can malware persist in formatted drive?

i know some ppl might tell me to post in the malware forum but i just want to know if something like win32.virut can remain hidden in a drive after formatting? if so how can i delete it? i have tried standard formatting and also deleting with Erase.
is there any good freeware that will delete every single tiny bit of data and overwrite it no questions asked. like when i try to delete prefetch files with Erase it denies me deletion access even when they are not being used in any way!!! please help

 

I have heard DBAN works pretty good. Can't say definitively though. http://majorgeeks.com/Dariks_Boot_and_Nuke_d4596.html

 

No , Formatting is an absolute.

 

First, if you meant Eraser instead of Erase, it uses DBAN.

Second, sorry wiebelhaus, but that is incorrect. Formatting a drive does not delete any data, it only marks the locations as free space. Therefore, it is possible for some nasty rootkits and other malware to survive a format, though it is rare. In those cases, a wipe with Eraser, repartitioning, then doing a full format is needed.

What typically happens, however, and what makes people believe malware survives is they only format the C drive/partition, and not all drives or partitions. So in most cases, the C drive is not still infected, it just gets reinfected next time the user calls up a program or attaches an infected device.

Or, and this is more likely, the user does not modify they way he or she uses the computer, and simply does the same thing that got them infected in the first place. It is important to remember to keep our systems updated, patched, scanned and blocked, and MOST importantly, avoid risky practices and places like illegal porn and gambling, and P2P sites that cater to the illegal filesharing of copyrighted materials, in particular, songs and videos.