is why TrueCrypt has a "blackmail" password that can be used. It accesses an entirely different filesystem and you put basically false data files and stuff there so that if you get forced to give up the password.. it will appear that you did whilst your real encrypted data stays completely hidden without the real password. And I have found that a good password is an entire sentence with spaces and punctuation instead of those garbled-looking ones that are impossible to remember. Reference: http://xkcd.com/936/ (it is a nerdy webcomic, for those who don't know). Linux laptop: record uptime: 1511d 20h 19m (ended due to the power brick giving-up) |
OzzFan Send message Joined: 9 Apr 02 Posts: 15691 Credit: 84,761,841 RAC: 28 |
Unfortunately with all the power available via GPUs, cracking longer, full sentence passwords are a fairly trivial affair: http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/08/thereisnofatebutwhatwemake-turbo-charged-cracking-comes-to-long-passwords/, http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/03/how-i-became-a-password-cracker/, and http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/05/how-crackers-make-minced-meat-out-of-your-passwords/ show details on how just about anyone can do it these days. Increasingly password vaulting software such as KeePass that will randomly generate difficult to crack passwords will also save them for you. The downside is that if you're using complete hard drive encryption and require a password at boot time (like my company does), having a software-based password vaulting software won't help much. |
Vipin Palazhi Send message Joined: 29 Feb 08 Posts: 286 Credit: 167,386,578 RAC: 0 |
Unfortunately with all the power available via GPUs, cracking longer, full sentence passwords are a fairly trivial affair: http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/08/thereisnofatebutwhatwemake-turbo-charged-cracking-comes-to-long-passwords/, http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/03/how-i-became-a-password-cracker/, and http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/05/how-crackers-make-minced-meat-out-of-your-passwords/ show details on how just about anyone can do it these days. All I can suggest is Password Generator and Password Meter. |
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