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bazman24 · 3rd Feb 2013, 15:07

hi all i will be selling one of my HDD's soon and i was wondering what software i should use to wipe the data? any suggestions please

IvanIvanovich · 3rd Feb 2013, 15:14

I still use trusty old dban for such things.

debs3759 · 3rd Feb 2013, 15:15

Try http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml

deathtaker27 · 3rd Feb 2013, 16:00

+1 for DBAN

bazman24 · 3rd Feb 2013, 17:54

Thanks will give dban ago looks like it gonna take a while though 9hrs:eek:

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

CrapBag · 3rd Feb 2013, 18:08

Not sure software will cut it, I'm thinking more along the lines of a hardware solution.

Might affect it's 2nd hand resell value though.

specofdust · 3rd Feb 2013, 18:09

I've heard good things about Dban.

Personally I'm currently using Acronis DriveCleanser, which uses the fairly standard DoD algorithms to wipe a drive. Takes about 8 hours per 1/2 TB drive. Not fast, but whatever is on those disks is gone forever once you're done.

bazman24 · 3rd Feb 2013, 19:09

My mate has jus said he will buy it from me so do you think its still worth me using dban? As it is someone I can trust. Its been going for 2hrs now and it says its got another 6hrs! I wana use my pc

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

specofdust · 3rd Feb 2013, 19:10

It's worth it.

bazman24 · 3rd Feb 2013, 19:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by specofdust

It's worth it.

OK I'll wait for it to finish will leave it over night' hopefully will be finished in the morning

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Addie · 3rd Feb 2013, 20:37

Whether or not it is worth it would depend what you used the drive for, if I have a spare drive that was just used for storing movies/music/games I'm selling to a friend then a format is all I'll do at most.

bazman24 · 3rd Feb 2013, 21:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Addie

Whether or not it is worth it would depend what you used the drive for, if I have a spare drive that was just used for storing movies/music/games I'm selling to a friend then a format is all I'll do at most.

It was used in a previous build a couple of years ago for everything really so it will have some personal details on it. I haven't used it since then, but I may as well let it finish now anyway as its halfway through

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

CraigWatson · 4th Feb 2013, 08:43

Linux has a very handy utility called "scrub" which will do the job for you. Annoyingly it's not included with Ubuntu's main release, so you'll need to install it manually:

Code:

sudo apt-get install scrub
scrub -p dod /dev/sdx

Where /dev/sdx is the ID if the disk you want to wipe (run "fdisk -l" to check).

halfinched · 4th Feb 2013, 10:19

I've had killdisk recommended to me. Was simple to use. Seemed to do the job.

Xir · 4th Feb 2013, 14:02

As your mate is probably not with the CIA, simply overwrite with something innocent it after formatting.

roundyz · 8th Apr 2013, 15:46

What ever software as long is it zeros it. DD will work fine, but disks are big and take ages

I thought about writing a bit of software that works like the recovery software looks for the known headers of known file types and just zeros them along with the last few bytes of the type, this would remove the need to zero it all out...

Shirty · 8th Apr 2013, 15:48

I use a Disk Jockey. Keeps the rig free

noizdaemon666 · 11th Apr 2013, 22:37

It's far easier to simply open an elevated command prompt window and type

Code:

format x: /fs=ntfs /p:1

Where x is the drive letter.

Or alternatively

Code:

diskpart

list disk

Make a mental note of the number of the target disk

Code:

select disk x

clean all

That will again write zeroes to every single sector. It's an easier solution if the HDD in question has more than one partition as it wipes the entire drive, whereas the format command only wipes the part of the drive with the letter assigned.

Once a sector's had data written to it, any previous data can't be retrieved by software based means. It's a complete myth that running multiple passes makes data harder to recover (unless you take into account CIA/FBI type recovery).

You could also use linux as mentioned above, except it's easier to use the dd command which ships with all linux distros (mostly). But I guess you're on Windows so can't be bothered unless asked, to explain this further lol

Oh DBAN is also an extremely good program, but complete overkill for your scenario.

