FDISK & Format

I'd guess there is no such apps for XP? I'm just formatting a few old hard drives
before getting rid of them and thought perhaps rather than FDISKing and Formatting
with a Windows 98 Floppy, perhaps I could do something similar to put them in a
more current state...
Earl

Sure, use Windows XP built-in Disk Management tool. Just know that
repartitioning and reformatting a drive doesn't erase the information on
the drive and that anyone with a modicum of knowledge can easily recover
files on the drive. You need to use a wiping utility to properly erase
the files, this one will do the job for you: http://dban.sourceforge.net/

John

Earl Partridge wrote:

> I'd guess there is no such apps for XP? I'm just formatting a few old
> hard drives
> before getting rid of them and thought perhaps rather than FDISKing and
> Formatting
> with a Windows 98 Floppy, perhaps I could do something similar to put
> them in a
> more current state...
> Earl
>

Before I get rid of any hard drives, I run Acronis DriveCleanser (or one of the free utilities that you can look up on Google). They erase everything on the disk. The next user can do the formatting. It is best to erase any personal info. Of course if you are really concerned about someone stealing data off the old disk, I'd recommend using a blow torch to completely slag it.

Brian
"Earl Partridge" <earlpNG@pearnet.com> wrote in message news:%23pAQ32I4IHA.4572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
I'd guess there is no such apps for XP? I'm just formatting a few old hard drives
before getting rid of them and thought perhaps rather than FDISKing and Formatting
with a Windows 98 Floppy, perhaps I could do something similar to put them in a
more current state...
Earl

"Earl Partridge" <earlpNG@pearnet.com> wrote in message
news:%23pAQ32I4IHA.4572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
I'd guess there is no such apps for XP? I'm just formatting a few old hard
drives
before getting rid of them and thought perhaps rather than FDISKing and
Formatting
with a Windows 98 Floppy, perhaps I could do something similar to put them
in a
more current state...
Earl
----------
Plain text original post revised for proper usenet presentation.

Download the appropriate software from the appropriate hard disk
manufacturer. Zero write the hard drive you are referring to from BOOT
MEDIA.

There have never been any such apps or app in any version of windows for
what you're attempting to accomplish. Obviously not possible as the
operating system cannot over-write itself.

What is a "more current state"?
--
Dave

Speculation on a product or material that is
an obvious need, is not speculation per se
as there is no risk to the speculator.
Common were those selling food and other
supplies in the gold rush days.
In this case, its oil and its everyone who
bites the bullet. And most everyone has no gold
to be made, just business as usual.

"John John (MVP)" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:OVOpR%23I4IHA.4272@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Sure, use Windows XP built-in Disk Management tool. Just know that
> repartitioning and reformatting a drive doesn't erase the information on
> the drive and that anyone with a modicum of knowledge can easily recover
> files on the drive. You need to use a wiping utility to properly erase
> the files, this one will do the job for you: http://dban.sourceforge.net/
>
> John
>
> Earl Partridge wrote:
>
>> I'd guess there is no such apps for XP? I'm just formatting a few old
>> hard drives
>> before getting rid of them and thought perhaps rather than FDISKing and
>> Formatting
>> with a Windows 98 Floppy, perhaps I could do something similar to put
>> them in a
>> more current state...
>> Earl
>>
DBAN is a good program and I use it to clean out any donated machines at a
children's center before reloading them with an operating system. It's
surprising what organizations and others leave on the machine when they
donate them. Usually we don't even boot them first but stick in a DBAN disk
and let it do it's thing. That way we won't be tempted to look and any
possible virus, including boot sector and partition virus' are eliminated.

One thing to make darn sure is to unplug the data cable on any hard drive
you do NOT want to be erased. DBAN seeks out and erases every hard drive
that it can locate in a computer.

