I know this is not the answer you're looking for, but there is no way to be 100% sure you're erasing all the data unless you wipe the drive and install the OS from scratch. There are 3rd party tools which claim to do this, but there are so many places that data can reside, and so many various registry keys that contain information, that it is very hard to guarantee everything has been deleted. And if you do delete the data to what seems like a satisfactory level, make sure to defragment the drive as completely as possible, because undelete/unerase utilities can very easily sniff out "deleted" data on a drive, and let the new owner have a field day with your data. Obviously, this is another reason to format the drive and start over.
+
I know this is not the answer you're looking for, but there is no way to be 100% sure you're erasing all the data unless you wipe the drive and install the OS from scratch. There are 3rd party tools which claim to do this, but there are so many places that data can reside, and so many various registry keys that contain information, that it is very hard to guarantee everything has been deleted. And if you do delete the data to what seems like a satisfactory level, make sure to defragment the drive as completely as possible, because undelete/unerase utilities can very easily sniff out "deleted" data on a drive, and let the new owner have a field day with your data. Obviously, this is another reason to format the drive and start over -- doing so writes to the drive a sufficient amount that it would be very difficult for someone to resurrect what was on it.
It may be worth investing in a good external optical drive. If you deal with a lot of laptops, it's something you'll probably find a use for many times. Also, the laptop's manufacturer will likely sell you restore media for $25 or so, or you might have luck purchasing it on eBay, etc.
I know this is not the answer you're looking for, but there is no way to be 100% sure you're erasing all the data unless you wipe the drive and install the OS from scratch. There are 3rd party tools which claim to do this, but there are so many places that data can reside, and so many various registry keys that contain information, that it is very hard to guarantee everything has been deleted. And if you do delete the data to what seems like a satisfactory level, make sure to defragment the drive as completely as possible, because undelete/unerase utilities can very easily sniff out "deleted" data on a drive, and let the new owner have a field day with your data. Obviously, this is another reason to format the drive and start over.
-
It may be worth investing in a good external drive. If you deal with a lot of laptops, it's something you'll probably find a use for many times. Also, the laptop's manufacturer will likely sell you restore media for $25 or so, or you might have luck purchasing it on eBay, etc.
+
It may be worth investing in a good external optical drive. If you deal with a lot of laptops, it's something you'll probably find a use for many times. Also, the laptop's manufacturer will likely sell you restore media for $25 or so, or you might have luck purchasing it on eBay, etc.
I know this is not the answer you're looking for, but there is no way to be 100% sure you're erasing all the data unless you wipe the drive and install the OS from scratch. There are 3rd party tools which claim to do this, but there are so many places that data can reside, and so many various registry keys that contain information, that it is very hard to guarantee everything has been deleted. And if you do delete the data to what seems like a satisfactory level, make sure to defragment the drive as completely as possible, because undelete/unerase utilities can easily sniff out "deleted" data on a drive, another reason to format the drive and start over.
+
I know this is not the answer you're looking for, but there is no way to be 100% sure you're erasing all the data unless you wipe the drive and install the OS from scratch. There are 3rd party tools which claim to do this, but there are so many places that data can reside, and so many various registry keys that contain information, that it is very hard to guarantee everything has been deleted. And if you do delete the data to what seems like a satisfactory level, make sure to defragment the drive as completely as possible, because undelete/unerase utilities can very easily sniff out "deleted" data on a drive, and let the new owner have a field day with your data. Obviously, this is another reason to format the drive and start over.
It may be worth investing in a good external drive. If you deal with a lot of laptops, it's something you'll probably find a use for many times. Also, the laptop's manufacturer will likely sell you restore media for $25 or so, or you might have luck purchasing it on eBay, etc.
I know this is not the answer you're looking for, but there is no way to be 100% sure you're erasing all the data unless you wipe the drive and install the OS from scratch. There are 3rd party tools which claim to do this, but there are so many places that data can reside, and so many various registry keys that contain information, that it is very hard to guarantee everything has been deleted. And if you do delete the data to what seems like a satisfactory level, make sure to defragment the drive as completely as possible, because undelete/unerase utilities can easily sniff out "deleted" data on a drive, another reason to format the drive and start over.
It may be worth investing in a good external drive. If you deal with a lot of laptops, it's something you'll probably find a use for many times. Also, the laptop's manufacturer will likely sell you restore media for $25 or so, or you might have luck purchasing it on eBay, etc.