does 'format' command write 00s to the drive partition

[dans45]

Hello, Does the native format command actually write 00s to the entire partion it supposedly formats? Is it possible to format without creating a partition first?...it doesn't seem so. I'm trying to erase any data that might be on the subject drive and I want to do it under windows...not DOS.
Lastly, is there a tool that will write all 00s to a drive under windows.

Thanks for any assistance.

 

[noobtechie]

Right click on my computer icon\manage\disk management\"select the drive you want to format"\right click\choose format.

As for your question of the thrid party program that will format a drive. Why pay when you can have the same result and it's free using the method above?

Hope this helps.


============================
There is no place like 127.0.0.1

 

[wolluf]

Try

http://www.killdisk.com/features.htm

 

[NTesla]

Writing 0000's to a drive is called a low level format. Restart your system see if the post displays the manufacture of your harddrive, if it does not or is too fast enter cmos and go to IDE Configurations and you can find the manufacture here. Go to that manufactures web site and they will have ulities that will allow you to do anything from a basic 90 second diagnostics test to advanced test that take several hours.

I do know that most manufactures utilites are DOS based. However Western Digital does have a new GUI (Windows based utilites), weather you can low level format or not I don't know.

Also Norton utilies has a program called disk wipe that will wright 0000's to any empty space on the drive. This is to make any data that you deleted either intentionally or unintentionall un recoverable even by the most advanced data recovery software.

WARNING: The manufactures utilities writes 0000's to the entire drive, Norton only writes 0000s to empty space!!!!

WARNING: Once 0000's have been written to the drive weather in entirity or partial any overwritten data is lost with no hope for recovery so use caution!!!!

 

[bcastner]

The native format utility does not zero a drive.
wolluf's suggestion above is your best bet for a freeware secure disk wipe.

NTesla,
A "low-level" format does not do a zero byte write either.

 

[NTesla]

bcastner
I just looked up Low Level format. I just got an education. I knew that Low Level formating returned the drive to fresh out of factory condition, I also knew that writing 000's to the drive did the same thing thus I thought they were on in the same. However I have been corrected the sight below does a good job explaining this:

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/geom/formatUtilities-c.html

 

[bcastner]

NTesla,

Low level format is not identical to a zero fill, although some utilities likely will do both.

For the security aware, you do a zero fill.

Best regards,
Bill

 

[NTesla]

I understand that a format 'cuts' the tracks on the drive and prepares the drive for use.

I understand that write sero's to drive just writes 0's from the first byte to the last.

What exactly does a Low Level format do? Does it remove the tracks or what? Is their a name for the condition a drive is in right off the assembly line, other than the state it was in coming out of the factory? A partition is formated and prepared for use. Is their a term that compairs 'Prepared for Use' maybe unprepared for use.

 

[dans45]

Tesla and others, thanks for replies. I'm going to try the wd utility and see if it will work with other than wd drives. A similar seagate utility will only support their own drives. I'm intent on non-dos tools because I have to format multiple drives at once and the drives I'm formatting do not have a built in format function so they would have to be formatted serially and that would take forever.
I also understand some of the reasons why a true low level format is probably only possible at the factory.
I'll probably get a copy of the norton systemworks as well and try it.
I wonder why there are not more freeware hdd (write 000's) tools available.
regards, dans45

 

[wolluf]

did you look at/try kill disk?

 

[AlexIT]

A fill proceedure is almost EXACTLY what a low-level format is...except that a low-level does this BEFORE a partition is created (so it even overwrites the area where the MBT is placed.)

Also it depends on what you are looking to do - there are recover-specific techniques that can pull data from the platter after a number of overwrites. (In some cases they must remove the platter, install it into a device with a much more sensitive magnetic read-array and excite the platter with an external magnetic field...)

From US Department of Defense 5220.22-M Clearing and Sanitization Matrix - For fixed-rigid disk you must either a,b,d or m (but I wonder why "d" cannot be used for TOP secret...)

a. Degauss with a Type I degausser

b. Degauss with a Type II degausser.

d. Overwrite all addressable locations with a character, its complement, then a random character and verify. THIS METHOD IS NOT APPROVED FOR SANITIZING MEDIA THAT CONTAINS TOP SECRET INFORMATION.

m. Destroy - Disintegrate, incinerate, pulverize, shred, or melt.

If you want to prep a drive then low-level or fill format, but if you want to clean a drive degauss a couple of times (over a period of days) and then low-level to bring the drive to useable condition...


Alex