Thanks for all the responses. What I would like to do is to leave the disk
in a readable state so the new owner can quickly determine that it is
a valid disk, and the size is as indicated. I assume the old Windows 98
FDISK and Format/s does in fact wipe out all old data, making it all
unreadable, but also allowing it to be viewed to be in working order, etc.
Earl


"Lil' Dave" <spamyourself@virus.net> wrote in message
news:OuuQeAL4IHA.5060@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> "Earl Partridge" <earlpNG@pearnet.com> wrote in message
> news:%23pAQ32I4IHA.4572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> I'd guess there is no such apps for XP? I'm just formatting a few old
> hard drives
> before getting rid of them and thought perhaps rather than FDISKing and
> Formatting
> with a Windows 98 Floppy, perhaps I could do something similar to put them
> in a
> more current state...
> Earl
> ----------
> Plain text original post revised for proper usenet presentation.
>
> Download the appropriate software from the appropriate hard disk
> manufacturer. Zero write the hard drive you are referring to from BOOT
> MEDIA.
>
> There have never been any such apps or app in any version of windows for
> what you're attempting to accomplish. Obviously not possible as the
> operating system cannot over-write itself.
>
> What is a "more current state"?
> --
> Dave
>
> Speculation on a product or material that is
> an obvious need, is not speculation per se
> as there is no risk to the speculator.
> Common were those selling food and other
> supplies in the gold rush days.
> In this case, its oil and its everyone who
> bites the bullet. And most everyone has no gold
> to be made, just business as usual.
>

No, FDISK and format leaves all the data on your disk for any prying
eyes to easily recover with simple freeware utilities!

Think of the hard disk as a filing cabinet. FDISK simply removes the
label on the front of the drawers but leaves all the file folders inside
the drawers, anyone who opens the drawers will be able to see all the
file folders inside. Format simply erases the tabs/labels on the file
folders but leaves everything in the folders, anyone who opens the
folders will be able to see all that is inside. That in a nutshell is
what FDISK and Format does. Wiping utilities like DBAN are like paper
shredders for the folders in your filing cabinet, the wipe utility does
its "shredding" by overwriting the whole disk with zeros or/and ones,
the overwriting makes it impossible to recover any files on the disk.

John

Earl Partridge wrote:

> Thanks for all the responses. What I would like to do is to leave the disk
> in a readable state so the new owner can quickly determine that it is
> a valid disk, and the size is as indicated. I assume the old Windows 98
> FDISK and Format/s does in fact wipe out all old data, making it all
> unreadable, but also allowing it to be viewed to be in working order, etc.
> Earl
>
>
> "Lil' Dave" <spamyourself@virus.net> wrote in message
> news:OuuQeAL4IHA.5060@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>
>>"Earl Partridge" <earlpNG@pearnet.com> wrote in message
>>news:%23pAQ32I4IHA.4572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl.. .
>>I'd guess there is no such apps for XP? I'm just formatting a few old
>>hard drives
>>before getting rid of them and thought perhaps rather than FDISKing and
>>Formatting
>>with a Windows 98 Floppy, perhaps I could do something similar to put them
>>in a
>>more current state...
>>Earl
>>----------
>>Plain text original post revised for proper usenet presentation.
>>
>>Download the appropriate software from the appropriate hard disk
>>manufacturer. Zero write the hard drive you are referring to from BOOT
>>MEDIA.
>>
>>There have never been any such apps or app in any version of windows for
>>what you're attempting to accomplish. Obviously not possible as the
>>operating system cannot over-write itself.
>>
>>What is a "more current state"?
>>--
>>Dave
>>
>>Speculation on a product or material that is
>>an obvious need, is not speculation per se
>>as there is no risk to the speculator.
>>Common were those selling food and other
>>supplies in the gold rush days.
>>In this case, its oil and its everyone who
>>bites the bullet. And most everyone has no gold
>>to be made, just business as usual.
>>
>
>
>

