Anyone still running Windows 7?

Jason Harris5 said:I'm actually kind of worried... what if this DBAN thing is some sort of virus targeting Linux? After all, you have to run it to make Linux work. Who actually developed DBAN? And how can I be sure it won't just trigger later on and reinstall Windows? 🤷

DBAN is just disk wiping software.

DBAN is free erasure software designed for the home user. It automatically deletes the contents of any hard disk that it can detect. This method can help prevent identity theft before recycling a computer. DBAN is also a commonly used solution to remove viruses and spyware from Microsoft Windows installations.

http://www.dban.org/

But you should only wipe the drive if you really need to. Once you clear everything out with DBAN, installing a new operating system feels much faster. It’s actually a great way to speed things up if your current OS is lagging... because standard formatting just leaves old junk on the hard drive that slows down a fresh install. With DBAN, you're wiping the whole drive completely clean.

So, does that mean drivers aren't actually files or software, but part of the hardware itself? I guess that would explain why those old-school CDs just work perfectly, while trying to grab something off the internet ends up being a total headache.

We’ve just uncovered some groundbreaking news. Apparently, the most effective way to speed up your OS is to simply wipe it clean with a sledgehammer.

Matthew Young35 said:Wait, weren't you saying earlier that formatting doesn't actually delete files?
Now I'm just confused—does formatting wipe the files or not?

Total confusion right there... haha!

Did your IT buddy Tim Fisher explain to you how formatting just makes the data "invisible" without actually erasing it?

So, technically speaking, they get deleted and become invisible—meaning they're "gone," but they're actually still sitting there... just hidden. That's what your resident tech expert Tim Fisher claims. You should grab his number and meet up for coffee to hash this out properly... hahaha! 🙂

Matthew Young35 said:We've actually discovered something new here. Apparently, the best way to speed up your OS is to just wipe it completely.

And honestly, it works wonders... I’ve wiped a few machines like that now, and the difference is night and day. Fresh installs of Windows 7 feel so much snappier. Just formatting it basically just puts a clean version of Windows on the drive. I’ve swapped out about ten different versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8 on one single hard drive while experimenting, and my PC just kept getting slower and slower... but after a total wipe, it feels brand new again.

Don't tell me you didn't know that, Mr. Computer Scientist... hahaha, you're a real genius...

Jason Harris5 said:Does that mean drivers aren't actually software/files, but hardware? Is that why they work fine on a CD, while the ones downloaded from the internet cause all these issues?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...#1TC=windows-7

it explains everything about drivers right here

ruggedfalcon62 said:Man, you don't even know what you're talking about anymore, Mr. Computer Scientist, haha

Formatting wipes everything on the hard drive. If you format the drive where your files live, they're gone.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...sks-and-drives

Now we're really seeing how much you actually know about tech...🤦

Seems like you're starting to forget what you were saying just a few posts ago. Let me quote you here:

"Another example—I installed a pirated version of Windows XP and kept getting that 'not genuine' error... I formatted it and put other versions of Windows XP on there, but man, the 'not genuine' thing kept popping up. Then I wiped the whole hard drive clean and installed a different Windows XP and the problem was gone... plus, the entire internet says formatting doesn't completely erase data..."

Look, if you're gonna go the pirate route, at least grab a WGA validator so you don't get hit with those errors. Come on, kid, pull yourself together and stop posting about stuff you clearly have zero clue about.

ruggedfalcon62 said:You don't even know what you're talking about anymore, Mr. Computer Scientist, haha.

Formatting wipes every existing file on the hard drive. If you format a drive that currently holds data, that data is gone.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...sks-and-drives

Now we're really seeing the depth of your IT expertise...🤦

And what exactly are you "erasing" by formatting a brand-new drive that has nothing on it?

If you were being remotely reasonable—and if I could be certain you aren't just trolling—I would explain the actual mechanics of formatting and why people claim data isn't technically "deleted" during the process. But frankly, I don't have the energy for it.

Wait, so you're telling me formatting actually wipes the data now?

Didn't you just claim earlier that it was useless, total garbage, and wouldn't work? You were saying viruses stay put after a format and can only be cleared by a full reinstall...

Total troll.

Honestly, without people like that around, this forum would be pretty boring.

Perhaps someone is putting that account up for sale?

I'd honestly rather just grab it for free 🐔

nimbleskipper5 said:It feels like you're forgetting what you actually wrote just a few posts ago, so let me quote you here:

"another example, I installed a pirated version of Windows XP and it kept giving me the 'not genuine' error... I formatted it and tried other versions of Windows XP, but man, the 'not genuine' message keeps popping up. Then I wiped the whole hard drive using DBAN, reinstalled that other XP, and the problem was gone... basically, everything on the internet says formatting doesn't completely erase all the data...."

