Solve : Formating a HDD without Erasing Windows?

1.	Solve : Formating a HDD without Erasing Windows?
Answer» Yes as the title says I want to totally erase a hard drive but RETAIN Windows :p So the scenario is that I have a wonderfully preserved P4 machine that I would like to give to a friend’s kids (their first PC). The problem is that it contains sensitive information. I trust that the people I'm giving the PC to would have no idea how to retrieve the data if I just deleted it but I would rather be safe than sorry. So how do I back up only Windows and installed programs and erase the HDD without copying any confidential information? Accessless, bringing you only the most ridiculous problems. Here's my suggestion. Delete all user-created files (Documents, photos, videos, email, etc.). Then, download and install CCleaner and use its Drive Wiper tool; you can wipe only free space or the entire drive, and you can choose up to 35 passes, meaning data will be overwritten with random strings of binary code 35 times. To retain Windows and Programs, be sure to tell CCleaner to wipe only free space. For more info on using CCleaner for this and for info on other methods of accomplishing your objective, see http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-tools-permanently-delete-sensitive-data-hard-drive-windows/Do you ALREADY have a backup plan? If so., do this. 1. Crate a new user on the computer,. Full administrator. No password. Also, remove the password for the administrator account. Destroy your user. 2. UN-install any programs you do not want them to have. 3. Make a full backup using a method that does both system and files into an compressed format on an eternal device, like a USB HDD. The windows backup program will work. Or use a third-party program. 4. Format the drive using any method. (Boot able floppy will work, or a bookable version GPART on PUPPY Linux.) 5. Restore from Backup device. Partition must be active. You need a boot CD le CD or USB with a restore program compatible with the backup you made. Fort most users, this is enough data protection. Virtually all the old data will be gone. Please ask questions about any of the above. Short answer...can't be done... Long answer...if you get a Win MS CD and do a wipe and re-install you can use the COA key code to activate Windows aND RETURN THE cd...THE VERSIONS NEED TO MATCH. Quote from: patio on April 24, 2013, 09:23:50 AM Short answer...can't be done... Agree, he cannot format the hard drive without erasing Windows. My suggestion was to throughly wipe all free space and leave Windows intact. But, yeah, if he has a legitimate Windows CD and COA key code to activate Windows, then that may be the way he wants to go. I sell all my used PC's with a new HDD...i have all the HDD's i've ever owned ...after about the 3rd year or so... Quote from: soybean on April 24, 2013, 09:18:53 AM Here's my suggestion. Delete all user-created files (Documents, photos, videos, email, etc.). Then, download and install CCleaner and use its Drive Wiper tool; you can wipe only free space or the entire drive, and you can choose up to 35 passes, meaning data will be overwritten with random strings of binary code 35 times. To retain Windows and Programs, be sure to tell CCleaner to wipe only free space. For more info on using CCleaner for this and for info on other methods of accomplishing your objective, see http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-tools-permanently-delete-sensitive-data-hard-drive-windows/ What's wrong with this idea. I think that it's a GREAT idea. The files in question are word files and spreadsheets (or some other office based file). Also the information has nothing to do with me, technically speaking I am sending the computer on more responsibly than the original owners whose responsibility it is to ensure that the files are kept confidential. As I understand it if I delete the files and use CCleaner to write over empty space, that will do the job. One last shot... The amount of time it takes to do any of the above varies a lot. And requires some attention to detail during the process. The best way may be the idea Patio gave.It would require less intervention of the part of the OP to carry it out. Quote from: Geek-9pm on April 24, 2013, 01:16:41 PM One last shot... The amount of time it takes to do any of the above varies a lot. And requires some attention to detail during the process. The best way may be the idea Patio gave. It would require less intervention of the part of the OP to carry it out. This suggestion: Quote from: patio on April 24, 2013, 09:45:14 AM I sell all my used PC's with a new HDD...i have all the HDD's I've ever owned ...after about the 3rd year or so... Or this one? Quote from: patio on April 24, 2013, 09:23:50 AM Short answer...can't be done... Long answer...if you get a Win MS CD and do a wipe and re-install you can use the COA key code to activate Windows and RETURN THE CD...THE VERSIONS NEED TO MATCH. Because I'm not selling this due to the age (it's relatively useless) it's just being given away (seems a shame for such a pristine machine to be binned). And I don't have any of the original software. I am PERFECTLY capable of cramming this PC full of illegal software I would prefer not to as it comes with a complete set of legitimate stuff. So if I follow patio's suggestion of re-installing, he would have to ban himself for breaking CH rules j/k. I don't use this PC so I really don't mind deleting some files and leaving it to chug away in a corner blanking out nulled directories on the hard drive for a few hours. It sounds like this will take me about 15 mins of interaction time then I can ignor it until its done. Remember the files in question are office files, easy to find.OK. I meant the idea of using a new HDD. But in your case neatness and security are important and you no not wish to invest more money. To the best of my knowledge, any major program that have been removed the proper way can not be recovered by any recovery program available to regular users of PCs. Also, after a program has been removed, one can use a 'Degrag' tool to recover space on the HDD. The empty space is moved into large blocks to reduce fragmentation of remaking programs. Thais means large areas of a once installed program will now be overwritten with current programs and data blocks. A similar thing happens when HDD contents are restored from a traditional backup method that goes by file content and not cluster content. Empty space is not preserved in the backup image. Even some 'partition image' backup systems do this when they operate in compression mode. Empty space is nothing, so nothing is saved. I believe that such a restore from backup would not allow any old programs or data to be found even using intense forensic methods. As mentioned by somebody, there are third party programs that will erase empty clusters on your HDD. The legacy value was E5 hexadecimal. Piriform is one of them. Quote This means that, given the right software, someone could reconstruct all, or parts of files that you've deleted. For privacy and security reasons, you can set CCleaner to wipe the free areas of your hard disk so that deleted files can never be recovered. Note: Wiping free space can take a substantial amount of time. http://www.piriform.com/docs/ccleaner/using-ccleaner/wiping-free-disk-space If it's a "branded" computer (HP, Dell, etc.), you can return it to the "as shipped" or "out-of-box" condition, by performing a "PC Restore" from the Recovery Partition. One of the "F" keys upon power-up will begin the process.

