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If you try and install Windows onto a drive that Windows is already installed on and basically just click though next though the installation process then setup

If you try and install Windows onto a drive that Windows is already installed on and basically just click though next though the installation process then setup will tell you: > "If the partition you've chosen contains files from a previous Windows installation, these files will be moved to a folder named Windows.old" If you then click OK Setup will then create a Windows.old folder, move the old Windows dir, user dir to Windows.old and then install as normal. If you delete the existing partition during the setup (or its a fresh drive), Setup needs to create a new partition(s) and will do it automatically if you wish, after which it will do a quick format. EDIT: Reading the pdf they point too it states that the OS was reinstalled, leading to data deletion but they were able to find various artifacts in unallocated space. So they may or may not of formated the drive, but most likely at least delete the partition, but even a full format doesn't zero out the drive (unless you give format.exe the /p: argument).

jaclaz 9y ago
>but even a full format doesn't zero out the drive (unless you give format.exe the /p: argument). A "normal", "full" format will wipe the volume, the /P command is implied unless /Q is specified (since Vista, but previous versions didn't have the /P at all), the /P:count parameter is to add (why?) to do it a number of times, using random characters: https://ss64.com/nt/format.html https://ss64.com/nt/format.html >/P:count Zero every sector on the volume. After that, the volume will be overwritten "count" times using a different random number each time. If "count" is zero, no additional overwrites are made after zeroing every sector. This switch is ignored when /Q is specified. More clear here: https://www.lifewire.com/format-command-2618091 https://www.lifewire.com/format-command-2618091 >/p:count = This format command option writes zeros to every sector of the drive: once. If you specify a count, a different random number will be written to the entire drive that many times after the zero writing is complete. You can not use the /p option with the /q option. Beginning in Windows Vista, /p is assumed unless you use /q [KB941961].
- Crosseye_Jack 9y ago
  I stand corrected, I was going off https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc730730(v=ws.11).aspx https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc730730(v=ws.11... which doesn't state that /p is implied unless /q is given. But yeah that lifewire link gave the KB number to the change of behaviour notice https://support.microsoft.com/help/941961/ https://support.microsoft.com/help/941961/
  - jaclaz 9y ago
    Yep, no prob, I also posted a link to that kb above (but maybe it was posted after your post and went above your reply because it was a direct reply to roywiggins' post). Anyway, I wanted to also highlight how since the company where he worked was specifically a "software company" (I mean not a mom and pop shop around the corner or similar) the IT guys over there should have wiped the disk anyway, possibly using the SecureErase ATA command (that wipes also not normally accessible disk areas), it should be "standard" procedure.

jaclaz 9y ago

>but even a full format doesn't zero out the drive (unless you give format.exe the /p: argument). A "normal", "full" format will wipe the volume, the /P command is implied unless /Q is specified (since Vista, but previous versions didn't have the /P at all), the /P:count parameter is to add (why?) to do it a number of times, using random characters: https://ss64.com/nt/format.html https://ss64.com/nt/format.html >/P:count Zero every sector on the volume. After that, the volume will be overwritten "count" times using a different random number each time. If "count" is zero, no additional overwrites are made after zeroing every sector. This switch is ignored when /Q is specified. More clear here: https://www.lifewire.com/format-command-2618091 https://www.lifewire.com/format-command-2618091 >/p:count = This format command option writes zeros to every sector of the drive: once. If you specify a count, a different random number will be written to the entire drive that many times after the zero writing is complete. You can not use the /p option with the /q option. Beginning in Windows Vista, /p is assumed unless you use /q [KB941961].

Crosseye_Jack 9y ago
I stand corrected, I was going off https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc730730(v=ws.11).aspx https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc730730(v=ws.11... which doesn't state that /p is implied unless /q is given. But yeah that lifewire link gave the KB number to the change of behaviour notice https://support.microsoft.com/help/941961/ https://support.microsoft.com/help/941961/
- jaclaz 9y ago
  Yep, no prob, I also posted a link to that kb above (but maybe it was posted after your post and went above your reply because it was a direct reply to roywiggins' post). Anyway, I wanted to also highlight how since the company where he worked was specifically a "software company" (I mean not a mom and pop shop around the corner or similar) the IT guys over there should have wiped the disk anyway, possibly using the SecureErase ATA command (that wipes also not normally accessible disk areas), it should be "standard" procedure.