Look, if you're going to install pirated software anyway, at least grab a WGA validator so you don't get that "not genuine" notification. Come on, man, pull yourself together and stop posting about things you clearly don't understand.

I installed that XP five years ago... but there's also Win Activator, and you can just delete a couple of registry files in XP to make the "not genuine" message disappear. I've tried both methods and they both work.

Matthew Young35 said:Why on earth would you bother formatting a brand-new drive that doesn't have anything on it yet?

If you could act a little more reasonable—and if I were actually sure you weren't just trolling me—I’d explain exactly what formatting is and why people say it doesn't truly delete data. But honestly, I'm not in the mood.

Formatting doesn't wipe all the data. It's already been explained that formatting just makes the files invisible, but they're still sitting there on the disk... and they can easily be recovered. How can they be "recovered" if they've been deleted? Come on, start using some common sense... you guys are hopeless! hahaha

Drew Allen77 said:Wait, so formatting actually wipes the data now?

Wait, didn't you just claim that was total garbage? You said it doesn't work, that viruses stay behind after a format and you can only get rid of them with a full wipe.

Total troll.

Mr. Doctor of Computer Science
by taj Fisher PC Support Expert When you
PC Support Expert

When you format a hard drive or delete a partition, you're usually only deleting the file system, making the data invisible but not gone. A file recovery program or special hardware can easily recover the information.

I get it, hahaha... like trying to clear out a coal loader with a spoon, hahaha

Matthew Young35 said:Maybe the guy is just selling that hard drive?

1. Eraser
2. Securely file Shredder
3. Freeraser
4. WipeFile
5. Secure Eraser haahhhahha

haahhhahha

It looks like you find it way easier to swallow nonsense than actually use your brain. I already told you: a low-level format fixes everything. That means it WIPES every single file and everything else... totally permanent. Maybe try doing some actual research before you keep talking nonsense.
ps
The low-level format tool is free software.

Look, just to clarify how formatting actually works—like someone else mentioned earlier—you aren't actually wiping the data off the drive itself. All you’re really doing is clearing out the address entries in the disk's allocation tables.
Those allocation tables are basically what tell the system which specific data lives on which cluster; without them, the drive and everything on it becomes pretty much useless.
To put it in layman's terms, think of it like the "Table of Contents" or an index for the entire disk.
Now, despite what some of the "experts" in this thread are claiming about how easy it is to recover files from a formatted drive, it’s honestly not that simple. The data gets scattered across different clusters, and if you want to reconstruct a usable allocation table, you're looking at a massive amount of heavy lifting and deep knowledge of complex algorithms, blah, blah, blah...
If anyone’s skeptical, just try reaching out to a specialized data recovery firm like DriveSavers and ask them for a quote...

Also, let’s get one thing straight: computer viruses aren't "alive." They don't have some kind of survival instinct where you can just hit them with "antibiotics." Once you wipe that allocation table, the virus is effectively neutralized because it doesn't even know where its own pieces are anymore, and nobody can "reassemble" it since it's been fragmented all over the disk.
With a standard cluster size of 4KB, if you're dealing with a nasty little 400KB virus, just imagine how many different clusters that thing is spread across. 🙂

nimbleskipper5 said:It sounds like you’re having a harder time using your brain than anything else. I already mentioned that a low-level format fixes everything... which means it wipes EVERY single file and everything else. It’s permanent. Maybe do some actual research before you keep talking nonsense.
ps
The low-level format tool is free software.

Formatting the hard drive is a bit more secure than simply erasing the files. Formatting a disk does not erase the data on the disk, only the address tables. It makes it much more difficult to recover the files. However a computer specialist would be able to recover most or all the data that was on the disk before the reformat.

http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/..._harddrive.asp

If something can be recovered after being deleted, was it actually deleted? That's the real question here...????????????????

Logically, it wasn't truly gone if it can just be brought back. Use your head, man! Hahahahahaha 🍿

Total expert right here 😵

When you go through the motions of formatting a hard drive, you aren't actually wiping the data itself. All you're doing is clearing out the index that tells the OS where everything is located, essentially making the files "invisible." To the computer, the drive appears totally empty, but the actual bits and bytes haven't moved an inch.

The reality is that all that info stays right where it was. Unless you perform a deep, permanent wipe, anyone with the right recovery software or specialized hardware can pull those files right back.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolso...hard-drive.htm

Please, someone help them understand this... ☕