Answer»

Yes as the title says I want to totally erase a hard drive but RETAIN Windows :p

So the scenario is that I have a wonderfully preserved P4 machine that I would like to give to a friend’s kids (their first PC). The problem is that it contains sensitive information. I trust that the people I'm giving the PC to would have no idea how to retrieve the data if I just deleted it but I would rather be safe than sorry.

So how do I back up only Windows and installed programs and erase the HDD without copying any confidential information?

Accessless, bringing you only the most ridiculous problems. Here's my suggestion. Delete all user-created files (Documents, photos, videos, email, etc.). Then, download and install CCleaner and use its Drive Wiper tool; you can wipe only free space or the entire drive, and you can choose up to 35 passes, meaning data will be overwritten with random strings of binary code 35 times. To retain Windows and Programs, be sure to tell CCleaner to wipe only free space.

For more info on using CCleaner for this and for info on other methods of accomplishing your objective, see http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-tools-permanently-delete-sensitive-data-hard-drive-windows/Do you ALREADY have a backup plan? If so., do this.
1. Crate a new user on the computer,. Full administrator. No password. Also, remove the password for the administrator account. Destroy your user.
2. UN-install any programs you do not want them to have.
3. Make a full backup using a method that does both system and files into an compressed format on an eternal device, like a USB HDD. The windows backup program will work. Or use a third-party program.
4. Format the drive using any method. (Boot able floppy will work, or a bookable version GPART on PUPPY Linux.)
5. Restore from Backup device. Partition must be active. You need a boot CD le CD or USB with a restore program compatible with the backup you made.

Fort most users, this is enough data protection. Virtually all the old data will be gone.

Please ask questions about any of the above.
Short answer...can't be done...
Long answer...if you get a Win MS CD and do a wipe and re-install you can use the COA key code to activate Windows aND RETURN THE cd...THE VERSIONS NEED TO MATCH. Quote from: patio on April 24, 2013, 09:23:50 AM

Short answer...can't be done...