Shirty · 11th Apr 2013, 22:40

Hello stranger

noizdaemon666 · 11th Apr 2013, 22:49

Evening Shirty

It's only been....errrrrmmmm.....2 months? lol

3rd Feb 2013, 15:07	#1
bazman24 Multimodder Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: essex Posts: 157	What software I should use to wipe HDD before I sell it? hi all i will be selling one of my HDD's soon and i was wondering what software i should use to wipe the data? any suggestions please __________________ CM storm styker Case >> Powercolor 7950 PCS+ 3072MB >> Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H >> Intel i7 3770K >> Cooler Master tpc 800 cpu cooler >> G skull Ares 8GB>> 1TB Samsung F3 >> intel 320 series ssd 120gb >>[ seasonic x-650 psu

3rd Feb 2013, 15:14	#2
IvanIvanovich будет глотать вашу душу. Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: USA Posts: 3,757	I still use trusty old dban for such things. __________________ [end of line] intel i5-750 \| evga p55 sli \| 8gb mushkin blackline \| evga gtx670 \| 240gb mushkin chronos dx \| creative titanium hd \| mushkin 580w \| gh60 custom \| logitech mx revolution \| achieva shimian qh270

3rd Feb 2013, 16:00	#4
deathtaker27 System Support Specialist Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,224	+1 for DBAN __________________ If someone has helped you remember to + Rep them (:

3rd Feb 2013, 17:54	#5
bazman24 Multimodder Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: essex Posts: 157	Thanks will give dban ago looks like it gonna take a while though 9hrs:eek: Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2 __________________ CM storm styker Case >> Powercolor 7950 PCS+ 3072MB >> Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H >> Intel i7 3770K >> Cooler Master tpc 800 cpu cooler >> G skull Ares 8GB>> 1TB Samsung F3 >> intel 320 series ssd 120gb >>[ seasonic x-650 psu

3rd Feb 2013, 18:09	#7
specofdust Banned Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Aberdeen, UK, EU Posts: 9,462	I've heard good things about Dban. Personally I'm currently using Acronis DriveCleanser, which uses the fairly standard DoD algorithms to wipe a drive. Takes about 8 hours per 1/2 TB drive. Not fast, but whatever is on those disks is gone forever once you're done. __________________ Like marmite, only no-one hates it Nil nisi malis terrori Mmm bop!

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3rd Feb 2013, 15:15	#3
debs3759 Was that a warranty I just broke? Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northampton Posts: 1,305	Try http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml

3rd Feb 2013, 18:08	#6
CrapBag I Mod, Therefore I Own Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 3,626	Not sure software will cut it, I'm thinking more along the lines of a hardware solution. Might affect it's 2nd hand resell value though.

3rd Feb 2013, 19:09	#8
bazman24 Multimodder Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: essex Posts: 157	My mate has jus said he will buy it from me so do you think its still worth me using dban? As it is someone I can trust. Its been going for 2hrs now and it says its got another 6hrs! I wana use my pc Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2 __________________ CM storm styker Case >> Powercolor 7950 PCS+ 3072MB >> Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H >> Intel i7 3770K >> Cooler Master tpc 800 cpu cooler >> G skull Ares 8GB>> 1TB Samsung F3 >> intel 320 series ssd 120gb >>[ seasonic x-650 psu

3rd Feb 2013, 19:10	#9
specofdust Banned Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Aberdeen, UK, EU Posts: 9,462	It's worth it. __________________ Like marmite, only no-one hates it Nil nisi malis terrori Mmm bop!

3rd Feb 2013, 20:37	#11
Addie Minimodder Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Devon, UK Posts: 27	Whether or not it is worth it would depend what you used the drive for, if I have a spare drive that was just used for storing movies/music/games I'm selling to a friend then a format is all I'll do at most.

