Is it necessary to format a HD multiple times?

[Guest]

I volunteer as a tech for a PC give-away program and the new boss thinks used
hard drives need to be re-formatted at least 3 times. Is this necessary? I
always thought that once you delete partions and then formatted ...it was
good to go.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

You're right, your boss is not. He might be thinking of a security wipe, but
that's distinct from formatting.

 

[Malke]

I volunteer as a tech for a PC give-away program and the new boss thinks used
hard drives need to be re-formatted at least 3 times. Is this necessary? I
always thought that once you delete partions and then formatted ...it was
good to go.

Formatted three times for what? If you want to completely wipe the
information, run one of the many "eraser" programs; wiping to the US
Dept. of Defense standard is sufficient unless you have State secrets on
the drive. Darik's Boot and Nuke is good for that and it's free. If you
are trying to be that thorough, formatting three times won't do it
anyway so the whole "three times" thing is silly. If you just want to
install an operating system and aren't concerned with removing data,
simply delete the partition(s), format (once!), install.

My sympathies for having to deal with this. Does the new boss also
require any weird rituals - chanting "data begone" perhaps? Formatting
three times is on the same order as that. ;-)


Malke

 

[Uncle Grumpy]

I volunteer as a tech for a PC give-away program and the new boss thinks used
hard drives need to be re-formatted at least 3 times. Is this necessary?

No.

Unless the hard drives are from the FBI, or the CIA, or from some
other organization that might have data on them that was of some
value.

 

[Guest]

He is your boss, he is always right.
you might ask him why he wants it done this way, and offer your opinion, but
if he says do it three times, then do it three times.

 

[Rock]

I volunteer as a tech for a PC give-away program and the new boss thinks
used
hard drives need to be re-formatted at least 3 times. Is this necessary?
I
always thought that once you delete partions and then formatted ...it was
good to go.

No it doesn't. Generally a one time format is all that's needed. If the
concern is to minimize the chance that data can be recovered from that
formatted drive then use one of the free wipe utilities. And I have seen
certain cases where zeros needed to be written to the drive, to get an
install to work, but but multiple format's, no.

 

[Paul Alda]

Hi Indy,

I volunteer as a tech for a PC give-away program and the new boss
thinks used hard drives need to be re-formatted at least 3 times. Is
this necessary? I always thought that once you delete partions and
then formatted ...it was good to go.

It depends on what's the boss' business.

 

[CreateWindow]

Hi Indy,

You need to _erase_ the disk with a program. Formatting does not remove the
data. 3 times or 30 times - its still there...

Download PGP Desktop from pgp.com and set this up on a machine where you do
this work. Connect the recycled drive as a slave to your test machine C
drive.

1. Quick format the drive NTFS
2. Assign a drive letter
3. Use PGP to shred the entire free space of the recycled drive. (One pass
is enough).

Credit card info and personal information _can_ be recovered if you do not
follow some kind of wipe process.
Your boss is doing the right thing in insisting that data be erased.

CreateWindow
http://mymessagetaker.com

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I volunteer as a tech for a PC give-away program and the new boss thinks used
hard drives need to be re-formatted at least 3 times. Is this necessary? I
always thought that once you delete partions and then formatted ...it was
good to go.

Formatting does very little to truly protect data.

To protect personal or business information and data from any
future users of average skills, you should, at the very least, format
the hard drive. If you wish to do a more thorough job of protecting the
data, WipeDrive
(http://www.whitecanyon.com/wipedrive-erase-hard-drive.php) meets U.S.
DoD standards for securely cleaning surplus unclassified hard drives,
and could be used before formatting and reinstalling the OS and
applications.


--

Bruce Chambers

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safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Chuck]

Only if the boss is trying to get you out of his/her hair for a bit!
Otherwise, a wipe with one of several utilites that meet the governments
requirements for removing classified data will be fine.

 

[Allen]

I volunteer as a tech for a PC give-away program and the new boss thinks used
hard drives need to be re-formatted at least 3 times. Is this necessary? I
always thought that once you delete partions and then formatted ...it was
good to go.

Does this new boss by any chance appear in a Thursday evening NBC sitcom?
Allen

 

[Dave]

I volunteer as a tech for a PC give-away program and the new boss thinks
used
hard drives need to be re-formatted at least 3 times. Is this necessary?
I
always thought that once you delete partions and then formatted ...it was
good to go.

Since you obviously have bare hard drives going in and out all the time,
giving away the resultant OS installation, and the hardware is obviously
used, as boss, I would be concerned about reliability of that OS
installation.

I would setup a PC for zero-writing each and every hard drive that goes
through the mill, finally into a PC for an OS installation and subsequent
giveaway. The hard drive, if ide attached, would be in a removable tray
with cover never installed for easy in/out HD removal from the tray.
Zero-write software, at least from WD, checks the reliability of the hard
drive as it does the zero-write. The WD software will only work with WD
hard drives. Current version comes on a boot CD. Will map out bad areas as
it goes along. If excessive will refuse to go any further. At that point,
no option but to dump the HD. Saved another customer/recepient from major
headaches invisible to the OS. Throw that idea at your boss.