Hey,

I am getting a new computer shortly and I am getting rid of my old tower, how do i wipe everything off it?? i have put all my things on an external hard drive. is there a factory reset or something?

i just dont want any one to find any pictures or private info on there.

Thanks Sooz

Hi Sooz and welcome. First, you are wise to want to remove everything before getting rid of old system. I wish everyone would do that before giving away, selling, or discarding old computers and old hard drives.

Note that deleting, formatting, or even factory resets do not actually delete the previously stored data. A delete and format just mark the space as available. A factory reset overwrites some of the drive, but the remaining free space may still have recoverable data on it.

So you need to "wipe" the data. But note nothing is really "wiped". A wipe program simply writes a bunch of random 1s and 0s in every byte on the drive, causing any residual magnetism representing previously stored data to be rearranged so it no longer represents any of your data.

I recommend using Eraser. This excellent wipe program use DBAN technology to ensure nothing resembling your old data is left behind. Alternatively, CCleaner (I suggest the "Slim" version) now includes a "Drive Wiper" feature that is very effective too.

Note to wipe the entire drive, you should install the drive you want to wipe into an enclosure attached to another computer, or into a computer as a secondary drive. And regardless the program used, double and triple check you have the correct drive selected. If you accidentally wipe the wrong drive, you will not be able to undo your mistake.

Thanks for your help, i have also looked at old threads too very helpful

You are welcome.