Fiel Wrote:Even doing a slow format doesn't truly wipe all of the data. The non-volatile data is still on the disk, just doesn't get erased. If you're really concerned about personal data, just DBAN it. DBAN uses the Mersenne Twister algorithm to secure erase.

Cyadd Wrote:If I understand correctly, if I want to make sure everything is gone, I'm going to have re-install the OS, right? So, has anyone done this, and is it possible without blasting everything off of the HDD? What program should I use?

• Simply delete the files. If you're not sure exactly which files you need to get rid of, just reinstall the operating system.
  
• Use a utility like Darik's Boot and Nuke that actually overwrites the bits on the hard drive. This protects against someone using software to scan your hard drive and look for data. When you delete a file normally, it doesn't really set the bits the file occupied to all 0s. It just marks the space that it occupied as free. If that space does not get allocated to other files later, the data is still there. Boot and Nuke is for securely erasing an entire hard drive, but there are also utilities that can securely delete individual files.
  
• Use an overwriting utility like above and physically destroy the disk. This protects against certain forensic techiniques that are far out of the reach of ordinary people. Obviously this prevents the disk from being reused and is overkill in your case but it's used for things like military secrets.