Agree, he cannot format the hard drive without erasing Windows. My suggestion was to throughly wipe all free space and leave Windows intact. But, yeah, if he has a legitimate Windows CD and COA key code to activate Windows, then that may be the way he wants to go. I sell all my used PC's with a new HDD...i have all the HDD's i've ever owned ...after about the 3rd year or so... Quote from: soybean on April 24, 2013, 09:18:53 AM

Here's my suggestion. Delete all user-created files (Documents, photos, videos, email, etc.). Then, download and install CCleaner and use its Drive Wiper tool; you can wipe only free space or the entire drive, and you can choose up to 35 passes, meaning data will be overwritten with random strings of binary code 35 times. To retain Windows and Programs, be sure to tell CCleaner to wipe only free space.

For more info on using CCleaner for this and for info on other methods of accomplishing your objective, see http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-tools-permanently-delete-sensitive-data-hard-drive-windows/

What's wrong with this idea. I think that it's a GREAT idea.

The files in question are word files and spreadsheets (or some other office based file). Also the information has nothing to do with me, technically speaking I am sending the computer on more responsibly than the original owners whose responsibility it is to ensure that the files are kept confidential. As I understand it if I delete the files and use CCleaner to write over empty space, that will do the job.
One last shot...
The amount of time it takes to do any of the above varies a lot. And requires some attention to detail during the process.
The best way may be the idea Patio gave.It would require less intervention of the part of the OP to carry it out. Quote from: Geek-9pm on April 24, 2013, 01:16:41 PM

One last shot...
The amount of time it takes to do any of the above varies a lot. And requires some attention to detail during the process.
The best way may be the idea Patio gave. It would require less intervention of the part of the OP to carry it out.

This suggestion:
Quote from: patio on April 24, 2013, 09:45:14 AM

I sell all my used PC's with a new HDD...i have all the HDD's I've ever owned ...after about the 3rd year or so...

Or this one?
Quote from: patio on April 24, 2013, 09:23:50 AM

Short answer...can't be done...
Long answer...if you get a Win MS CD and do a wipe and re-install you can use the COA key code to activate Windows and RETURN THE CD...THE VERSIONS NEED TO MATCH.

Because I'm not selling this due to the age (it's relatively useless) it's just being given away (seems a shame for such a pristine machine to be binned). And I don't have any of the original software. I am PERFECTLY capable of cramming this PC full of illegal software I would prefer not to as it comes with a complete set of legitimate stuff.

So if I follow patio's suggestion of re-installing, he would have to ban himself for breaking CH rules j/k.

I don't use this PC so I really don't mind deleting some files and leaving it to chug away in a corner blanking out nulled directories on the hard drive for a few hours. It sounds like this will take me about 15 mins of interaction time then I can ignor it until its done. Remember the files in question are office files, easy to find.OK. I meant the idea of using a new HDD. But in your case neatness and security are important and you no not wish to invest more money.

To the best of my knowledge, any major program that have been removed the proper way can not be recovered by any recovery program available to regular users of PCs.

Also, after a program has been removed, one can use a 'Degrag' tool to recover space on the HDD. The empty space is moved into large blocks to reduce fragmentation of remaking programs. Thais means large areas of a once installed program will now be overwritten with current programs and data blocks.

A similar thing happens when HDD contents are restored from a traditional backup method that goes by file content and not cluster content. Empty space is not preserved in the backup image. Even some 'partition image' backup systems do this when they operate in compression mode. Empty space is nothing, so nothing is saved. I believe that such a restore from backup would not allow any old programs or data to be found even using intense forensic methods.

As mentioned by somebody, there are third party programs that will erase empty clusters on your HDD. The legacy value was E5 hexadecimal.
Piriform is one of them.

Quote

This means that, given the right software, someone could reconstruct all, or parts of files that you've deleted. For privacy and security reasons, you can set CCleaner to wipe the free areas of your hard disk so that deleted files can never be recovered.

Note: Wiping free space can take a substantial amount of time.

http://www.piriform.com/docs/ccleaner/using-ccleaner/wiping-free-disk-space
If it's a "branded" computer (HP, Dell, etc.), you can return it to the "as shipped" or "out-of-box" condition, by performing a "PC Restore" from the Recovery Partition. One of the "F" keys upon power-up will begin the process.

Solve : Formating a HDD without Erasing Windows?

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