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The practice of "writing zeros" is the only was to ensure complete deletion without going the physical route. That writes 0s on every sector 3 times.
Remember it is POSSIBLE to view old files with a sector editor, but short of you having anything THAT sensitive on your drive, nobody cares. And if you have anything that sensitive, lock it in a bank safe deposit box.
PS. My practice is that I keep my hard drives. I must have a dozen laying around from over the years. When I junk a computer the drive is removed.
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Israeli intelligence service reports that the best way to preserve data integrity on an old drive is to run over it with a tank. Srsly.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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Mac, the local Goodwill store is sounding like the easiest alternative. Hopefully they can sell them and make a buck for the people down on their luck, and if not, I wonder if they would dispose of them properly?
I don't have any personal info on the Mac, just and old BiaB and some styles. By the time I got the eMac, the PC was my main computer. So over-writing the space with ones and zeros multiple times should be sufficient.
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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I used to work, day job, as electrical engineer for an outfit that wrote a lot of software involved in the defense industry as well as many a proprietary private outfit.
Writing zeros on a drive was prohibited. For good reason. There is a way to read the leftover magnetic field that used to be ones...
So we'd give away the older computers, but each and every one, the hard drives were removed -- and the shop machinist would drill at least two 1/4" holes right through the sides of the drives and through the internal platters.
Only then could the drives be disposed of.
I still do that with any of my drives that may have personal identification or the likes ever stored on 'em.
--Mac
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Quote:
Mac, the local Goodwill store is sounding like the easiest alternative. Hopefully they can sell them and make a buck for the people down on their luck, and if not, I wonder if they would dispose of them properly?
I don't have any personal info on the Mac, just and old BiaB and some styles. By the time I got the eMac, the PC was my main computer. So over-writing the space with ones and zeros multiple times should be sufficient.
Notes
Bob, there are MIL-grade erasure algorithms available free on the web. Look for one used by the Canadian Military. They are not popular for most users because a security-grade wipe can take nearly a month. LOL.
There was a very similar thread about a year ago. You may want to search for it and prevent deja vu all over again.
Last edited by Don Gaynor; 11/19/12 11:34 AM.
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Since I don't have any personal info on the Mac, I think I'll try one of those apps that write 'random' ones and zeros multiple times. The program on my PC overwrites 35 times. http://eraser.heidi.ie/I only bought the eMac to test my styles on the Mac before selling them. In the old days, the style files were not so compatible between the two platforms. I would often have to downsize my PC styles for the Mac. So I'll delete BiaB and my styles and look for something that will overwrite the then unused space on the HD 35 times or so. That should be sufficient to keep anyone from getting BiaB illegally. I may try Craigslist first, just in case there is a computer collector in the area. I figure I should ask for a minimal price, just to keep the non-serious away. If no one responds, I'll go Goodwill. What do you think? $10 each all 3 for $25? It's sad to think that something I spent so much money for is now for all practical purposes worthless. So I try not to think about that too much  Notes
Last edited by Notes Norton; 11/20/12 05:35 AM.
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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I'm sure that Mac paid for itself by now, eh?
Don't lament.
Celebrate.
--Mac
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Quote:
I'm sure that Mac paid for itself by now, eh?
Don't lament.
Celebrate.
--Mac
Thanks, Mac. You are correct. It did what it needed to do and was a faithful friend indeed.
It just seems a little sad to me that it's still clean, has a beautiful picture, works perfectly, and is worth so little.
I guess it's the musician in me. I bought it as a musical instrument. I still have a 1924 silver plated King Alto sax that has the voice of an angel. It plays any modern piece of music and all it needs is a little coaxing from my lip to play in tune with itself. I bought it used for $50 in the 1960s.
The Atari's were faithful friends and have some nostalgic value. I bought the first one myself. It was my first music computer (I had a TI99/4A before that). The second Atari was given to me by one of my good customers. He was switching to the PC and didn't know what to do with the Atari, so he asked me if I wanted a backup. I was selling styles for PC, Mac and Atari at the time so I said "Sure". (almost wrote Shure - a musician mistake).