"John John (MVP)" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:Om$mdYS4IHA.2580@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> No, FDISK and format leaves all the data on your disk for any prying eyes
> to easily recover with simple freeware utilities!
>
> Think of the hard disk as a filing cabinet. FDISK simply removes the
> label on the front of the drawers but leaves all the file folders inside
> the drawers, anyone who opens the drawers will be able to see all the file
> folders inside. Format simply erases the tabs/labels on the file folders
> but leaves everything in the folders, anyone who opens the folders will be
> able to see all that is inside. That in a nutshell is what FDISK and
> Format does. Wiping utilities like DBAN are like paper shredders for the
> folders in your filing cabinet, the wipe utility does its "shredding" by
> overwriting the whole disk with zeros or/and ones, the overwriting makes
> it impossible to recover any files on the disk.
>
> John
>
> Earl Partridge wrote:
>
>> Thanks for all the responses. What I would like to do is to leave the
>> disk
>> in a readable state so the new owner can quickly determine that it is
>> a valid disk, and the size is as indicated. I assume the old Windows 98
>> FDISK and Format/s does in fact wipe out all old data, making it all
>> unreadable, but also allowing it to be viewed to be in working order,
>> etc.
>> Earl
>>
>>
>> "Lil' Dave" <spamyourself@virus.net> wrote in message
>> news:OuuQeAL4IHA.5060@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>
>>>"Earl Partridge" <earlpNG@pearnet.com> wrote in message
>>>news:%23pAQ32I4IHA.4572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl. ..
>>>I'd guess there is no such apps for XP? I'm just formatting a few old
>>>hard drives
>>>before getting rid of them and thought perhaps rather than FDISKing and
>>>Formatting
>>>with a Windows 98 Floppy, perhaps I could do something similar to put
>>>them in a
>>>more current state...
>>>Earl
>>>----------
>>>Plain text original post revised for proper usenet presentation.
>>>
>>>Download the appropriate software from the appropriate hard disk
>>>manufacturer. Zero write the hard drive you are referring to from BOOT
>>>MEDIA.
>>>
>>>There have never been any such apps or app in any version of windows for
>>>what you're attempting to accomplish. Obviously not possible as the
>>>operating system cannot over-write itself.
>>>
Great explanation of Fdisk and Format's results John John.

Earl, what you need to do is use a program like DBAN, or others of similar
capabilities, to safely blank the disk and then use the Fdisk and Format
options on your W98 boot disk. That way the other party to be able to check
the size and status of the drive with the assurance that everything
originally on the drive has been permanently removed.

That way everything on it has been safely removed and the drive size and
condition can still be verified by the other person.

The "s" switch is not needed just to create file system table.

If all the physical hard drives that you are talking about are under 137GB
capacity, should not be problem for 98.

Again, use the hard drive mfr's software to do a full zero-write. This will
also check the read/write reliability of such a hard drive in the process.
And will map out any inconsistent locations.

--
Dave

"Earl Partridge" <earlpNG@pearnet.com> wrote in message
news:OMcIXJS4IHA.2064@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Thanks for all the responses. What I would like to do is to leave the
> disk
> in a readable state so the new owner can quickly determine that it is
> a valid disk, and the size is as indicated. I assume the old Windows 98
> FDISK and Format/s does in fact wipe out all old data, making it all
> unreadable, but also allowing it to be viewed to be in working order, etc.
> Earl
>
>
> "Lil' Dave" <spamyourself@virus.net> wrote in message
> news:OuuQeAL4IHA.5060@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> "Earl Partridge" <earlpNG@pearnet.com> wrote in message
>> news:%23pAQ32I4IHA.4572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> I'd guess there is no such apps for XP? I'm just formatting a few old
>> hard drives
>> before getting rid of them and thought perhaps rather than FDISKing and
>> Formatting
>> with a Windows 98 Floppy, perhaps I could do something similar to put
>> them in a
>> more current state...
>> Earl
>> ----------
>> Plain text original post revised for proper usenet presentation.
>>
>> Download the appropriate software from the appropriate hard disk
>> manufacturer. Zero write the hard drive you are referring to from BOOT
>> MEDIA.
>>
>> There have never been any such apps or app in any version of windows for
>> what you're attempting to accomplish. Obviously not possible as the
>> operating system cannot over-write itself.
>>
>> What is a "more current state"?
>> --
>> Dave
>>
>> Speculation on a product or material that is
>> an obvious need, is not speculation per se
>> as there is no risk to the speculator.
>> Common were those selling food and other
>> supplies in the gold rush days.
>> In this case, its oil and its everyone who
>> bites the bullet. And most everyone has no gold
>> to be made, just business as usual.
>>
>
>