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About PC Support: Formatting & Erasing Hard Drives InboxX [Image]Reply[Image] [Image][Image]Tim Fisher - About.com PC Support Guide  to teddybear show details 11:22 PM (12 hours ago) Images are not displayed.
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[Image]From Tim Fisher, your Guide to PC SupportDo you know how to format a hard drive? Do you know how to completely erase a hard drive? Did you know there's a difference?
How To Format a Hard Drive
You have to format a hard drive to use it in Windows. A format makes all the data on the drive, if there is any, "disappear" (notice I didn't say it erases data) and makes the drive available for use. How To Format C
Ever tried to format the C drive, or whatever drive you have Windows on? If you have, you know that you can't do it easily. That's because the formatting tools exist within Windows. That would be like lifting a chair in the air that you're sitting on. Not possible. You can, however, format from outside of Windows where the C drive isn't in use. Completely Erase a Hard Drive With Data Destruction Software
As I alluded to above, formatting a hard drive doesn't actually erase the information on it - it just hides it. A nosy hard drive recipient can use free software to extract personal information from a formatted hard drive that you've sold or thrown away. Luckily there are several free software programs that can "sanitize" a hard drive of data, making it next to impossible for anyone to get information from it.
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