How can I overwrite the primary partition?
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From: John John - MVP on 29 Mar 2010 07:17 The files will be unrecoverable with a single pass. John ? wrote: > Thanks, > > But it seems that DBAN can not wipe the disk using 35 passes as file > shredder does. How many passes can DBAN erase? > > "Paul" <nospam(a)needed.com> ??????:hopgn1$h3q$1(a)speranza.aioe.org... >> �� wrote: >>> Hi, I'd like to use file shredder to overwrite the primary partition C:, >>> but >>> it failed for the partition is in use. What can I do? Can I install >>> another >>> system on another parition such as E or F, and then boot from E or F >>> partition, so that I can overwrite the ex-primary partition using file >>> shredder? >>> >>> Please help me. thanks. >>> >> If you need to erase your entire drive, OS and all, try DBAN. >> >> http://www.dban.org/ >> >> DBAN will erase *all* connected drives, so use it with care. In the >> DBAN forums, there were a few reports of clever people, who managed >> to erase their connected "backup" drive. DBAN can erase up to 100 >> connected hard drives, at the same time. >> >> ******* >> >> If you want something with a little more precision, you can boot >> a Linux LiveCD, and erase a partition with "dd". For example, >> if I booted Ubuntu and did something like this. >> >> sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda1 >> >> and let it run to completion, that would write zeros over the partition >> named "hda1". It helps, if your partitions all have labels assigned. >> Or if you have unique files at the top level of your partition, that >> may make it easier to verify you're erasing the right partition. (I have >> some files like that on my C: drive, so when I'm in Linux, I have a >> way to verify I have the right target.) >> >> So you don't absolutely need to install another copy of Windows to >> mess about. (I have a dual boot machine, WinXP on one disk, Win2K on >> the other, and that is how I get around your current situation, of >> not having a second OS to use.) >> >> Now, the next question is, do you have a way to reinstall the OS >> on the C: partition ? Don't erase it, if you don't have something >> to use for recovery. >> >> And if you're using some tool which erases the whole disk, you could >> easily delete your recovery partition as well. So DBAN and Dell, don't >> mix. >> Make sure you understand what the tool is going to do, before pulling >> the trigger. If you had a Dell, and a recovery CD in hand, that would be >> OK. But if you're one of those people who only has whatever recovery >> software is in the hidden partition on the hard drive, then using >> DBAN to erase *everything* on the hard drive, wouldn't be very clever. >> >> Paul > > |