Formatting a disk does not erase the data on the disk, only the address tables. Deleted files still reside on the hard drive and a quick Google search will show many options for system recovery software will allow anyone to reinstate that data.įormatting the hard drive is a bit more secure than simply erasing the files.

You can spend hours going through your hard drive and deleting all the files and documents you want, but using the delete key on your keyboard in Windows will only remove the shortcuts to the files making them invisible to users.

Simply erasing all the data on your hard drive and formatting it is not enough security. Erasing and Formatting: Just Not Secure EnoughĮrasing and Formatting: Just Not Secure Enough.Quick Tip: Wondering what some of the technology words used in this article mean? Click the hyperlinks on computer, Internet and technology words to read Webopedia’s tech term definition.

Obviously, you can choose to physically smash the hard drive, but there are alternatives that enable you to keep the system intact so you can donate a complete system. There are many ways to go about making sure your data can never be retrieved. When you donate a computer, you really don’t know where it may end up or if it will go through the hands of a malicious person with the capability to restore previously recorded and deleted data. The last thing you want is to pass on a PC when sensitive business information, or even personal information such as stored passwords, personal documents and credit card numbers that could be retrieved. In the “no good deed ever goes unpunished” department, you need to ensure that you don’t donate more than you planned. If you’ve decided to donate your old computer to a charity, local group or school, it’s extremely important to make sure your computer’s hard drive is completely free of data. Perhaps you have decided to forgo system upgrades and get rid of your computer system and purchase a new one. We look at both approaches and discuss security issues and techniques. The two most common ways to erase a hard drive are by formatting or wiping the drive.

How to format my hard drive vista