# Wiping Out My Computer **URL:** \ **Category:** random\ **Created:** [August 2, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561 "2004-08-02T02:09:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CagedApe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@CagedApe](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/CagedApe)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/1 "2004-08-02T02:09:29Z")
Does anyone know where I can find a guide on how to clean out my HD so it clears everything out except what it came with? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/2 "2004-08-02T02:15:40Z")
Well there have been many threads with this same question. Are you trying to totally reformat your HD? How HD’s do you have? And what did it come with? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/3 "2004-08-02T02:32:03Z")
Go to your hdd’s website. They should have a downloadable utility for error checking and doing a low level format to your drive. Running this program usually takes several hours but it will completely write your drive back to zero’s. Or you could just pass a huge magnet over it a few times like I do. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/4 "2004-08-02T02:38:15Z")
> [@ditchhopper](#): > > Or you could just pass a huge magnet over it a few times like I do. 😉 That’s not smart… or is it? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/5 "2004-08-02T02:49:44Z")
I dunno? I was kidding. Never actually done it. But I know a guy, who has a friend, whos cousins dentist claims that it simply scrambles the data but does nothing to harm the disks from being re-written to again. So if your willing to believe this dentist, give it a shot. Seriously I know a guy who says he does this all the time … but he’s a bit of a nut job. :crazy: ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/6 "2004-08-02T02:56:39Z")
I thought that if you used a magnet, you could actually harm the drive physically. Still, I’m not willing to try that. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:24am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/7 "2004-08-02T03:24:00Z")
Lol, Putting a magnet up to your HD is just as bad as static and your motherboard 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:47am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/8 "2004-08-02T03:47:07Z")
If the drive is under 36GB you can just boot into DOS and type in format c: /s That’ll leave you with zip except the stuff you’ll need to reinstall your OS. Of course, if you want your OS already on there, usually computers come with some sorta utility or Restoration CD… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:51am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/9 "2004-08-02T03:51:31Z")
Just open up the Command Prompt and type in _format c:_ ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/10 "2004-08-02T03:53:47Z")
Hmm, I thought the /s was something you DON’T want to leave out? Can’t live without those DOS system files, you know… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/11 "2004-08-02T03:56:41Z")
Well considering that harddrives contain magnets themselves, I think it would have to be a pretty powerful magnet to do any physical harm? I may be wrong? Im guessing it would probably cause some bad sectors on the disk but probably not destroy it completely. Hmmm… this might give me something to do after work tomorrow. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/wiping-out-my-computer/59561/12 "2004-08-02T03:59:26Z")
Well they’re fairly sensitive magnets… quite fragile really. You probably wouldn’t end up causing any major sort of data loss, only corruption and damage.