Is there a way to completely clean a hard drive?

[dbr]

I was using Windows 2000 Pro, then installed a new hard drive and installed
XP on the new drive. I'm using the old Win 2000 drive only for backup. I
formatted it but it keeps bringing up parts of the system files for Win
2000. Is there a way to make the hard drive really clean like it was when it
was new, or will miscellaneous parts of Win 2000 always exist on that drive?
Is there a command line that will format without saving old information?

Bob

 

[Guest]

If you open the hard-drive and wipe the platters with rubbing alcohol it will clean it right up.

Chris

 

[Guest]

You're a funny guy Chris. I'm sure you got a great deal of amusement from your reply. Grow up.

 

[Donald]

I was using Windows 2000 Pro, then installed a new hard drive and installed
XP on the new drive. I'm using the old Win 2000 drive only for backup. I
formatted it but it keeps bringing up parts of the system files for Win
2000. Is there a way to make the hard drive really clean like it was when it
was new, or will miscellaneous parts of Win 2000 always exist on that drive?
Is there a command line that will format without saving old information?

Bob

Have you tried reformatting your Hard Drive using the command FORMAT C:?
-Donald

 

[Steve C. Ray]

That was not Chris that made the post.

--
Steve C. Ray

You're a funny guy Chris. I'm sure you got a great deal of amusement from

your reply. Grow up.

 

[Malke]

I was using Windows 2000 Pro, then installed a new hard drive and
installed XP on the new drive. I'm using the old Win 2000 drive only
for backup. I formatted it but it keeps bringing up parts of the
system files for Win 2000. Is there a way to make the hard drive
really clean like it was when it was new, or will miscellaneous parts
of Win 2000 always exist on that drive? Is there a command line that
will format without saving old information?

Bob

Hi, Bob. You couldn't have really formatted the drive if you are still
seeing any data from a previous installation. To do a clean install,
boot with the XP cd and start the installation. Delete the current
partition and then create a new partition. Install into it. Here's a
link about doing a clean install:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

If you want to wipe every single bit of data off a drive, use something
like Darik's Boot and Nuke:

http://freshmeat.net/projects/dban/?topic_id=142,43

but I think a simple format and clean install should do you. BTW, just
in case you really didn't know this - opening a hard drive the way
another poster jokingly suggested will totally kill your drive. But you
knew that and had a good laugh, right?

Malke

 

[dbr]

It is my understanding that Windows 2000 and Win XP create a small partition
of their own that just won't go away. Formatting Drive C (in this case it is
now Drive D that contains the Win 2000 system files) won't delete the Win
2000 partition that contains the system information. I agree that a utility
that does a low level format is probably needed. Is there a free utility out
there somewhere? Doing a clean XP install will not have any effect on Drive
D, and I don't want to reinstall anything over Drive C. That was a new drive
on which I already did a clean install.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[dbr]

If you open the hard-drive and wipe the platters with rubbing alcohol it

will clean it right up.

Chris

Sounds like maybe you've been drinking a little too much of that alcohol.

Bob

 

[dbr]

If you want to wipe every single bit of data off a drive, use something

like Darik's Boot and Nuke:

http://freshmeat.net/projects/dban/?topic_id=142,43

The problem is, this utility will wipe all data off of all hard drives.
Drive C is ok, it's the old Win 2000 Drive that I'm now using as Drive D
that I want to erase. I tried one of these utilities one time and it did
erase everything on both drives of the computer I had then. I'd like to keep
Drive C just as it is and erase all partitions and data on drive D. Win XP
knows better than I do what it is that I want and it won't let me do what
I'd like to do. Where is DOS when we need it? Doing Format D: will not erase
the Win 2000 system files on that drive.

Bob

 

[Spinner]

It is my understanding that Windows 2000 and Win XP create a small partition
of their own that just won't go away.

You understand wrong. That is not true. Formatting the drive wipes ALL data
from the old os.
If you really want to make sure, simply delete the partition using disk
administrator and create a new one, then format.



Formatting Drive C (in this case it is

 

[Spinner]

If you want to wipe every single bit of data off a drive, use something

The problem is, this utility will wipe all data off of all hard drives.
Drive C is ok, it's the old Win 2000 Drive that I'm now using as Drive D
that I want to erase. I tried one of these utilities one time and it did
erase everything on both drives of the computer I had then. I'd like to keep
Drive C just as it is and erase all partitions and data on drive D. Win XP
knows better than I do what it is that I want and it won't let me do what
I'd like to do. Where is DOS when we need it? Doing Format D: will not erase
the Win 2000 system files on that drive.

Not sure what your doing, but what you are saying is just simply not
possible.
WHY do you think there are still win2k system files on that drive?
What are these files that you keep finding?
By any chance, is it a menu to boot to XP or 2000 when you start your
computer?
Exectly what messages or errors have you gotten?
Please supply as much information as possible if you expect a solution to
you problem.

 

[Malke]

You're a funny guy Chris. I'm sure you got a great deal of amusement
from your reply. Grow up.

That wasn't Chris. It was a spoofer.

Malke

 

[Alex Nichol]

It is my understanding that Windows 2000 and Win XP create a small partition
of their own that just won't go away. Formatting Drive C (in this case it is
now Drive D that contains the Win 2000 system files) won't delete the Win
2000 partition that contains the system information. I agree that a utility
that does a low level format is probably needed. Is there a free utility out
there somewhere?

You are probably thinking of the 7.8 or so MB often shown by things like
PArtition Magic. That is the slack space left in the very first
cylinder of the disk after the first sector has been used for the Master
Boot Record. Normally it is not created as a partition. It may get
used by some boot managers, or to hold the necessary extra descriptive
information if you use a 'dynamic disk' (which you should not do on a
straightforward single disk drive system)