How do I Unformat C drive

[gamer4eva]

If I format my C drive, there is a way to restore the files I formatted?
I did not think this was possible.
I always figured that formatting deletes everything.

I thought the same too but apparently when it formats it just overwrites the blocks as empty....but the data is not deleted until new data is added. Anywayz if you do a full format...not the quick one would that erase all previous data and make it unrecoverable. Or does it not matter what type of format takes place and therefore is all the data recoverable regardless of this?

[Virtualbody1234]

DOS has UNFORMAT command.

[cool skill]

This makes no sense. I have a few hard drives that I have formatted many times over. I don't even know what a quick format is for a hard drive.
I have to go to DOS, and format my hard drive.

Once it is formatted, it is completely empty. No files found. I them proceed to install XP and other software. 100% free space. If I have a 200GB hard drive, I can now put in 200GB worth of information into it. It cannot possibly store the previous information, and continue to add the new information. It would go beyond its limited capacity which seems to me as logically impossible.

When it is time to format it again, I do so. Again, I can fill up and empty 200GB hard drive with 200GB worth of brand new information. How could it possibly be that a formatted hard drive can be unformatted when everything in it is gone?

[Virtualbody1234]

This makes no sense. I have a few hard drives that I have formatted many times over. I don't even know what a quick format is for a hard drive.
I have to go to DOS, and format my hard drive.

Once it is formatted, it is completely empty. No files found. I them proceed to install XP and other software. 100% free space. If I have a 200GB hard drive, I can now put in 200GB worth of information into it. It cannot possibly store the previous information, and continue to add the new information. It would go beyond its limited capacity which seems to me as logically impossible.

When it is time to format it again, I do so. Again, I can fill up and empty 200GB hard drive with 200GB worth of brand new information. How could it possibly be that a formatted hard drive can be unformatted when everything in it is gone?

Well... The previous information leaves residual magnetism even under the newly written data. Enough for law enforcement to retrieve data.

To prevent data access, you would need to write over the disk several times.

Active@ KillDisk Professional version suggests several methods for data destruction. For example, in US DoD 5220.22-M method it overwrites all addressable storage and indexing locations on the drive three times: with zeros (0x00), complement (0xFF) and random characters; and then verifies all writing procedures. This complies with the US DoD 5220.22-M security standard.

http://www.killdisk.com/

[cool skill]

Crap! So that means I could have recovered all of that info form my old hard drive that fried?

[limesqueezer]

As long as you don't open the disk and damage the platter you can recover it and also if its damged little it is possible but not with softwares only. You would need to have a laboratory than.

[cheshirecat]

if you have some divx movies and mp3's, quick format will suffice
if you hacked FBI.. then use 5 kg hammer and then throw the hdd out of the window

if you have some extra important info that you need to recover - pay the professionals. There are enough data recovery firms out tere on the market. The prices could be from 1$ for 1mb to 1$ for 1 kb!!