DriveScrubber - Up to 3 PCs

I bought this so I could delete my person data from my laptop before selling it. That function is NO LONGER available. I contacted the company when I loaded it on the computer and did not see that feature. and I was told that that feature was removed several years ago. But this item is still being sold, the box showing that capability. The only option with this software is to completely remove all data, operating system and all.So now I am out the full cost of this software.DO NOT buy this if you are looking to keep your operating system.

Most of these file deletion programs are deceiving. To clarify, if you want to securely wipe a disk without physical destruction, you pretty much have to do a full wipe. That means everything gets scrubbed including the OS. Computers are messy. They leave temp files and other stuff everywhere. If you are confident you can find all these files- first delete them, then do a free space wipe with this program to keep your OS intact while donating. I am not confident that I can do that and neither should you.A few things to consider when donating or starting anew:1. If you are looking to donate the computer and it doesn't require an OS (for a tax write off for example) just wipe the whole thing including OS.2. If you are trying to start with an as-purchased computer (removing a tough virus for example), use the re-format function from original OS disc. Install Drive Scrub, wipe all free space. A format will not secure erase so this product will do it for you.I guess it comes down to a matter of preference. The free programs on line offer one pass for free but to do more you have to purchase their product. One pass should be adequate for most users however. One thing I do not like about this is that I have to be connected to the internet to install this (stupid dongle). Not an option when you have to wipe an old windows 95 or 98 device you found while cleaning the basement. Other than that, at least you can call support if you are having issues. The freebies online don't have support beyond message boards where the blind lead the blind.Update: Many other programs offer a 'free space wipe' for free but even with a basic one pass you're looking at a few hours at least to accomplish the task. The deep scan option will wipe every bit of free space while the quick option will only wipe previously deleted files speeding up the process immensely. Again, it's a matter of time and paranoia how far you want to go with these kind of programs.As far as the folks who hammered this with one star, I'm guessing the problem is with your computer and not the software. Have you ever defragmented your drive? Have you ever run checkdisk or better yet a SMART scan? Chances are the drive is fragmented very badly (NTFS M$ problem) or you have errors on your drive. It doesn't matter how well you 'take care of your computer', drive failure is imminent at some point in time and the computers being wiped are most likely very old. If there are bad sectors on the HD the program probably won't be able to accomplish the wipe. FYI: A few wipe programs out there will quarantine those bad sectors and move on but they will still be recoverable after completion.Update 2: I tried to wipe an old 80GB hard drive with the boot disc. Using the fastest method, 1 pass, it said it would take 120 hours. I let it run overnight thinking it was an anomaly and nope- it was going to take 120 hours. This is absolutely unacceptable. Killdisk, a free program, took 20 minutes with one pass. Another free program took around 2 hours with three passes. I tried the Drive Scrub disk three more times and still the same time frame. Don't buy this program if you need to wipe a disk to zeros. Instead use free software on the market or a Linux CD to do the job. Due to this unacceptable length of time to perform a complete wipe, I dropped this product from 4 stars to 3. It's just okay.

Drive scrubber would not authorize with the authorization code that came with it. When I contacted the company they refused to authorize it unless I purchased a subscription to their computer tuneup service for almost $200. My dated laptop is probably not worth more than $50. So rather than take the subscription I simply destroyed the hard drive thus guaranteeing my privacy. The software still does not work and I don't know if Amazon will still take it back or not.

I disagree with a lot of people here. This is a great program if you only want forty or fifty percent of your hard drive cleaned. On the other hand it's not so groovy if you are selfish and expect to get the whole thing erased at once...I suggest that you buy two or three. You can erase until it gets stuck then replace that disc with a new one until you are looking at a completely clean computer hard drive.P.S. The box design is great. I wish that I had thought of it.

Great software

Tried three times and it didn't work any of them. Looked on-line and apparently I am not the only one with the same issue. Not worth the money.

The software does not work for the Vaio laptop. The product claims that the included DVD is also a boot disk. The system does not recognize the product disk. The instructions for creating a boot disk asks for a floppy disk! or cd. There is no option for a DVD.

I purchased this and it does not scrub the files anymore. Apparently the manufacture made some kind of deal with Microsoft. Not sure what it does now. I returned it for a refund.