| A hard disk drive also known as hard drive or hard | | | | wiping is better method in comparison to erasing files |
| disk is a non-volatile storage device, which has the | | | | or formatting the hard drive, because this method |
| facility to stock up digitally encoded data on rapidly | | | | basically overwrites your entire hard drive with data, |
| rotating platters and magnetic surfaces. Its design | | | | several times and once you format your hard drive, |
| consists of a spindle which can hold one or more flat | | | | you may find it impossible to get back the data |
| circular disks known as platters, onto which the data | | | | which was present on the drive before the |
| is recorded. It has the ability to store data more than | | | | overwrite. |
| floppy disk drives and can also access and transmit | | | | Though disk wiping algorithms vary from product to |
| data at faster pace. Today, the boost in disk space | | | | product, they usually write the entire disk with a |
| and access speeds of hard disk drive have further | | | | number (zero or one) and then a reformat is |
| facilitated the marketable viability of clients products | | | | required. Today, there are many products available in |
| that need great storage capacities, like digital audio | | | | the market that you can purchase or download to |
| players and video recorders. | | | | perform secure disk wipes. |
| However, the main problem that we are coming | | | | Moreover, the two free programs that are gaining |
| across is erasing data or files from hard disk | | | | recognition for erasing data from your hard drive are: |
| permanently. Most of us think that erasing files and | | | | (1) Darik's Boot and Nuke: This is an application that |
| emptying the Recycle Bin will help in permanently get | | | | you can install on a bootable floppy or CD Rom. Boot |
| rid of those files. In fact, in most of the cases | | | | and Nuke uses several methods to wipe the data on |
| Recycle Bin tells that emptying the Recycle Bin will | | | | your drive to an unrecoverable state. With the facility |
| permanently remove items. But this statement is | | | | to delete the contents of any hard disk that it |
| totally incorrect. You have to understand even after | | | | detects, makes this application a suitable utility for |
| emptying the Recycle Bin, the files can be easily | | | | urgent situation data destruction. |
| recovered by data recovery programs. Making the | | | | (2) Eraser: This is next famous software and does a |
| best use of delete key on actually removes the | | | | great work of cleaning your hard drive by removing |
| shortcuts to the files and makes them undetectable | | | | all magnetic and solid state memory. It is an |
| to users. Deleted files still reside on the hard drive | | | | advanced security tool, which further allows you to |
| and a rapid Google search will automatically show | | | | entirely remove sensitive data by overwriting it |
| options for system recovery software will further | | | | several times with carefully selected patterns. |
| allow to restore that data. | | | | Now once one of these procedures is completed the |
| Apart from erasing the files or data from hard drive, | | | | drive is ready to be given away without fear of |
| many people also consider that the effective way to | | | | privacy invasion or fraud. These tools provide full |
| erase hard drive data is by formatting the hard drive. | | | | confidence about your deleted sensitive personal |
| Though formatting the hard drive is somewhat | | | | information that is unrecoverable. In addition to this it |
| secure than just erasing the files, but you should also | | | | also provide easy to comprehend and secure and |
| note that formatting a disk does erase only the | | | | affable graphical user interface GUI for permanent |
| address tables. It makes it much more difficult to | | | | data removal. |
| recover the files. However a computer specialist | | | | Finally if you are still uncertain or want to ensure that |
| would be able to recover most or all the data that | | | | deleted files are permanently gone, employ a file |
| was on the disk before the reformat. | | | | deletion management system. Today there are many |
| Disk Wiping is the next new technique that is gaining | | | | file deletion programs designed to spot and |
| its popularity these days. Disk wiping is a new secure | | | | permanently purge your computer of previously |
| method and ensure that data, including individually | | | | deleted files. These solutions initially scan a computer, |
| licensed softwares on your computer and storage | | | | find traces of previously erased data and finally |
| devices is irrecoverably deleted before recycling. Disk | | | | remove discarded data including e-mail messages. |