4th Feb 2013, 08:43	#13
CraigWatson Level Chuck Norris Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: London, UK Posts: 445	Linux has a very handy utility called "scrub" which will do the job for you. Annoyingly it's not included with Ubuntu's main release, so you'll need to install it manually: Code: sudo apt-get install scrub scrub -p dod /dev/sdx Where /dev/sdx is the ID if the disk you want to wipe (run "fdisk -l" to check). __________________ Laptop: 2011 MacBook Air 11" \| 4GB RAM \| 256GB SSD \| Core i7 1.8GHz Storage: LaCie 2Big Network 2 \| 2 x Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB (RAID1) Phone: iPhone 4S 16GB \| Headphones: Sennheiser IE-80 IEMs Bass Guitars: Akai Project 1997 4-string \| Fender American Deluxe Precision V 5-string

4th Feb 2013, 10:19	#14
halfinched Multimodder Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: London Posts: 163	I've had killdisk recommended to me. Was simple to use. Seemed to do the job.

4th Feb 2013, 14:02	#15
Xir I Mod, Therefore I Own Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saxony / Germany Posts: 3,520	As your mate is probably not with the CIA, simply overwrite with something innocent it after formatting. __________________ SN25P A64 3700+ (San Diego) 2 GB DDR400 OCZ Platinum EL 2-3-2-5 1T X1800XT 512mb Sapphire 200GB Samsung SP2004C 24" Asus something 1920x1080

8th Apr 2013, 15:46	#16
roundyz --- Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: wolves Posts: 79	What ever software as long is it zeros it. DD will work fine, but disks are big and take ages I thought about writing a bit of software that works like the recovery software looks for the known headers of known file types and just zeros them along with the last few bytes of the type, this would remove the need to zero it all out...

8th Apr 2013, 15:48	#17
Shirty Good news everyone! Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Salisbury, UK Posts: 5,678	I use a Disk Jockey. Keeps the rig free __________________ 2500K \| Corsair H55 \| HIS 7950 \| 8GB XMS3 \| 128GB Crucial M4 \| Samsung 2TB \| ASRock H77M-ITX \| Corsair CX500M \| White Bitfenix Prodigy \| Dell U2311H \| Creative T6060s \| Ducky G2 Pro TKL (Reds) \| Logitech G500 Why.

11th Apr 2013, 22:37	#18
noizdaemon666 I've been away far too long Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Castleford Posts: 4,274	It's far easier to simply open an elevated command prompt window and type Code: format x: /fs=ntfs /p:1 Where x is the drive letter. Or alternatively Code: diskpart list disk Make a mental note of the number of the target disk Code: select disk x clean all That will again write zeroes to every single sector. It's an easier solution if the HDD in question has more than one partition as it wipes the entire drive, whereas the format command only wipes the part of the drive with the letter assigned. Once a sector's had data written to it, any previous data can't be retrieved by software based means. It's a complete myth that running multiple passes makes data harder to recover (unless you take into account CIA/FBI type recovery). You could also use linux as mentioned above, except it's easier to use the dd command which ships with all linux distros (mostly). But I guess you're on Windows so can't be bothered unless asked, to explain this further lol Oh DBAN is also an extremely good program, but complete overkill for your scenario. __________________ AMD A4 5300 @ 4GHz \| \| 4GB 1600 Patriot \| 128GB SSD \| 500GB Samsung HD501LJ \| 320GB Hitachi 2.5" \| CX430 PSU Last edited by noizdaemon666; 11th Apr 2013 at 22:45.

11th Apr 2013, 22:40	#19
Shirty Good news everyone! Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Salisbury, UK Posts: 5,678	Hello stranger __________________ 2500K \| Corsair H55 \| HIS 7950 \| 8GB XMS3 \| 128GB Crucial M4 \| Samsung 2TB \| ASRock H77M-ITX \| Corsair CX500M \| White Bitfenix Prodigy \| Dell U2311H \| Creative T6060s \| Ducky G2 Pro TKL (Reds) \| Logitech G500 Why.

11th Apr 2013, 22:49	#20
noizdaemon666 I've been away far too long Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Castleford Posts: 4,274	Evening Shirty It's only been....errrrrmmmm.....2 months? lol __________________ AMD A4 5300 @ 4GHz \| \| 4GB 1600 Patriot \| 128GB SSD \| 500GB Samsung HD501LJ \| 320GB Hitachi 2.5" \| CX430 PSU