If you format a pc, does it make it purely clean?

Does it? I'm not expert with the viruses...

I'm not that expert guy but I'd say it's the most effective thing to remove viruses completely.

But for files, even you reformat many times. There are software that can retrieve data from your hard drive.

If its the files that you regularly access which some of them will connect to its repository then its not going to be clean even if you kept reformating your PC. The rat will always activate and download when its connected to the internet. What you need is clean your files, clean it first for malware before reinstalling fresh. All I can say is that its hard to use Windows when you kept downloading files online, it will just keep coming back. Switch to Linux.

Wipe your drive with CCleaner or BleachBit. Wipe it from a second computer. If you are scared about something remaining after the wipe, wipe again. Wipe 35 times if you have very sensitive data you are trying to destroy, but one wipe should really be enough. Then format and reinstall your OS.

Cool

Quote from: BlackHatCoiner on July 04, 2020, 05:24:08 PM

Does it? I'm not expert with the viruses...

Formatting C drive is just enough to make your PC clean which means reinstall your OS completely not in upgrade mode.

Once you reinstalled it,better subscribe for a good antivirus to keep your device safe from virus.

Yes reformatting your pc makes it 100% clean away all your files ,then right after reinstalling your software be sure to run your antivirus software.

If you format the PC not only the virus but the PC will be much clearer, but only those that are in the C drive will be formatted Not everything on the PC will be formatted. After cleaning the PC you can reinstall everything from the software file or hard drive.

Quote from: jrrsparkles on July 04, 2020, 09:04:09 PM

Quote from: BlackHatCoiner on July 04, 2020, 05:24:08 PM

Does it? I'm not expert with the viruses...

Formatting C drive is just enough to make your PC clean

Actually that's wrong. If you have a virus on another partition you won't clean it by formatting C:. You have to format the other partition as well.

But, as boyptc said,

Quote from: boyptc on July 04, 2020, 05:41:30 PM

But for files, even you reformat many times. There are software that can retrieve data from your hard drive.

Thus, a bad actor could retrieve some of your infected files and if these files are recovered, your PC will be infected again. Some programs (such as Recuva Undelete) can recover deleted files because they are not actually deleted. When you delete a file it is only marked as deleted (and Windows doesn't see it anymore), but at physical level the file is still there. And it will stay there until you will write another file exactly on the place where the deleted file was placed on your HDD.

If you want to make sure that none of the deleted (formatted) data can be recovered, you a need a special software. This software seems to be wiping your HDD but in reality it does more than that: it deletes everything from your HDD and then it fills it with garbage data, then it deletes also this garbage data. As a consequence, your previous files can't be recovered anymore, as after they were deleted, in their place garbage files were written, making impossible to retrieve what was there before the junk files. You can find many such file shredders on the Internet, a very common one being CCleaner.

Regarding reinstalling Windows, it is recommended to fully format your drive at the installation (don't use quick format) and make sure you don't have the network cable plugged in your PC until you finish the installation and you have an antivirus installed. So it's better to have the antivirus kit on an USB stick, then you reinstal your Windows without being connected to Internet; after Windows is installed you install your antivirus and only after you connect your computer to Internet. After that, you should install your drivers (chipset SATA, RAID, etc.) and then install any other program you wish. This is a better approach as while you are installing Windows you don't have an antivirus protection and if your PC is connected to the network / Internet it is vulnerable in this period.

Quote from: GazetaBitcoin on July 05, 2020, 05:14:48 AM

Actually that's wrong. If you have a virus on another partition you won't clean it by formatting C:. You have to format the other partition as well.

Sounds like those recommending deleting system32 files to solve some minor/ major issue Grin

Quote from: BlackHatCoiner on July 04, 2020, 05:24:08 PM

Does it? I'm not expert with the viruses...

yes if you do a format on your pc then the pc will clean make more lightly to make browsing the online gaming and other activities more quickly removes important files quickly I did my backup file format will be essential to avoid data loss.

Quote from: BlackHatCoiner on July 04, 2020, 05:24:08 PM

Does it? I'm not expert with the viruses...

Yes formatting does remove viruses on your pc then install new operating system. If you don't want have virus use Linux OS it is considered virus free.

Quote from: boyptc on July 04, 2020, 05:41:30 PM

Yes it will remove the viruses and malware on your computer.
But there are many good anti virus now a day there is no need to format it. There are many tutorial on the YouTube you should watch it.

Quote from: Buttercup123 on July 05, 2020, 09:51:22 AM

Quote from: boyptc on July 04, 2020, 05:41:30 PM

Yes it will remove the viruses and malware on your computer.
But there are many good anti virus now a day there is no need to format it. There are many tutorial on the YouTube you should watch it.

If you are a paranoid, you just don't care of formatting it.

Quote from: BlackHatCoiner on July 04, 2020, 05:24:08 PM

Does it? I'm not expert with the viruses...

I really think that is going to be the case because if you fully format a computer from scratch, and specially from bios, then you get to clean and fresh start and operating system which also removes all files. So to be safe, make sure to save all your files before formatting.

Quote from: numpadxx5 on July 05, 2020, 09:49:28 AM

If you don't want have virus use Linux OS it is considered virus free.

Yeah, but is it really? No OS can ever be 100% immune to viruses or malware. The truth is that Linux has never had such a widespread malware infection compared to Windows.
Due to their architecture and implemented security policies, Linux and other Unix-like operating systems are generally considered to be very well protected from computer viruses, but by no means immune to them.

Yes, formatting your hard drive clears all the information from it.

P.S.
You can only restore some files that were deleted from the trash (and not formatted)

In theory, by formatting your computer you eliminate all the viruses and malwares that may be present, then you need to install Linus which is safer and of course install a good anti-virus, the best strategy is not to install programs downloaded from the internet

Quote from: btc_love on July 05, 2020, 08:35:52 PM

Yes, formatting your hard drive clears all the information from it.

P.S.
You can only restore some files that were deleted from the trash (and not formatted)

Not really. Formatting a hard drive doesn't actually erase the data from it, but only frees up space for new data by erasing the address tables. Formatting is not the same as wiping.
A computer specialist can recover most data from a formatted disk relatively easily.

Quote from: Buttercup123 on July 05, 2020, 09:51:22 AM

Quote from: boyptc on July 04, 2020, 05:41:30 PM

Yes it will remove the viruses and malware on your computer.
But there are many good anti virus now a day there is no need to format it. There are many tutorial on the YouTube you should watch it.

Yes, the paid once are actually good.

It's up to you what will be the one you choose but there are certain anti-virus that deals with a certain viruses. But, AFAIK, most of them are effective. Just avoid downloading to pirated websites that offers 'free' anti-virus.

There are actual free trials but don't download to unknown sites.

Yes my friend that doing formatting and making formatting for your computer makes it completely clean, but you need to make formatting for all existing disks and if you do formatting for only one disk then your computer will not become clean and it would be better to format the computer for a newer system than the existing system in addition to the necessity to download Antivirus program