I have an old windows xp pc that is going to the recyclers. My local computer expert tells me that no meaningful data can be recovered from the hard drive as it has recently been formatted. Is he correct and it's safe to leave the old hard drive in or should I remove it. The PC itself does not boot up for whatever reason so nobody would be able tp just plug it in and start playing with it. Thanks
Hard drive disposal
- Thread starter jj4091
- Start date
Sponsored Links
Drop it in salty water for a few days
Formatting a drive does not overwrite the data on the disc, it only erases the index ( addresses ) of the files stored on the disc.
Washing ( electronically ) a disc over writes the whole disc with blank data,
Even a washed disc can sometimes be read using sophisticated equipment.
I always remove the disc(s) from a drive and cut or burn them
Washing ( electronically ) a disc over writes the whole disc with blank data,
Even a washed disc can sometimes be read using sophisticated equipment.
I always remove the disc(s) from a drive and cut or burn them
So are you saying it is possible for someone to recover the info on the disc and be able to read documents, look at photos, and get other personal data from the hard drive or is it unlikely many people would have the ability to do that.
Sponsored Links
If the HDD has only had a "Quick format", then yes, data is easily recoverable with software tools such as PhotoRec -
Digital Picture and File Recovery
PhotoRec is a free and open source file carver data recovery software tool.
If the HDD has had a multiple-pass zero fill format, then the data will be far more difficult to recover.
However, as mentioned above - physical destruction of the HDD, is a very good way of protecting your data.
...HDD's are also a good source for neodymium magnets, and the platters make good coasters!
Thanks for that info because before I was told it was not recoverable I was thinking of buying a cheap used PC from E**y and fit the hard drive into it and try to recover the info myself. So I think I will revisit that plan. Just as a bit more info though, after the hard drive was formatted the XP operating software was reinstalled on it. Would that make any difference to it's recoverability?If the HDD has only had a "Quick format", then yes, data is easily recoverable with software tools such as PhotoRec -
Digital Picture and File Recovery
PhotoRec is a free and open source file carver data recovery software tool.www.cgsecurity.org
If the HDD has had a multiple-pass zero fill format, then the data will be far more difficult to recover.
However, as mentioned above - physical destruction of the HDD, is a very good way of protecting your data.
...HDD's are also a source of neodymium magnets, and the platters make good coasters!
The simple fix, is to hit the drive a good blow, with a sledge hammer - enough that the PCB is smashed and the disks bent.
- Joined
- 12 Aug 2022
- Messages
- 390
- Reaction score
- 199
- Country
Yes is the answer to that. Even I could recover some if not all data from a disk that has been formatted whether that is a short or a full format and I do not have any sophisticated software or equipment. I will say that is unlikely that anyone would try normally but I always drill three holes in my dead drives with a number 10 drill bit. A big nail and a bolster work just as well. Then that smashes the silicon discs and the drive can safely be binned. Even if the discs are metal (not usual in this day and age) doing what I suggest will bend the discs to such an extent that they are unreadable.
The average person would be very un-likely to have the ability to recover data from a washed disc as it requires special hardware to read what is left of the magnetic image of the data.
There are companies who provide a data recovery service who do have that special hardware.
i always remove the harddrives from devices and then use a sledge hammer and break them up , making sure the disc are broken as well
not yet dumped any phones or other devices that have data on
NOT sure of the risk, just something i have always done , as then 0% risk
The people at some dumps often recover items and put them in a shed to sell , and then maybe whoever buys may fix - just depends on the fault and if they can be bothered - loads of people tinker around withj electronics
not yet dumped any phones or other devices that have data on
NOT sure of the risk, just something i have always done , as then 0% risk
The people at some dumps often recover items and put them in a shed to sell , and then maybe whoever buys may fix - just depends on the fault and if they can be bothered - loads of people tinker around withj electronics
If you want to try and recover photos/files, it's definitely worth trying (assuming the drive still operates!).
If WindowsXP was reinstalled after a format, it would likely use similar areas of the disc as it did previously.
That's not to say that every photo will be recoverable, and with a tool like PhotoRec, you need to be selective with the recovery - i.e. set it to look for image files above a certain size.
There are thousands of superfluous image files included with Windows such as icon images etc.
Last edited:
On a desktop or tower PC, it's quite easy to take the hard drive out. You can then damage it, or throw it in a skip on its own. Or you can keep it and try to recover data. I used to use old drives for data backup before the cloud got so easy.
Thanks for all the suggestions, there are some files that contain the contact details of old friends (names, addresses, phone numbers etc) that are on the hard drive that I would really like to recover if possible as it is the only record I have of them. I had it backed up with Norton ghost on an external hard drive but that has disappeared somehow. So my plan to buy another cheap PC and fit the hard drive into it might be a feasible option, if I get a recovery software programme as well, as a means of accessing the lists I want even if it means trawling through a load of unneeded files. Is that correct?
- Joined
- 25 Apr 2016
- Messages
- 2,594
- Reaction score
- 612
- Country
extract the HDD. Buy a HDD 'Dock' (e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/33529843...VLPBtI0TtluUJ6SL8veAi0Sy4ML-4fQhoCV24QAvD_BwE)
That will secure the HDD into your possession and give you additional storage capacity. If you hadn't 'formatted the drive the old data would still be available to you.
Whilst you have the computer in pieces also remove the memory 'sticks' - they may fit your new computer or are saleable.
That will secure the HDD into your possession and give you additional storage capacity. If you hadn't 'formatted the drive the old data would still be available to you.
Whilst you have the computer in pieces also remove the memory 'sticks' - they may fit your new computer or are saleable.
Links in this post may contain affiliate links for which DIYnot may be compensated.
Sponsored Links
