Recommend Secure Delete programs ?

[Tigerllc74]

login123:

I am glad that you are interested. Before I begin, let me simply say that please do NOT waste your time secure deleting HD then try to restore the image. Ask yourself, what are the need for secure delete?? I did it for fun and see what happens.

 

Also, please re-read my previous replies for it will make more sense to you now.

 

Here I we go...

Vista Home Premium. OEM version that comes with Acer and Compaq laptops.

Yes, restore worked BEFORE secure delete. Rescue CD then all the menus.

I use Active@ KillDisk. Someone cautioned against possible conflict between DRAN and Macrium. I don't know why, but word of caution was enough.

Active@ Kill disk is DOS based bootable CD.

 

Your last question?? I am not exactly sure what you are asking, but let me try.

If you mean, could I format HD after secure delete?? YES, but still could not restore.

The key issue was after secure delete then format and recovery to factory settings, the older image cloud not be restored.

BUT images made after formatting and factory settings was restored fine. That's where I am now. I created a new image after formatting, and all work fine.

 

Secure deleting process did not damage the HD at all (since I was able to recover to factory settings using recovery CD that came with laptop).

BUT somehow secure deleting process conflicts with the way Macrium restores which MAcrium tech support did not even address and left me in the dark.

 

Like I said, re-read my replies and it will make more sense now.

Also, don't secure delete your HD. Why ??

 

I am not sure how many people actually tried the entire process of making the image and actually restored the image. It's a worthy exercise, just in case ???

 

Also, remember to use most recent version of rescue CD (say v5.0xx (not here yet) vs v4.2xx).

 

I found another free imaging program. Easeus Todo Bakcup 1.1.

So now I have two images from two different programs.

 

Let me know if I can help anymore !!!

[DennisD]

Hi Tiger.

 

There's one thought which crossed my mind when I first saw you were doing this for a friend.

 

It might seem a daft question, but was the Image you were trying to restore actually made on the computer you were trying to restore it to?

 

I don't mind admitting to my shortcomings, and some time ago it had crossed my mind as to whether I could restore my Image to the computer of a neighbour who had completely corrupted his Registry.

 

Fireryone put me right as to the why it can't be done. Different hardware architecture etc, but if you're not a techie, you don't know these things for sure until someone puts you right. It is possible apparently, but would take an awful lot of knowhow and tweaking.

 

Anyways, a shot in the dark just in case.

[Tigerllc74]

Good question Dennis:

No I was trying to restore the image that was made from the same computer.

 

It would only make sense that restoring images to different computers will NOT work.

Each computers have there own unique settings made by each company.

[login123]

DennisD, I am getting quite used to admitting my shortcomings, actually...it seems to get easier with time.

 

Thanks, Tigerllc74, for the prompt reply. I'm still not sure what went wrong for you. Acer Laptops used to have a hidden partition called PQSERVICE, it would survive even a reinstallation of the wrong OS, was fat32 I think, and another called ACERDATA, which was visible and was fat32. Might be why you had ~74 gb of unallocated space.

 

Thats the only thing I can think of if indeed the restore image worked before you wiped the HD. In any case, glad you got it worked out.

 

Looks like I shall have to experiment a bit with an old hard drive before cleaning up a real one.

[Tigerllc74]

We all learn from experimenting.

Sometimes I get too detailed and enter into something that I have no business playing with.

I am learning to keep things simple.

 

What was funny with Macrium was that 74GB of unallocated empty was showing, but still cannot restore with older image. It would only work with newer image. As I said, even Macrium couldn't answer.

But I think I can move on without knowing the answer.

[Tasgandy]

iden:

What do you mean ?? Are you saying after DBAN, Macrium restore will not work ??

If so, any idea how I can restore to the same HDD ??

 

During restore, I got to Choose Partition to overwrite. So I chose two (using cntl key), but "no new partition can be restored to this location" error.

Some told me to delete the partition first. But how can I ?? I am using rescue CD, and HD is cleaned with secure delete.

Why did you choose 2 partitions? you are only restoring 1 partition.

[login123]

There is something wrong here, back there around post number 8. Maybe Marmite was onto it?? I'd like to clear it up for my own benefit and others.

 

I just read a bunch about Active@ Kill Disk and DBAN. Hope someone more knowledgeable confirm if the ideas below are right or wrong:

 

- If Active@ Kill Disk or DBAN had been run against the HD, there would be no partitions to select? (post 8)

- But it wouldn't matter, as a Macrium restore image will restore to an unformatted hard drive? That so?

