Microsoft says: Full Format/Quick Format will erase data?

[djohn333]

I think most of us will agree that formatting a hard disk will remove all the
data from it, simply because microsoft said so
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313348)

/*If the hard disk already contains data, back it up Make sure that you back
up all your important data before you continue. When you partition and format
a hard disk, all the data on that partition is permanently deleted.*/

However, there are many who claims that a windows format won't erase data
and 'most if not all' can still be recover by some data recovery software.
TRUTH or MYTH? Simply google "data recovery after format", you get tons of
results...
Check this out...
http://www.searchstorageasia.com/article.php?type=article&id_article=9380

The scary thing is, we all have private data resides in our pc/laptop and
someday our pc/laptop might need to be taken to repair. Common sense will
tell us to format the hard disk first before sending it to repair shop, so
that our private data won't be reveal to others. But was that enough? Is
there any truth in microsoft's claims that formatting a hard disk will
removed data permenantly?

 

[Barry Schwarz]

I think most of us will agree that formatting a hard disk will remove all the
data from it, simply because microsoft said so
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313348)

/*If the hard disk already contains data, back it up Make sure that you back
up all your important data before you continue. When you partition and format
a hard disk, all the data on that partition is permanently deleted.*/

However, there are many who claims that a windows format won't erase data
and 'most if not all' can still be recover by some data recovery software.
TRUTH or MYTH? Simply google "data recovery after format", you get tons of
results...
Check this out...
http://www.searchstorageasia.com/article.php?type=article&id_article=9380

The scary thing is, we all have private data resides in our pc/laptop and
someday our pc/laptop might need to be taken to repair. Common sense will
tell us to format the hard disk first before sending it to repair shop, so
that our private data won't be reveal to others. But was that enough? Is
there any truth in microsoft's claims that formatting a hard disk will
removed data permenantly?

Other than melting the media to slag or pulverizing it to powder, no
removal is truly permanent. It simply boils down to whether the value
of the data can justify the cost or recovering it.

Deleting a file only marks the file as deleted in the device's
control table (e.g., FAT). The data is still in the sectors on the
hard disk. The control table entry is still available. This is why
"undelete" programs can still find it and unmark it.

A quick format simply rebuilds the control table. It is
similar to deleting each file as described above but does delete the
entries in the control table also. A more sophisticated recovery
program is needed to analyze sectors, make a guess as to what type of
data was stored there, and generate a control table entry to describe
that data.

A full format overwrites each sector. While the data is no
longer readable by "normal means," it can still be recovered using
expensive equipment and time consuming analysis. (This is along the
lines of the analysis done to the gap in the Watergate tapes.)
Consider what forensic analysts have uncovered in some of the law
suits.

 

[freezeup]

Format will erase the info, but leaves a mirror image somewhere...
FDISK will delete the partition, if you delete a partition then create a new
one,
erase that partition, the info. will be gone...
The other way is to format, reinstall then fill the harddrive with garbage
till the thing stops running, then format again... that will mirror the
garbage...
FDISK is faster...but remeber if you mess up you can basically make the hard
drive useless....

F