Techniques To Properly Clean A Hard Drive

By:Cedric Dirose

Knowing when, and how, to clean a hard drive is important for every computer owner. It is important for every owner of a computer to know when it is appropriate to wipe the data off the hard drive and start again from scratch. While the computer hardware and software on the market today is generally of high quality and very reliable, both hardware and software do fail, and when this happens it may be necessary to remove the data from the hard drive, replace the hard drive or otherwise repair the system.

One appropriate time to clean a hard drive is after a failure has occurred. If the hard drive on your computer has failed and been replaced with a new one, it may still be a good idea to clean the failed hard drive. It may seem unnecessary to remove data from a failed hard drive, but the fact is that there are many people who will be able to recover data from the drive, and if you simply put it out with the garbage there is no telling where it may end up.

Many communities have recycling programs in place for computer equipment, and if your neighborhood has such a program you may want to dispose of the failed hard drive that way. If no such program exists, you can try magnetizing the hard drive by passing a powerful magnet over it, using a special wiping software to overwrite the data with useless information or even destroying the hard drive with a hammer.

It is also important to clean a hard drive thoroughly if it is to be sold or given away. When you consider that many of us use our personal computers for such sensitive things as banking, shopping and investing, it is easy to see how a computer in the wrong hands could easily put you and your identity at risk. Even if you have total trust in the new owner of the computer, you have no way of knowing where that PC and the information it contains will eventually end up.

That is why it is so important to clean the hard drive carefully and completely. It is not enough to simply delete the files and empty the recycle bin, as the files are still out there on the computer and will be quite easy to recover for those with the skills to do so. It is important to clean the hard drive by using a quality wiping program. There are many such programs on the market, including software products by Symantec, McAfee, Computer Associates and other large manufacturers, as well as some excellent programs written by independent programmers. These cleaning programs not only erase the data; they also overwrite it with useless information, making it virtually impossible for those with malicious intent to gain access to your personal information.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: Clean Hard Drive

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Cedric has been a technical writer of a computer magazine for over 6 years. He also has a website that helps people with their technical computer problems as well external hard drive reviews. Visit www.altsyssoft.com for a technical priority list on what items to look for when choosing a hard drive for your new computer.

Top Hardware Articles
1). Acer Aspire 3004WLCi - A Quick Review By : James Morris I recently found myself in need of a new laptop. With a tight budget and moderate needs, I knew it wasn't going to be easy to find a product that would do what I wanted and still be in my price range. As a Network Technician and a Web Designer, I needed a machine that would have enough storage to store all my software, projects for my clients, and still be able to handle an occasional temporary operating system backup from a client's machine.
2). A market study of colour printers By : John Sollars The printer manufacturing market seems to be a booming one. Manufacturers are no doubt eyeing expansion and coming up with newer products to capture the burgeoning market. The manufacturers are interested in the colour -printer sector for purely reasons of expansion. There is stiff competition between the makers as all are concentrating to keep the prices low to capture the market.
3). Read This Before You Buy A Laptop. By : Robert Michael Looking to buy a laptop? Congratulations! So, do you want a thin-and-light notebook, a mainstream notebook, an ultra portable notebook, or a business notebook? And do you want that in a Dell, a Gateway, an IBM, a Sony, or a Toshiba, to name just a few of your options? Confused yet? It really can be overwhelming. But buying a laptop doesn’t have to mean learning a whole new language.
4). The Types Of Computer Memory By : Robert Thatcher How can a computer be such an amazing gadget? To many people they just can’t be so amazed on how computers have changed the way we live. Computers can now be found in many sizes and shapes. Almost every home appliance seems to have their own mini computer located somewhere. From cars to buildings to almost every gadget there is, most of the time each one has a computer working to make them run and change the very way we live life.
5). Find your laptop drivers easily! By : Mohammad Abdullatif Many people, especially beginners, struggle in finding drivers for their laptops. In this article, I will illustrate two ways to help you find your laptop drivers quickly, and easily. The first method we will consider is to visit a company's website, and attempt to find a 'Drivers' or 'downloads' link. If a similar link is not immediately apparent, look for a search box.
6). Tips Before You Buy a Scanner By : James Hunt When buying a scanner or printer, it is always a good idea to look for advice if you are not sure what you are looking for or what you need. All too often people...
7). Computer Consulting 101 PC Troubleshooting Advice By : Joshua Feinberg While most small businesses really do need to find a good local computer consulting business to take care of their computer problems, there are some computer problems that are simple enough for even a technophobe to handle. At Computer Consulting 101, we've found there's one very simple piece of advice that often doesn't get communicated to non-technical small business end users: When in doubt, reboot first.
8). Building A Computer Introduction By : Chris Silop If you are reading this article, you are probably wondernig, why and how do you build a computer. Building your own computer is more simple than you think and has many benefits. Why Build A Computer? Building a computer has many benefits over buying a premade. First of all, it is generally cheaper if you build your own than buying one. If you shop your components, your DIY(Do it yourself) computer will be cheaper than its premade equivalent.
9). History of Hewlett Packard and Ink By : John Sollars Hewlett Packard’s tryst with ink took off when it acquired a company named F.L Mosley based in California in 1958. Mosley was manufacturing recorders and plotters for industrial applications such as continuous process monitoring systems, data loggers and the like in the 1950’s. Hewlett Packard was the pioneer in imaging and printing technologies. It was the first in the market during the 1980’s to come up with inkjet and laser technology used in printers until date.
10). Laptop Accessories By : Dave Klein Finally! You’ve managed to get that long-promised vacation. While enjoying the lazy sea breeze and coconut drinks at your tropical hideout, you decide to finish that closing report and mail it back to the home office, before really getting down to party. Luckily, you don’t have to depend on antiquated hotel computer systems. You clever man, you have your own computer laptop! The advantages of having a laptop are very obvious.

