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This tutorial will guide you in using Darik’s Boot and Nuke (”DBAN”) - to securely wipe (delete) all of the data from your hard drive. Why would you want to securely wipe all of the data on your drive? Perhaps you’re selling your computer, donating it to charity, or recycling it. Before you do so, consider this - even when you delete files, they’re not actually removed from your hard drive. Using data recovery tools, many files can be restored from the average hard drive. In fact, even after a hard drive has been formatted, data can be recovered from it. Using DBAN “prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis”.
- Start by downloading the DBAN .iso to create a boot CD, or the floppy disk version. If you need help creating a boot CD from the .iso file, see this tutorial.
- After you’ve made the boot CD or floppy, set your computer to boot from that drive.
- Insert the CD or floppy, and boot your computer. You’ll be presented with the DBAN overview screen.
- NOTE: you are now about to completely erase the contents of your hard drive, this is your last chance to back out. At the boot: prompt, type autonuke and hit enter.
- DBAN will start up.
- And begin to wipe your hard drive. The time it takes to completely wipe your hard drive varies depending on its size and speed.
- Once DBAN has wiped your drive, you’ll be presented with a “DBAN succeeded” window. If you have a floppy in your floppy drive, you can hit ENTER to save a log file of the DBAN wipe. That’s it - you’re done.
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Nice n simple way to securely erase DD, good.
I think that to make 300% sure that your docs are gone, you better physically destroy your hard drive.
Another alternative is to install Windows ;?
If only there weren’t tools that can recover data from hard drives that were smashed or in floods or fires.
if the disk size is say 40 GB, how long will it take DBAN to do its work ?
@ jack dawson:
An hour or two - it depends on what level of wipe you choose. I did a “fast” wipe on a 300GB HD a couple of weeks ago, and it took 6 hours, give or take.
How complete is the wipe?
Without physically melting your hard drive it’s always *technically* possible to recover data. With autonuke it uses 3 passes, which makes
it impossible for consumer software to recover any data. If the drive was taken to the NSA I’m sure they could recover SOME partial data. In other words, it’s very safe. If you’re really, really paranoid there’s a 7 pass method as well. Though even then, I’m sure the NSA could recover something.
There is also the 35 pass Guttman wipe.
Though you might just end up with a pile of hard drive dust after this one….
Yeah. This is a good way to do it. However, there is a safer option. First install windows vista home basic (or any version of vista). Then, turn off autosave (it usually turns itself off automatically when you are doing something very important but you cant be too sure with windows). Next, do some important work. 3-8 minutes later your computer will have crashed and you are presented with the BSoD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Screen_of_Death) and your work wont be saved. You will be so pissed off that you will just smash up your hard drive til their are only protons left. No one can bring it back. Done.
Heres one I made earlier! http://www.crucialminutiae.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/smashed-computer.jpg
Hope this helps!
Note: The above comment from Johnny was a joke (just in cause you were confused). I didn’t delete it because I actually chuckled when I read it.
For what it’s worth, Vista runs like a dream on my MacBook Pro (via Bootcamp). It hasn’t crashed once - though I’ll admit I only use it a couple times a week.
If i use this will it return my computer to the way i bought it.Like with the programs it comes with?
Thanks!
Its a good idea to have vista (or XP in my case) on your mac. Not much need for it but it does come in handy sometimes.
Tru Dat
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