- If the HD had not been zapped before post 8, the Macrium image was not working even on the original OS.

 

How many did I get right out of 3?

[marmite]

1 If Active@ Kill Disk or DBAN had been run against the HD, there would be no partitions to select? (post 8)

2 But it wouldn't matter, as a Macrium restore image will restore to an unformatted hard drive? That so?

3 If the HD had not been zapped before post 8, the Macrium image was not working even on the original OS.

1 I believe so.

2 I originally thought Reflect needed a partition. I've since learned I was wrong because Reflect will create its own - so I think your statement 2 is also correct.

3 That is a very good question.

 

We also don't know what MBR options were specified on restore, since Reflect offers three options. How many of them were tried?

[login123]

It looks like Tigerllc74 might have made a misstep somewhere, my guess would be choosing the wrong wiping option in Active@ Kill Disk. Would be very easy to do, Acronis gives me headaches just thinking about it.

 

A definitive answer requires an experiment which I don't have time to do right now, maybe later:

- make a Macrium image from a working OS

- install it on an old HD & make sure it runs

- zap the old HD w/ Active@ Kill Disk

- reinstall the Macrium image onto the old HD

- cross your fingers and boot up the old HD

 

Did I leave out any steps?

[DennisD]

A cold one after step 3 maybe.

[Tasgandy]

It looks like Tigerllc74 might have made a misstep somewhere, my guess would be choosing the wrong wiping option in Active@ Kill Disk. Would be very easy to do, Acronis gives me headaches just thinking about it.

 

A definitive answer requires an experiment which I don't have time to do right now, maybe later:

- make a Macrium image from a working OS

- install it on an old HD & make sure it runs

- zap the old HD w/ Active@ Kill Disk

- reinstall the Macrium image onto the old HD

- cross your fingers and boot up the old HD

 

Did I leave out any steps?

No login123 you did not leave any steps out BUT I would like Tigerllc74 to answer my question "Why did you choose 2 partitions? you are only restoring 1 partition".

 

Further, I always take the offered option to replace the MBR..............what say you all.

[marmite]

- make a Macrium image from a working OS

- install it on an old HD & make sure it runs

Whatever the problem was I don't think it's Reflect per se; but it was certainly the restore that went awry. So if it were me I'd want to do my Reflect restore back onto the same drive; after all that's what Reflect is for.

 

If that means that you clone your original drive so be it.

 

For me, for this experiment to be reasonably conclusive, you need to do the back-up, the test restore and the nuke all on the same disk. Then see how the post-nuke restore goes.

[marmite]

Further, I always take the offered option to replace the MBR..............what say you all.

When I was doing my flash USB test the other day, I didn't overwrite the MBR because I did the restore immediately after the back-up, so I was confident that the existing MBR was fine.

 

But ordinarily I'd probably agree; though it is something I would consider, rather than just doing it habitually.

[Tasgandy]

When I was doing my flash USB test the other day, I didn't overwrite the MBR because I did the restore immediately after the back-up, so I was confident that the existing MBR was fine.

 

But ordinarily I'd probably agree; though it is something I would consider, rather than just doing it habitually.

I agree with you.

 

In my case the last 2 episodes, one failing to boot at all, just kept posting, detecting HD's then posting again, and again etc. the other time after posting I got a millisecond "blue screen" then blank - black, so I replaced the MBR, and all went according to the manual (as such). Reckon this saved my bacon.

[Tigerllc74]

All due respect to all the replies thus far, we need to step back and consider something very obvious.

 

How things "supposed" to work and how it "actually" work is night and day sometimes. What I shared was how it "actually" worked.

 

As I said, secure delete was an experiment for me. (it took days for the experiment) I know how MR "suppose" to work. But for some odd reasons it could not restore after secure delete. Even Macrium tech support did not have an answer. For me, it's one of those "weird" things that I am not going to spend any more time on. I moved on.

 

I chose two partitions because that's how many there were showing by rescue CD. After secure delete, once there were two partitions and other time just one unallocated empty partition. In theory, MR is supposed to restore onto totally 000s, unallocated and empty HD. Well, it didn't work for me.

I wanted to restore into both partitions as one after the restore.

 

I made myself very clear that restore worked before secure delete and after factory settings were recovered. But the old image (before secure delete) could not be restored into secure deleted HD.