New Hardware Articles
1). Pocket PC Shareware Can Make Your PDA Both Useful And Fun By : Ron Heller Pocket PC Shareware is exploding on the new, as a part of the PDA revolution. Before you download any of that good stuff, you should be aware of some of the pitfalls. And this article will lay them down for you.
2). PDA Phone - Why Are They The Next Trend In The Mobile Computers World? By : Ron Heller The PDA-Phone combination is the latest trend in the PDA world, which had to happen in order to compete with the raising popularity of notebook computer. Is a PDA-phone the eight thing for you? Read the article to find out
3). Computer Consultant Skills: Do You Have to Have 20 Certifications? By : Joshua Feinberg I've had more than one person tell me, "Well, I’m a MCP or I’m a CNA and I’ve got this one cert but I’m working on like 15 more certs and as soon as I get my 19th cert, five years from now, I’ll be all set to be a computer consultant." That’s just a hunk of bologna. Know why? Small Business Aren't Using Cutting-Edge Technology Most small businesses don’t care how many certifications you have.
4). Xerox - Its Journey with Ink By : John Sollars Chester Carlson inventor of xerography founded the Haloid Company on April 18, 1935. The company manufactured and sold photographic paper! It was based in Rochester New York. In the year 1942 Carlson received U.S. patent No. 2,297,691 on Oct. 6 for electrophotography, later called xerography, the technology that revolutionized the world of imaging.
5). The History of Canon - From an Optical Lab to a Multimedia Giant! By : John Sollars Canon, according to the dictionary means is a general law, rule, principle or criterion; church decree or law; member of cathedral chapter; body of writings accepted as genuine. Now what I am talking about is a company that manufactures user-friendly products! Canon the camera making company that now gives varied other products and services to the world such as printers, inks and fax machines and copiers! Canon’s Roots Canon’s roots were laid in 1933 with very few employees as a precision optical instruments lab.
6). Four Power System Problems Common in Colocation Facilities By : RobertAIS The primary factor that determines uptime for servers in a colocation facility is power. Power outages will knock a network offline and even damage hardware such as motherboards, memory, and hard drives. Despite how intrinsic power is to keeping businesses connected to their networks, only 2% to 3% of colocation facilities have the right power systems in place.
7). Epson Yesterday and Today By : John Sollars Epson started as watch making company Seiko Epson Corporation, Japan. Epson was established in 1961 to manufacture precision parts for Seiko watches, back then it was called Shinsu Precision Manufacturing Company. Epson’s first foray into the printing and imaging business was the Olympics of 1964 held in Tokyo. The company was awarded a contract to develop a precision timer for the Games.
8). Konica Minolta By : John Sollars Konica Minolta, the name usually brings to mind their camera or their photographic materials. However, it is also one of the top players in the printing and ink manufacturing business. The lines below will take you through a brief history of the company and touch upon their all-new environment friendly polymerized toner. Konica’s Humble Beginnings Like all other big names in the printing business Konica Minolta too has roots way back in the past and forayed into the printing business due to the potential of printers and inks in the market.
9). Lexmark - Relatively new to the market but already on top! By : John Sollars Lexmark does not have the advantage of the proverbial long history in its kitty of printing and imaging solutions like its competitors to bank on; however it has managed to make a mark on the imaging and printing industry. One of its important technologies is the Photo Cartridge and PrecisionSense Technology. Its Brief Glorious History Lexmark was established fairly recently in 1991 previously a printing and imaging division of technology giant IBM.
10). Computer Consulting: Use Your Time Wisely By : Joshua Feinberg Time is money. If you're not careful in your computer consulting business, you'll waste both. With a little discipline and structure, you can maximize the return on your time. Journal Your Time One way to determine your computer consulting time is by journaling. Write down everything you do for a couple of weeks to determine what you do with your time, where the time wasters are, and what you could do to improve your time management.