I don't want to send them to the junk pile. I'd rather they go to someone who has at least some use for them.
That's why I decided to clean them up, put them on Craigslist first, and charge a nominal fee just to keep someone who will take anything for free, (whether they want it or not).
I have a very small studio (converted bedroom of a home built in 1950) and I have some use for the real-estate the computers are taking up. Plus, like a musical instrument, they should be used.
I started writing my user styles on the Atari. When PG Music introduced the StyleMaker app, I decided to try my hand at it. So I wrote a couple of dozen styles, gave them to my musician friends, and they said they liked them better than the PG styles so I took out an ad in Electronic Musician.
One day Peter Gannon called and offered to make them work on the PC to expand my market (Thanks Peter). This showed me what kind of person Peter is, and probably a good reason why he is successful. Later a approached the owners of a couple of other auto-accompaniment software apps. They both frowned on a third party person enhancing their product, but one of them contracted me to write a couple of styles for them. I got paid less than they were worth - but I'm not complaining, I agreed to that.
BiaB/PC was still a DOS program back when Peter Called. So soon after I bought a Win 3.1 with DOS 5 PC and a little "toaster" Macintosh.
So while I'm nostalgic about my old tools/friends, I know it's time for them to go. I just want them to go to a good home
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Quote:
....I was selling styles for PC, Mac and Atari at the time so I said "Sure". (almost wrote Shure - a musician mistake).....
Notes
I make that same mistake all the time, except I actually type it out and see the auto-correct underlining shure and have to go back and fix it!
If the Ataris are working, I would also point folks to your Craigslist from the various Atari ST user communities that are still out there.
-Scott
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Yes, the Atari is still a sought-after item and those who are still running older programs that they love will indeed pay a little bit more to get a spare or replace one that is dying or whatever.
Bars 'n Pipes,
--Mac
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Quote:
Writing zeros on a drive was prohibited. For good reason. There is a way to read the leftover magnetic field that used to be ones...
So we'd give away the older computers, but each and every one, the hard drives were removed -- and the shop machinist would drill at least two 1/4" holes right through the sides of the drives and through the internal platters.
Only then could the drives be disposed of.
I still do that with any of my drives that may have personal identification or the likes ever stored on 'em.
This is the correct way to do it, period.
i5 3.20GHz, 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD OS, 12tb HDD, 4gb gForce vid card, 32" monitor, Audient id44, Win10 x64, BiaB/RB 2023, Reaper 6,IK Multimedia Total Studio 3.5 MAX, Waves 10
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You sure its not condescending or arrogant?
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Mac, Quote:
You sure it’s not condescending or arrogant?
I’m sure it’s not! I saw the asinine comment on the other thread.
Since you’ve been the recipient of a couple these lately, I’m gonna go out on a limb and make a wild assed guess and say that these guys can’t stand the fact that you always know what you’re talking about and the only recourse they have is to make comments like that.
I hope you don’t let a few individuals keep you from posting what are always helpful and informative comments.
I, for one, appreciate your advice and I'm glad you take the time to share what you've learned on the forum.
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Re: Hard Drive Disposal...
Last time I did this I first had my at the time 7 year old son watch me take the cover off the drive - if I recall, I had to drill out some rivets or odd-head screws.
Then I explained how the read/write heads use electricity to leave information on the different discs inside.
Then we proceeded to beat the living daylights out of it with alternating hammer swings from me and from him. To date, he still loves tearing apart spent electronics equipment. There's innards of a busted portable CD player on top of his bookshelf as I type this. Bless his heart! Makes his daddy proud. He's also the old-school jazz fan, but lately has even taken to 80's/90's era Sanborn and Yellowjackets from Dad's olde CD archive. I troll the local Goodwill stores for jazz CDs for him. Latest one I got was from Laura Newman, a local killer sax player whom I've actually met. She has offered to help me pick out a used Tenor at Wedgle's pawn in Denver.
