data erase!!???

[digitalage]

hi

i have some personal data in my hard disk and want to hand it over to my friend, i dont want him/her to get access to data anyhow,(i heard that data can be recovered even if i delete it).

I thought that i will format it by full format in NTFS. will it protect my data?

[infra_red_dude]

Get a file shredder. This software will securely erase your data. There are many to choose from. One, for e.g, is this: http://www.fileshredder.org/

[digitalage]

can u explain me the principle of file shreder???? i really mean it

[infra_red_dude]

File shredder is a software which bascially overwrites your data with random data. Lets say you haf a file with this content (binary sequence which corresponds to somthing):

1010001010010

When you use a file shredder to delete this file, the software first overwrites the contents of the file and changes it to something like:

0000000000000

and then deletes it. So in future, if you use some undelete utility to recover the file all you wud get is a bunch of zeros which is meaningless.

[alok4best]

u can considering encrypting ur data too.

[digitalage]

1. can i encrypt data while working in windows(I mean that my data is only saved in encrypted form)

2. is it safe to use file shreder software from www.fileshredder.org

3. is there any such type of freeware from any trusted provider(company)

[infra_red_dude]

Originally Posted by alok4best

u can considering encrypting ur data too.

Dude... he doesn't wanna use the HDD. He wants to give it to his friend and hence wants secure erasing of data.

Originally Posted by digitalage

1. can i encrypt data while working in windows(I mean that my data is only saved in encrypted form)

2. is it safe to use file shreder software from www.fileshredder.org

3. is there any such type of freeware from any trusted provider(company)

1. Yes, you can haf an encrypted partition. The best software that comes to my mind is Truecrypt.

2. While I'm not sure about fileshredder.org but using any File shredding software is pretty fine. No issues.

3. Shredder from some biggie? Last time I checked, Mcafee and Symantec had this. But again I'm not sure as I've never felt the need to use shredder.

[digitalage]

Originally Posted by infra_red_dude

Dude... he doesn't wanna use the HDD. He wants to give it to his friend and hence wants secure erasing of data.

3. Shredder from some biggie? Last time I checked, Mcafee and Symantec had this. But again I'm not sure as I've never felt the need to use shredder.

yah... i too remember a package from symantec named as FILE SHREDDER (hehe.... but never knew it was for that) ....
.....but is it free?....and seperately downloadable???
if yes can u give me the link from were i can?????

[infra_red_dude]

^^^ Its not free. For trial version (if it exists) search on Symantec's website.

[ax3]

instead fill ur partition with any movie file & keep them copying them till its over .....

all ur previous data will automatically b ERAZED ........

[digitalage]

Thanks every one now i fell fre to hand over my hdd.

[Zangetsu]

u can use tuneup utilities 2008..it has the file shredder feature