Hey All, I am selling my computer and I safely wanted to remove all my files from the computer for security and privacy purposes. I use Windows XP home and have 3 user accounts. As of now I have backed up all my files, cleared the internet cache, unistalled all software and removed all accounts. My question is there a software that will basically erase my hardrive without erasing three esential software components - Windows, Office, Antivirus. If not, what is the best way to make sure that my data is secure and the next user will not be able to access the data. Thanks. Vcash
To be really safe, you must do a low-level format of the entire HDD. Normal formatting tools can't even do this; as far as leaving the OS installed and expecting to make deleted files unrecoverable, this is not possible with Windows at all. Sorry. You're best off running DBAN and nuking the entire HDD, which will make data extremely difficult to recover, even for those who specialize in such things and have special tools. Afterwards, reinstall Windows from scratch.
