[SOLVED] Format/Erase PORTION of HDD

[OfficeJerk]

I have a few 2TB HDD's that have been installed in various machines over the years that has had personal files stored on them. These machines have long been sold/destroyed however I still have the HDD's. In the past i've used various hdd formatting tools to wipe drives in smaller size but the whole process just takes way too long to complete just one full pass, let alone multiple.

I am wondering if there is a tool available that will allow me to format only a portion of the HDD? For example, despite having 2Tb disks, i know that i never filled anymore than 200gb on any of these drives at any time, so i'd like to run a tool that will say, wipe the first 200gb only?

Is there something out there like that? i'd like to format and auction them off.

 

[USAFRet]

Format part of a drive?
Only if it is split into individual partitions. Which I'm assuming is not the case?

The easiest/fastest way:
Copy any data from the drive to some other physical drive.
Then, commandline diskpart, and its clean function.
Then, reformat and copy the data back.

 

[USAFRet]

Or if you're going to sell them?
DBAN, and erase the entire thing.

Darik’s Boot and Nuke – DBAN

Erase hard drives, desktops, laptops or servers free with a Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) download. Try it now.

dban.org

 

[Jimz Fix It]

"I am wondering if there is a tool available that will allow me to format only a portion of the HDD? For example, despite having 2Tb disks, i know that i never filled anymore than 200gb on any of these..."

How do you know that the FAT utilized just the first 200gb?
Just wondering why you don't erase the whole drive and be done with it?

 

[Endre]

I’d take USAFRet’d advice!
That’s exactly what I’d do too!

 

[popatim]

DBAN, and erase the entire thing.

I believe this is what they mean by erasing taking too long.


@OfficeJerk - delete all partitions on this drive, create 1 parition of 200GB or so, then do a full format instead of a quick format. This will write 0's to the first 200gb

If you want, run data recovery one the drive and see what comes up as recoverable.