

- #How to wipe a laptop clean and start over without a disk for free#
- #How to wipe a laptop clean and start over without a disk install#
- #How to wipe a laptop clean and start over without a disk software#
Then, simply put the disk in the drive and do a restart. Create a boot-able CD and you’re ready to roll.
#How to wipe a laptop clean and start over without a disk install#
If you don’t have any of those and are digging this FREE thing, you can download ISO RECORDER for XP and Vista and install that first. It requires a program like Nero Burning Rom, MagicISO or PowerISO to run. No really, once this program gets started it’s too late. If you haven’t deleted that many files, chances are you or whoever gets your computer, can retrieve almost every file ever deleted. It’s simply moved to a different location and written over.


When you delete a file on your computer, it doesn’t actually go away. If you plan on selling or disposing of a computer, I recommend using DBAN to erase any data first.
#How to wipe a laptop clean and start over without a disk software#
Darik’s Boot-n-Nukeĭarik Horn’s FREE software for wiping your hard drive clean. If you’re using them solely for backup purposes, they’ll last much longer than that. Blu-Ray Discs and DVDs can last 15-25 years with moderate use. CDs have about a five year life with moderate use. Blu-Rays hold 25-50 Gigs of data and are built to last. DVDs are sturdier in construction and hold up to 4.7 Gigs of data as opposed to 700 Mb on a CD. If you have a choice between CDs or DVDs, definitely go with DVDs. I recommend doing it once or twice a year as an individual or monthly if you’re using your computer for business purposes. Right mouse-click on the My Documents folder and click on Properties.īurning your photos, music and other documents onto a CD or DVD is a great way to backup your data.If you store everything in My Documents, you can find out real quick how much you have. If your Flash Drive is large enough to store all the data you need, you won’t need to back it up onto a CD/DVD, however, it’s still a good idea to backup your docs on a disk from time to time. If you think you’ll use a 64 GB Flash Drive often, go for it.
#How to wipe a laptop clean and start over without a disk for free#
I’m always looking for FREE or really cheap. A 64 GB Flash Drive (largest they make as of this writing) will run about $150. Tools:Īn 8 Gigabyte Flash drive can be had at for under $25. Whatever the case, it becomes necessary from time to time to start all over again. Or, you may have gotten infected with a virus that will not go away. Technology is moving forward at a blistering pace and our computers are constantly updating themselves but sometimes with disastrous results. Seconds after you bought your computer it became a dinosaur. No matter how careful you are (and I’m not) drivers, configuration files, shared resources and many of the hundreds of thousands of files needed to run your windows machine are going to get corrupted. I wipe my drives clean once a year minimum, sometimes more. The good news is you don’t have to lose everything to do it. Your computer is so messed up you can’t deal with it anymore and it’s time to do something drastic. You’ve tried everything and none of it worked. This tutorial is primarily for Microsoft Windows users, however the FREE software is cross-platform Vista, Win7) A 3 step process to save your data and clean your computer, once and for all (until the next time). Update: This article was written in 2008, and while much of it is still relevant, DBAN has had issues with some newer hardware and Operating Systems (i.e.
