Automatically Formatting A Computer

Breakthrough · June 2005

<div class="IPBDescription">With A Diskette</div> Is there any way I can format a computer, without user input? It doesn't matter the file system (if any at all), as long as the partition is deleted.

Basically, you pop in the disk and it formats (when you reset the PC of course).

Xyth · June 2005

unless you program it yourself, I doubt it

Breakthrough · June 2005

I was thinking of a batch file, or maybe finding the format utility executable and removing the user inputs..?

Breakthrough · June 2005

Anyone? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused-fix.gif' />

TheSavior · June 2005

The only way I can see this of being of any use is in a malicious plan to wipe some poor saps computer un-knowingly. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' />

In which case, you are an evil, EVIL person. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/mad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad-fix.gif' />

Let me know if you figure it out. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' />

Cold_NiTe · June 2005

What exactly happened that you need to format it automatically? Would it suffice if you say, I dunno, took the harddrive out and put it in another computer and formatted it from there? Or is there like something wrong software wise?

Breakthrough · June 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (TheSavior @ Jun 14 2005, 04:04 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> The only way I can see this of being of any use is in a malicious plan to wipe some poor saps computer un-knowingly. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' />  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
'Tis my reason.

CommunistWithAGun · June 2005

I hate to sound like an **** but formatting is way to simple to ever need such a thing

antifreeze · June 2005

Yes we have one at work, however it is licenced. I will find out who makes it tomorrow.

Edit: Well by format i actually mean low leveling. More low level than an fdisk

Cold_NiTe · June 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Breakthrough @ Jun 14 2005, 04:44 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> </div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (TheSavior @ Jun 14 2005, 04:04 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> The only way I can see this of being of any use is in a malicious plan to wipe some poor saps computer un-knowingly. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' /> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
'Tis my reason.  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
So I'm guessing you won't be able to get to his computer and prevent him from using it long enough to wipe the hdd by placing it in another comp.

If you have like a dummy hdd, like say a 20GB extra one you have laying around, you could switch them out. Then after a while you can switch them back, when he's panicking.

CMEast · June 2005

... Magnet.

Nikon · June 2005

Drfuzzy · June 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Nikon @ Jun 14 2005, 05:12 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <a href='http://my.execpc.com/~rhoadley/magelect.htm' target='_blank'>and just walk away...</a>  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
Oh yea, time to format a computer with the home made speaker! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' />

Breakthrough · June 2005

More specifically: I'm planning on placing tons of these disks in the school's computers, and when someone <i>else</i> resets them, bye bye HDD information! [mass production]

enf0rcer · June 2005

How evil you are. To answer my own question, this much >

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Breakthrough · June 2005

Nobody? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' />

I know you all like school pranks <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused-fix.gif' />

Besides, they always keep a ghost of the HDD's, so they just pop in a disk and reinstall everything.

Chrono · June 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Breakthrough @ Jun 14 2005, 03:31 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> More specifically: I'm planning on placing tons of these disks in the school's computers, and when someone <i>else</i> resets them, bye bye HDD information! [mass production]  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
isnt that illegal? something along the lines of destruction of school property?

Breakthrough · June 2005

I think I figured it out - make a diskette execute a batch file using the GDISK (Norton's disk utility), and delete all the HDD's partitions.

Edit: <b>Chrono</b>, can I get fined for it? It's only High School... I doubt they will find out anyways.

Cyndane · June 2005

Possible lists of things they can do if you are caught.

1. Suspension
2. Fined $500 here, could be more/less on where you live
3. Possible Juvenile time/Jail (local not state/federal)
4. Automatic with drawl in every class you are in (F for the year)
5. Probably a few others. Depends on the school.

Breakthrough · June 2005

Exams are in a week, and it's here in Canada...

I'm guessing expulsion, which will kick **** - I can go to a school nearer to my house, where I don't have to go to class, get easy marks (stupid school, don't care about skippers), and much more!

It's a bad idea... Oh well.

Cyndane · June 2005

Personally, I would burn copies of Knoppix and put them in the CD drive then restart the computer. It doesn't cause any harm and not many people know what to do otherwise.

Zavaro · June 2005

That would be a safer idea.

Plus, it's funny to watch people's faces when they see LINUX load up.

In fact, we actually achieved this on a clients computer with Windows RG (really good) edition.

<img src='http://www.liquid.cz/programky/win.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Another thing that would be funny is if you put Basilisk II emulator on every computer with Mac 7.5.5 OS running (on BII) and run it in Fullcreen

<img src='http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/philosophy/projects/basilisk.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

NeonSpyder · June 2005

Go with the knoppix thing, it's way more fun then deleting everything, and carries much less risk of being kicked in the face by the faculty ;D

Breakthrough · June 2005

Or Dyne:Bolic, but yeah, it's a dumb idea.. But the bootable Linux is too easy to solve IMHO, and won't get much recognization.

Xyth · June 2005

The only way I can think to do this is by:

Getting a program that is able to reformat a computer (A windows disk, whatever).
Burning tons of copies of it.

Getting a floppy disk, and putting some kind of program on it that auto executes the formatting procedure off of the CD disk, then make tons of copies of that.

Put the floppy in and the cd in, then restart the computer.

Or, just go into the BIOS of the computers, and mess with the settings. Most schools don't have the BIOSes under password, so you should be able to get into it just fine.

SoulSkorpion · June 2005

Create a boot disk, edit the autoexec.bat on it to run the format command. Might need to redirect the output of an "echo y" command to skip the confirmation prompt (which I think you can do under DOS), unless there's a parameter you can pass to format to tell it to not use a prompt (I'm not sure).

There. Done. No more data.

antifreeze · June 2005

Second thought, now i'm not going to find out what it is.

Necrotic · June 2005

An autoformat and even an auto fdisk DOS boot disk is exceptionally easy to make however I'm not going to tell you how to do it and I *highly* recommend you don't bother, the amount of annoyance you're going to cause will only be to the lab technicians who have to reinstall everything (which even if it is ghosted takes time, something we're all rather short of) and if you do get caught the amount of trouble you're going to be in for what is basically a worthless prank will not balance out.

Zaggy · June 2005

Pfff, if it the OS is Windows XP and they haven't disabled the Net Messenger Service,
find user account that is not yours, and do the following:

1-hit start
2-Run
3-cmd
4-net send * message

where message is the message you want to spam around the network.

bassport · June 2005

Omg. Is high school not AFTER you've been 10 years old?

How childish and boring must one be to even consider doing something like that?

Come on, kid, grow up. It's a privilige and an honour you can use the pc systems on your school and it's not really serving a purpose formatting them, is it?

...

I can't believe you got so much "funny" tips how to do this. Real mature people here, I reckon. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused-fix.gif' />

Cyndane · June 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (bassport @ Jun 15 2005, 07:13 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Omg. Is high school not AFTER you've been 10 years old?

How childish and boring must one be to even consider doing something like that?

</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
Not a good way to start your post tbh.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (bassport)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Come on, kid, grow up. It's a privilige and an honour you can use the pc systems on your school and it's not really serving a purpose formatting them, is it?
</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
That is why we suggested better methods that don't involve hurting said computers, however if he did format them all schools use some form of norton ghost imaging to reset them.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (bassport)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
...

I can't believe you got so much "funny" tips how to do this. Real mature people here, I reckon. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused-fix.gif' />
</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
I reckon that you haven't ever actually wanted to have fun with the knowledge you have that is more advanced then everyone elses, then again the lack of grammar proves that.

Automatically Formatting A Computer

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