Do you want to be sure that the information you deleted cannot be recovered? Here we will show you how format hard drive at low level. The safest solution!
Format hard drive at low level
Sometimes we decide to throw away our old computer or give it to someone else. Then, the most logical thing is to erase all the information contained in it, in such a way that no one else can retrieve it and access it. For that, the right thing to do is low-level hard drive format.
In general terms, low-level hard drive format, or as it is also often called, perform a single pass formatting, the purpose of which is to permanently and irretrievably erase the data that is stored on the hard disk storage devices.
In this regard, it is important to note that the procedure is carried out only on the sectors of the hard disk linked to the underlying storage, that is, it does not take into account the file system where the relationships between files and addresses are established, the process of read - write and the integrity of the operations is guaranteed.
In other words, for low-level hard drive format it is necessary to write the data directly over each of the bits on the storage medium or device, causing all the old data to be destroyed forever.
At this point it is important to remember that bits are grouped together to form data, which is converted into documents, images, videos, and any other file that can be stored in the basic information units of the computer.
Features
It is common for some people to use the term hard drive formatting without making any distinction between the different types of it that exist. Therefore, to avoid possible confusion, it is necessary to establish the main characteristics of low-level formatting:
Format the hard drive at low level it is possible regardless of whether the hard drive has one or more partitions.
The procedure requires the use of the device driver, either IDE or SATA. In addition, the writing of the data is carried out on physical sectors.
This type of formatting is used to restore the sectors of the hard disk to the original factory conditions. In addition, it is useful when some of these sectors have failures, including those generated by viruses or malicious programs.
https://youtu.be/NxUHtfIBbes?t=22
Tools
While it is true that for format a hard drive at low level the essential requirement is to have the device connected to the machine, so is the fact that we need a computer tool to carry out the procedure. In this way, we mention the following:
DBAN
The first thing to mention about DBAN is that it is a tool that is compatible with any brand of magnetic hard disk, but it is not designed to format solid state disks (DSS).
The next aspect that we must highlight is that the use of a bootable pendrive or CD is required, in such a way that it works as a bootable flash drive, containing the DBAN program to low-level hard drive format.
You can find more information about this in our article on how to make a bootable pendrive.
Now, once we have the device and the respective program inside, the first step is to restart the computer. Next, when the computer turns on again, we press the F12 key as many times as necessary, until we are asked to indicate the flash drive from which we want to start formatting the hard disk.
Once we have selected our unit, the DBAN program opens in the next window that appears on the screen. At this point we are asked to establish the mode of use. We select the Manual option and press the Enter key.
Below is a list of all the hard drives that are connected to our computer. We select the ones we are interested in deleting and follow the simple instructions that the program tells us to follow.
Finally, we must not forget to re-partition the hard drive if we want the unit to be usable again.
HDD low level format
This tool works perfectly with hard drives of any brand, regardless of SATA, IDE, USB, Firewire, SCSI and SAS drives. Unlike DBAN it is capable of formatting solid state hard drives.
The first step low-level hard drive format Through this useful application, you download the program from its official website. It is possible to do it in a normal or portable version. The first one is completely free, while the second requires the cancellation of a certain amount of money, which gives the right to obtain updates to the program indefinitely.
That being said, we assume we opted for the normal version. So, we click where it says Continue for free. Immediately, the next window shows us the list of all the hard drives that we have connected to our device. We select the one of our interest and click on the Continue option.
Next, in different tabs, we are shown the general information of the selected hard drive, including its status. To start formatting, within that same window we go to the tab called Low Level Format. There we are shown the data that will be deleted.
At the bottom of the window we uncheck the Perform Quick Format option, and click where it says Format this Device. The program automatically shows us the progress of the formatting process.
At the end, we must re-create the partitions of the hard drive.
Recommendations
Due to the nature of the procedure through which you can low-level hard drive format, the first advice is to take the utmost precaution to ensure that we are going to work with the correct storage device, since once the task is completed there will be no way to recover the deleted data.
Additionally, it is advisable to make a backup copy of the data that, in any case, we want to keep. For this we can use a pendrive or an external hard drive. Using online storage services is also an option.
You may also be interested in reading the article upload files to cloud.