How "fully" erase external hard drive?

[George]

I'm using a small Western Digital passport 80GB external hard drive, it
connects by USB 2.0. I put my data on it, but now need to take it back to
store, is there a way to fully format it using WinXP-professional...that is,
how can I "secure erase" it?

I'd prefer not to go to extra effort to get/install some special shareware
that splatters 0's and 1's all over. Surely, WinXP must by now have
something that pretty much wipes out the data, right? Like...

c:\format /(some special switch goes here?)

Thanks,
George

 

[Brian A.]

Have you tried WD's Data LifeGuard which does have a utility that will do
a low-level format of the drive. I'm not sure you can do it externally via
USB but you can hook it up internally to complete the task.

You can also format using XPs Recovery Console. You don't have to
install it, you can run it from the CD.

Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314058

How to enable an administrator to log on automatically in Recovery Console
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;312149

How to install the Windows Recovery Console
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;216417

How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654

How to remove Windows Recovery Console
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;555032

Other than that depending on how you set the disk up in the first place,
you could use a 98 boot disk and format the drive.

--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Use Disk Management to reformat.

How to use Disk Management to configure basic disks in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309000/en-us

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| I'm using a small Western Digital passport 80GB external hard drive, it
| connects by USB 2.0. I put my data on it, but now need to take it back to
| store, is there a way to fully format it using WinXP-professional...that is,
| how can I "secure erase" it?
|
| I'd prefer not to go to extra effort to get/install some special shareware
| that splatters 0's and 1's all over. Surely, WinXP must by now have
| something that pretty much wipes out the data, right? Like...
|
| c:\format /(some special switch goes here?)
|
| Thanks,
| George

 

[VManes]

If you don't want to go to the trouble to use a secure erase program (google
to find many, some free), at least us XP to do full format, then copy some
large file on the drive repeatedly till the drive is full. Format again.
Repeat as needed using a different large file.


Val
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We've secretly switched the dilithium crystals with new Folger's
Crystals...
let's watch what happens."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm using a small Western Digital passport 80GB external hard drive, it
connects by USB 2.0. I put my data on it, but now need to take it back to
store, is there a way to fully format it using WinXP-professional...that is,
how can I "secure erase" it?

I'd prefer not to go to extra effort to get/install some special shareware
that splatters 0's and 1's all over. Surely, WinXP must by now have
something that pretty much wipes out the data, right? Like...

c:\format /(some special switch goes here?)

Thanks,
George

 

[Richard Urban]

If the gentleman does not want to go through the extra effort to get a wipe
utility, do you think he will really spend the time necessary to do what you
suggest?

To the OP. Search Google for secure wipe, or something similar. Then do the
job right. After all, it's YOUR information.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Abraxas]

Formatting will not remove your data. Use a zeroing utility.

'Darik's Boot and Nuke' (http://dban.sourceforge.net/)
'Eraser' (http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/)