-Scott
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Quote:
Mac,
Quote:
You sure it’s not condescending or arrogant?
I’m sure it’s not! I saw the asinine comment on the other thread.
Since you’ve been the recipient of a couple these lately, I’m gonna go out on a limb and make a wild assed guess and say that these guys can’t stand the fact that you always know what you’re talking about and the only recourse they have is to make comments like that.
I hope you don’t let a few individuals keep you from posting what are always helpful and informative comments.
I, for one, appreciate your advice and I'm glad you take the time to share what you've learned on the forum.
+1 Amico!
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Quote:
I’m gonna go out on a limb and make a wild assed guess and say that these guys can’t stand the fact that you always know what you’re talking about and the only recourse they have is to make comments like that.
Thanks for the laugh! You really DID go out on a limb for that one! 
His knowledge has NEVER been in question as far as I know, just the tone of the posts at times......just like a few of YOUR'S the last few months. So in the words of a famous forum poster..."Deal with it..."
Yes it is hard to REALLY get the tone of a post when there is no face to face expression's to glean clues from, but then again it is not hard to "read" a condescending reply...like this one....
Either way I enjoy reading the forum & learning from ya folks! 
i5 3.20GHz, 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD OS, 12tb HDD, 4gb gForce vid card, 32" monitor, Audient id44, Win10 x64, BiaB/RB 2023, Reaper 6,IK Multimedia Total Studio 3.5 MAX, Waves 10
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jcspro40,
I couldn’t possibly give less of a rat’s ass about what you think of me, but I do find it asinine for you to make snarky comments to Mac when he’s always stepping forward to help anyone he can on the forum.
I've never known him to be condescending or arrogant.
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Mac is OK with me anytime, even if disagrees with me Since the Atari computers have no hard drive, that isn't an issue. They were nice computers in their day. The Amiga was a decent computer as well. I used to have a 40MB hard drive for an Atari. It was almost as big as a 4 rack space PA Power amp, and it took about a minute to rotate to speed. Then writing data made nice clicking noises as the head moved around. One day it no longer clicked, fortunately I kept duplicates of everything important on floppy disks (remember those). The Mac has no personal information from me that isn't public on the Internet. It does have my name as the registered owner, anybody know how to get that off or change it? I also do not have any of my customer's information on it. I don't even keep the customers numbers on my computers at home. The shopping cart and authorization company takes care of all that, I get the order with the card number removed (my choice in the options) and I also have the option of removing the customer's entire order off the secure server at the shopping cart company. I think it's a good idea to do that for everything that is settled and cleared. Although I chose the cart because of its security features and record, if it isn't there, it can't be hacked. So for Band-in-a-Box and my disks I think overwriting 35 times with random ones and zeros is enough. I think it would be easier to buy BiaB than to look for traces of magnetic residue that have been overwritten 35 times with either a one or a zero. Other than that all that is on the computer is some open source freeware that I downloaded and I'll leave that on. Plus AOL and I only used that to send my files from the PC to the Mac back in the dial-up days. And after seeing how time consuming that was, I ended up using CD-RW for that task. As soon as I can figure out how to get my name off the computer, I'll finish cleaning it up and put it on Craigslist. Perhaps I'll start a little higher in price and if they don't sell reduce it. Thanks again for all the help and opinions. Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Re: Selling old but good stuff: Maybe you need to ask more. I once had a pretty good portable compressor--Sears 6-1/2 HP, 33 gallon, 220 volt, 120 PSI. Once I was divorced I no longer needed it. I tried to sell it a couple of times for $75 and got no bites. Nothing at all. It was just taking up space in storage. Finally I had a yard sale, marked it at $150 and had an immediate buyer--haggled "down" to $125. Go figure. So describe your old computers as "vintage," ask real money for them, and see what happens.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Video: New User Interface (GUI)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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