 

Personally, this is the last posting on this matter for me. I have moved on and all the speculations have not added to solving the mystery. The fact is (for me) I will never play with secure delete. I am back to normal operation with MR, so I am satisfied.

 

Go USA and South Korea!!! Winter Olympics and World Cup !!!

[Tasgandy]

All due respect to all the replies thus far, we need to step back and consider something very obvious.

 

How things "supposed" to work and how it "actually" work is night and day sometimes. What I shared was how it "actually" worked.

 

As I said, secure delete was an experiment for me. (it took days for the experiment) I know how MR "suppose" to work. But for some odd reasons it could not restore after secure delete. Even Macrium tech support did not have an answer. For me, it's one of those "weird" things that I am not going to spend any more time on. I moved on.

 

I chose two partitions because that's how many there were showing by rescue CD. After secure delete, once there were two partitions and other time just one unallocated empty partition. In theory, MR is supposed to restore onto totally 000s, unallocated and empty HD. Well, it didn't work for me.

I wanted to restore into both partitions as one after the restore.

 

I made myself very clear that restore worked before secure delete and after factory settings were recovered. But the old image (before secure delete) could not be restored into secure deleted HD.

 

Personally, this is the last posting on this matter for me. I have moved on and all the speculations have not added to solving the mystery. The fact is (for me) I will never play with secure delete. I am back to normal operation with MR, so I am satisfied.

 

Go USA and South Korea!!! Winter Olympics and World Cup !!!

Thanks for your reply and as long as you are back up and running that's what really matters.

[marmite]

Firstly Tigerllc74 (in case you carry on reading ) I echo Tasgandy's comment in the previous post to this one.

 

I'm still posting because login123 would like to try this, so really in that sense the thread has moved on also. So my subsequent comments are for login123's benefit ...

 

All due respect to all the replies thus far, we need to step back and consider something very obvious.

 

How things "supposed" to work and how it "actually" work is night and day sometimes. What I shared was how it "actually" worked.

And with sincere respect to the OP's experience, that doesn't mean "it doesn't work". It doesn't mean "it won't work". It just means "it failed for the OP". We still do not know why this failed, which is why it would be a bonus were anyone to demonstrate this isn't always the case - i.e. that potentially it was a one off (because we don't know why it failed).

 

I made myself very clear that restore worked before secure delete and after factory settings were recovered.

I actually can't find a reference in the thread to a back-up and restore immediately before the nuke. This is important because it pertains to the state and integrity of the hard drive / partitions / MBR immediately before the nuke.

 

So login123 ... I'd be really interested to see the outcome if you were to follow this through!

[login123]

A cold one after step 3 maybe.

Yep, might need fortification before step 1, even.

 

Further, I always take the offered option to replace the MBR..............what say you all.

Yep, think so.

 

After secure delete, once there were two partitions and other time just one unallocated empty partition.

... first time I had heard that...

I wanted to restore into both partitions as one after the restore.

...maybe is the root of the problem, eh?...

Anyway, glad you got it settled, Tigerllc74.

 

Well, I was going to install a new HD into Old Hal here anyway. Will go thru those steps and report back. Might take couple of days. If there is anything you ever wondered but were afraid to ask about Macrium Reflect, post it up in the next little bit and I'll check it out as I go. If it works for me it should work for anybody.

 

Edit: I'm gonna do it like this because I'm not sure that Macrium will install into an unformatted HD, and it might be useful for all the Macrium faithful.

[login123]

...

I'd want to do my Reflect restore back onto the same drive; after all that's what Reflect is for.

...

For me, for this experiment to be reasonably conclusive, you need to do the back-up, the test restore and the nuke all on the same disk. Then see how the post-nuke restore goes.

 

Yes. Will clone this OS onto that new HD, and install it into HAL. Then proceed. If all goes blooie, will put the present HD back in and ... uhh ... do something else.

[marmite]

Yes. Will clone this OS onto that new HD, and install it into HAL. Then proceed. If all goes blooie, will put the present HD back in and ... uhh ... do something else.

Good luck

[DennisD]

For when you resurface:

 

[login123]

For when you resurface:

 

 

Thanks a million, DennisD. I'm going to need it. Whatever was I thinking? Hal the Haunted Computer is sitting here with its wires and skeleton showing, working fine but looking pitiful. Cannot get it to boot with both hard drives hooked to the ribbon cable, so am stuck at step one. This is going to take longer than expected. Probably will just start a new topic in the lounge when finished, rather than drag this one out.

 

Thanks for the kind wishes, keep the thought.