Best Free Secure Erase Utility

[movrshakr]

In the Best Free Secure Erase Utility list, I can find none that seem to erase/wipe a given partition. They talk about file shredding and free-space wiping, but I don't see one that wipes a specified partition.

There is one mentioned that wipes all of all hard drives found on the machine, but that is not what I want either. I want to wipe C: (but leave it existing as a partition), and not wipe the hidden recovery partition.

[garth]

You might try one of these applications. I've used MiniTool Partition Wizard and it works well on my Win7 machine.

http://www.techsupportalert.com/cont...on-manager.htm

[movrshakr]

Originally Posted by garth

You might try one of these applications. I've used MiniTool Partition Wizard and it works well on my Win7 machine.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/cont...on-manager.htm

But i don't see that MiniTool or the others mentioned WIPE/ERASE blocks on the disk. They seem to be partition managers not wipers.

I don't need to resize, reformat, etc. I need to wipe every block in C: but leave it there as a partition which can be formatted and have an OS installed on it.

I have to send the computer out under a maintenance plan I purchased, and I want NOTHING on it except the recovery partition.

[garth]

They are indeed partition managers but you can use them to format a partition which will effectively wipe it, but not while that partition has your OS on it. Sorry to be of no help, i expect someone else will be able to advise you better

[movrshakr]

Originally Posted by garth

They are indeed partition managers but you can use them to format a partition which will effectively wipe it, but not while that partition has your OS on it. Sorry to be of no help, i expect someone else will be able to advise you better

I do appreciate the input, but think I need one of those programs that overwrite the blocks with patterns. And, as you note, it will have to run from a CD--not from the partition being wiped. My difficulty is to find a partition wiper vs. a DISK wiper.

On formatting, I know that "Quick Format" does not overwrite the data blocks, but a "full" format may. I could not, however, find anything that confirmed that with certainty.

[Stasou]

On formatting, I know that "Quick Format" does not overwrite the data blocks, but a "full" format may. I could not, however, find anything that confirmed that with certainty.

Check this out
http://www.techsupportalert.com/cont...ull-format.htm

[Sope]

You could manually delete any sensitive data from the partiton, then use CCleaner's "drive wiper" tool to securely overwrite the empty space on that partition, then format it.

I dare say some of the other secure erase utilities you've looked at are capable of wiping free space on a given partition.