PC HD Sanitizing

[gmann]

1. I need to return a PC HD to virgin status. It will be in an external enclosure.

2. I also need software To backup my complete in box drive to the external enclosure. It also has to make the external HD bootable as it will be swaped over to the computer.

This would be a piece of cake on my Mac, but being a PC noob I am lost. Any valid help would be greatly appreciated. This is my Toshiba laptop I am trying to setup.  

[gunug]

This is one of the two programs I've used for deleting the entire hard drive:

http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/download.php

I will try to look up the other from work tommorrow and the thing you're asking about!

[gmann]

Thanks very much gunug.  I have book marked that page and will be waiting for the external enclosure to arrive,  hopefully by the 21st.

[gunug]

I neglected to ask if the external enclosure was firewire or USB?

[gmann]

QUOTE(gunug @ Jul 17 2006, 06:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I neglected to ask if the external enclosure was firewire or USB?

It is USB 2.0

[gunug]

They are now charging for the ISO CD version of Madboot which is another utility I've used in the past.  The floppy version is free but I'm not sure it has the features you would need to transfer partitions easily:

http://www.madboot.com/

This page has links to other utilities that are free (two of which I've used):

http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/pa...oneditors.shtml

The Ultimate Boot CD is one I've used in the past that includes utilities for doing a lot of things included moving partitions/copying files.  Ranish Partition manager is another although as I recall it is kind of strange to use.  The Ultimate Boot CD is Linux based but will do what you want just fine; I haven't use the Windows version someone else is doing but I suspect you have to start with a copy of XP on CD to set it up from!

It's also possible your enclosure might come with something useful in the way of utilities; the last couple I ordered did!

[gmann]

Thanks again gunug for your extended efforts on my behalf.  I also bookmarked the url from today.  It looks like my needs will be well addressed.  I find it somewhat humerous that my pc concerns were handled so well on a Mac board, whereas they were ignored on the pc boards that I contacted. It shows that TS is a well organized and considerate community.  

[kelly]

If you've got it solved Gary, fine.

Norton Ghost is the Gold Standard in the PC World.

http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/pr...mp;pvid=ghost10

Costs money though.

[gunug]

If I'd thought money was no object I'd have said Ghost; although it was supposed to come with the 12 copies of Norton Systemworks Professional (Whatever) 2006 we ordered and it doesn't really.  When I say this I mean a version that one can boot off CD or floppy and use; I really don't want to install the sucker or any of the stuff that comes on the CD.  Symantec had the nerve to recommend you use the version that came with 2004 or thereabouts.  I suppose they want you to buy the version that came by itself; although it's not coming out of my pocket to find this out!