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Microsoft Sets Sail Against Pirates

By J.D. Biersdorfer
Published: June 1, 2006

Taking Extra Steps to a Clean Disk

Q. I was in a store recently to buy a new computer, and asked for software to delete my files permanently before donating my old PC. The sales clerk said I didn't need to buy the software, as I can do this in Windows by reformatting my drive with the Format command. Will that work?

A. The Format command is often used to prepare a disk for installing (or reinstalling) an operating system, but it does not securely erase all data from the computer. People who know how to dig around and recover data may still be able to mine personal information from your old PC.

Most experts suggest that computer users who need to securely and permanently erase data from a hard drive (the Pentagon, for instance) either physically destroy the drive or use a software utility to thoroughly overwrite all its information. It may take some time, but a good wipe program can repeatedly overwrite your hard drive with random data from 7 to 35 times to erase any personal files lingering on the drive.

There are many commercial software programs for Windows in the $40 to $50 range that can completely erase your hard drive, like WipeDrive (www.whitecanyon.com).