Zero Wipe Entire HD -- Help

aReformedPatriot · Mar 10, 2009

I'd like to zero wipe the entire hard drive of ALL data using approved DoD/NSA algorithms.

I currently run XP but am going to switch completely to Ubuntu. So I need to know, step by step, how to get XP off, then wipe using something meeting the aforementioned requirements, so I can then pop the Ubuntu disk in and install. Like a virgin machine. Nothing like clean.

Yes I am paranoid.

No. There is nothing illegal.

Yes I am paranoid.

Thanks.

wiggsfly · Mar 10, 2009

Try this http://www.dban.org/

peanutbutter12 · Mar 10, 2009

Heh, nothing illegal yet paranoid...

What I would do is format and load Ubuntu on. Then get a program that does a Gutmann wipe, which would then go over all empty space on the computer something like 32 times. You would have already written over the used space with Ubuntu so no worries there.

aReformedPatriot · Mar 10, 2009

TerraSin said:
Heh, nothing illegal yet paranoid...

What I would do is format and load Ubuntu on. Then get a program that does a Gutmann wipe, which would then go over all empty space on the computer something like 32 times. You would have already written over the used space with Ubuntu so no worries there.

Can't a man just be plain paranoid?

Wouldn't there be residual traces of re constructable data left under the Ubuntu? That's why these things are over written a certain number of times.

Sketcher · Mar 11, 2009

I think installing the drive as a slave and then wiping the whole thing would be the way to go.

Qyöt27 · Mar 11, 2009

Well, I'm not sure about Gparted's options, but if it has the ability to perform those kinds of wipes when it formats the disc then you can do it using the Ubuntu LiveCD before you install the OS (Gparted is the 'Partition Editor' tool that you can find under the System menu, although I can't remember if it was under User or Administration - it's been way too long since I used the LiveCD).

Also, if the hard disk is over 137 GB in size, then you'll probably need to make sure there's a partition break before the 137 GB marker - it's an issue in the Linux kernel itself that prevents system files from being accessed on a partition that's beyond or straddles that marker (I ran into this issue when setting up my dual-boot environment with XP and Ubuntu 8.10). Basically you can have a 135 GB partition or so at the beginning of the drive where your system files reside, and then format the remaining space as ext2/3/4, FAT32, or whatever your file system of choice happens to be, so that you can use it separately.

MrJim · Mar 11, 2009

Hail the Lord's Envoy~it's been awhile

sim-value · Apr 17, 2009

Try O&O Cleaner

j6w25f · Apr 23, 2009

I was talking to the IT guy at work who used to work for the government doing some sort of security research stuff. He says that they can recover data after ten(10) passes of writing zeros to every part of the disk, at 11 times it gets sketchy, and by 13 it can't be recovered.

567234ta · Apr 24, 2009

diskwipe would do it, i tested this program with a full 35 passes and than tried to recover anything i could using getdataback for NTFS. i ran getdataback before the wipe and recovered every file and picture that was on the HD after it had been formatted and windows 7 installed on it. after the wipe i could see the structure of Windows 7 but nothing was recoverable at all. I always wipe everything before i sell a computer or even throw it away.

Monk098 · Apr 27, 2009

TerraSin said:
Heh, nothing illegal yet paranoid...

What I would do is format and load Ubuntu on. Then get a program that does a Gutmann wipe, which would then go over all empty space on the computer something like 32 times. You would have already written over the used space with Ubuntu so no worries there.

Do this but instead of installing Ubuntu just run the live CD and run the Gutmann wipe via usb instead of CD.

Cheers

lawtonfogle · Apr 27, 2009

aReformedPatriot said:
I'd like to zero wipe the entire hard drive of ALL data using approved DoD/NSA algorithms.

I currently run XP but am going to switch completely to Ubuntu. So I need to know, step by step, how to get XP off, then wipe using something meeting the aforementioned requirements, so I can then pop the Ubuntu disk in and install. Like a virgin machine. Nothing like clean.

Yes I am paranoid.

No. There is nothing illegal.

Yes I am paranoid.

Thanks.

If you have 'pictures' you don't want your friends/family to get, shift-delete will work.

If you have credit card #'s or bank account info or things you don't want the feds to see, 35 gutman it.

If you have nuclear launch codes on it, take out the drive, crush it into many pieces, dissolve into acid, dispose of acid into multiple locations.

Simple as that.

JBJoe · Apr 29, 2009

A Gutmann method disk wipe is an often misunderstood and abused method of secure data erasure. Gutmann's method is intended to ensure data erasure on any drive, including really old drives. But chances are you aren't looking to erase a really old drive.

If your drive is larger than 1GB and smaller than a toaster, then it is almost certainly using a giant magnetoresistive sensor. An extremely high quality wipe can be obtained by overwriting every byte by a random value and then writing a 0. With an ubuntu (or other linux) boot disc this is equivalent to "dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/sdXX" followed by "dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdXX". That's two passes total. Nobody has ever publicly announced successfully reading data erased in this matter from a modern hard disk.

I wiped ~12 of my own drives using this method last year, then sent them to the electronic recycling folks.

Zero Wipe Entire HD -- Help

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