Erase or Format?

I use hard drives, sd cards, flash drives. When i want to erase then quickly, is it ok to quick format them. Or should i erase each file separately.

 

If you don't mind erasing EVERYTHING, then yeh i suppose formatting is ok, but deleting them is probably quicker.

 

It usually doesn't matter - with one major exception.

"Deleting" something doesn't destroy a file; it only marks the space on the drive as available to be rewritten over. If the files contain personal data (social security #, credit card #s or something you don't want your spouse using against you in a divorce trial :-D ), you want to use a digital file shredding program. This overwrites all data several times, making it almost impossible for a thief (or your spouse's divorce attorney :-D ) to recover the files.

You should be able to find several such programs on MajorGeek's download pages.

When you sell, give away or trash an old PC or hard drive keep this in mind. Although rare, there have been cases of ID theft due to thieves using data recovery software (or, worse yet, the personal data was never deleted!).

 

Sorry if my post implied this. I agree: Unless you are selling or disposing of media that contains confidential data, deletion or a quick format is fine.

 

What I do....

Someone, usually a customer, gives me a PC.
If it has a version of Windows, either XP or later, I create a new User and delete the old one. That negates all the old users files. Then I tweak and tune the PC for maximum efficiency and install my package of Security Software.

When I've got the OS set up the way I want it, I do a Ghost Backup to another HD and then WIPE the original drive.
A DOS format will do the same thing, effectively, and verifies the integrity of every sector on the HD, blocking out any questionable sectors.

Then I restore the backup of the OS partition previously made.
The PC then looks like new and runs even better.

Works for me!
The Shadow :cool

 

Shadow:

EXCELLENT idea!

I love this tip since it also eliminates the issue of needing the manufacturer's "OEM" restore disk. I have had issues in the past where the Genuine Windows license code (hologram sticker) would not reactivate properly unless the PC mfr's. disk tied to the model was used (even with a Microsoft "OEM" disk used on the reinstall; same version as the mfr's OEM install).

Your tip should actually save time versus a complete restore and the issue of having to contact Microsoft to straighten out the license code issue.

 

Even if you can (could) buy a brand new copy of Windows XP, you still have to come up with all the drivers for every piece of hardware in your system.
On some computers, like an HP or Compaq, that can be as easy as downloading the driver pack from their web site. But on some other makes and models, that can be an all day job, finding one driver here and another driver there.
I've gone through all that more times than I care to remember, at this stage in my life. Remembering those things is like remembering the time I peed on an electric fence. I was never the same after that!:-D:-D:-D:-D

I really like the programs that will scan your computer for drivers and save them all to a file on a flash drive, CD or whatever.

I have a little Toshiba laptop that's over ten years old now. It was given to me when it completely stopped booting up. The CMOS battery in it was Kaput!
I made my own and got the little ol' PC up and running again, with windows ME.
I then upgraded it to Windows XP-Pro. I got everything working but the little pointing device. There are NO XP drivers for that. So I'm using a standard mouse, plugged into a port on the back of the Laptop.

Every computer that I have, that I may ever want to use again, is backed up with a Ghost Backup Image File, stored somewhere off of the main HD.

There are many backup programs that can be had for FREE for the person who just has the patience to look for them. Acronis True Image can be downloaded from Either Seagate or Maxtor if you have at least one of their drives in your system. From Seagate, it's in the "Sea Tools" package and from Maxtor, it's in the "Max Blast" package. I've heard that Western Digital has something comparable for WD users.

Just a few minutes, doing a backup, can save you hours of anguish trying to rebuild a system after a hard drive crash.
I learned my lesson about that, many years ago, and now I back up my main system at least once a week and sometimes two or three times, depending on what I'm doing. I still use a version of "Ghost" that I got for FREE, many years ago now.

Cheers mate!
The Shadow :cool

 

Amen! Based on my experience with clients, novice (and even some experienced) users can't seem to grasp this concept, even after a hard drive crashes.

One other tip: It's a smart idea to invest in an online backup service such as Carbonite ($55 USD per year for unlimited backup of one PC's internal drives). If you don't want to spend $$$ for seperate PCs, back up other PCs into an internal HDD on the PC running Carbonite.

My house was broken into last year. The theives stole two PCs and the external backup drives for each. :eek Without the Carbonite service, I would have lost over ten years of irreplacable photos, documents and design projects. With it, I was able to access important files immediately and fully restore everything to my new PCs automatically.

 

I've been setting up backup scenarios for individuals, Banks and Corporations for almost 30 years now.
In the DOS days, I used the PCTools Backup, but with XP, Vista or Win-7, I use either Ghost or Acronis True Image.
Retrieving On-Line backups when your computer has gone up in smoke could be a problem.

I have three stages (methods) of backup.
One, the quickie backup is done from the first partition on my main drive to a second (Storage) partition on the same drive.
Two, the same type of backup, but to a separate hard drive in the system.
Three, a Compressed Image backup of C: to a DVD. Then the DVD goes into a fireproof vault about 20 miles away. Even if my house is blown away in a Hurricane, all my data is safe.

A PC can easily be replaced, but not so, 20 years of data.

Cheers Mates! (Happy Halloween!)

Shadow

 

Hope you pay the license propely for each machine you ghost, because one copy of ghost doesn't mean hey backup all the customers machines with ghost. Seen it happen to too many small shops around here. Ghost as far as i have seen is almost always a per machine license not a site type.

 

Good ideas. This is proof there can be more than one great way to protect data (and yes, I also remember PCTools )

The two features I like most about Carbonite:

• It's automatic. This is a huge plus when setting up backups for clients who can't remember (or are too lazy) to hook up the external backup drives, disconnect them and place them in a fireproof safe or take them to an off-site location on a regular basis. In my case, the only realistic option for using this method would be renting a safety deposit box at the bank and accessing it during bankers' hours.
  
• It actually copies and updates individual files instead of using a compressed backup method. In case of a crash, theft or disaster individual files can be accessed and downloaded almost instantly. This also helped me when I forgot to copy an important file to my USB drive for a client; I was able to pull it up and download it from my Carbonite account without a home VPN.

No backup method is 100% safe; however I think both our solutions score at least a 99.999. :cool It's the people who don't do any form of off-site backup who are playing Russian Roulette. :guns

 

I think Symantec has cracked down on this with their on-line activation process.

When I worked at a large retailer not too long ago, I'd have a customer complain every few weeks about how a single copy of Ghost wouldn't work on their "other PC".

Sigh. This is when I had to take ten minutes out of my day to teach a class of "Software Licensing 101". rolleyes

 

Yup but i still see it happen all the time.

 

Sadly, there are unethical PC shops that find ways around legit licensing.

I have personally lost several sales to individual and small business clients when a competitor whores out the price of a system build by using hacked copies of Windows and/or Office.

Even after explaining both the legal and operating risks (viruses, possible lack of important updates, etc.) on non-genuine software, there are many people who value the lowest possible price over legality and the potential Russian Roulette operating system issues.

Houston Craigslist is full of people offering brand new copies of Win 7 and Office 2010 at $25 a pop. Given they have the balls to openly advertise illegal copies (and have been doing so for months), I cannot figure out why Microsoft isn't tracking down and prosecuting these a--holes. rolleyes

 

Microsoft doesn't give a shit, its more money for them to have people uses there os's legit or not, then having em use linux or any other os which wont support the office package.