Any user friendly Hard Drive erase utilities?

[knave]

I've used Dban in the past and it works fine but, I need to find a hard drive erace utility that is easy to use for a non techie.  Ie...boot the CD and press "erase"...ok I'll never find one that easy but I'd settle for almost easy.  Dban is very linuxy (heh I made up a word) and will scare people.

Please help.

Thanks.

[ahofle]

Sorry to piggyback onto your request, but I am also looking for something similar, except that it completely wipes the free space on your disk (ie really deletes deleted files so they cannot be recovered).

[EwJ]

I find Eraser to be useful for wiping free space, 'shredding' files and it also will create a dban floppy for you.
The dban disk it creates seems very strightforward and easy to use - simple boot up with it, and enter 'autonuke' at the prompt.
The defaults should be adequate for most situations.

edit: add linky

[quarterback]

Sorry to piggyback onto your request, but I am also looking for something similar, except that it completely wipes the free space on your disk (ie really deletes deleted files so they cannot be recovered).

Use something like this: http://david.tribble.com/text/filldisk.html

It's a batch file that will basically just fill your drive with random data, rewriting every block where your files used to be.   batch file, doesn't get much easier than that.

[leapinlew]

on the Ultimate Boot CD - there are several utilities. Download it here: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

I mainly use KILLDISK.

[Jdurg]

Heh.  I was going to jokingly say the massively powerful rare-earth magnets I used to carry around with me in blockbuster when the clerks there would screw up and charge me late fees on games/videos that I actually returned earlier than expected.   

[ahofle]

I find Eraser to be useful for wiping free space
edit: add linky

Use something like this: http://david.tribble.com/text/filldisk.html

Awesome, thanks!

[Ed_McCarron]

The batch file is nice, but it depends on your usage.  Do you just want to be sure things you've previously deleted can't be undeleted, or do you want an emergency disk for 'panic deletes'.  You know the kind, you've got 30 seconds to delete things UNRETRIEVEABLY before the men at the door break it down.

In that case, I'd stick with DBAN.  Keep on on a flash drive or CD, set your bios to boot from that option, and run it in quiet mode.  Install your media, reboot, and stand back.

I've not had to use it yet, but its nice to know I have the option.

Also, set up an old PC and practice using it if you can.  Don't want to be fumbling with readme.txt in a crisis situation.

[ahofle]

Hmm I hadn't thought of that.  Don't these programs usually take at least 30 minutes (or more) to fully wipe everything?

[ChadTower]

You know the kind, you've got 30 seconds to delete things UNRETRIEVEABLY before the men at the door break it down.

I would think at that point you'd want an external solution.  A self destruct button.  I've seen law enforcement's undelete utils... let's just say they are more powerful than most would think.  The only way to be 100% certain is to destroy the platters.  Think small explosive charge or acid.

[Jdurg]

Or really powerful electromagnet that will wipe off all magnetic differences on the drive.

[knave]

I would pretty mich like to stick with something that used the DOD compliant method.

I think it writes all 0's then 1's then 0's again. 

[Ed_McCarron]

You know the kind, you've got 30 seconds to delete things UNRETRIEVEABLY before the men at the door break it down.

I would think at that point you'd want an external solution.  A self destruct button.  I've seen law enforcement's undelete utils... let's just say they are more powerful than most would think.  The only way to be 100% certain is to destroy the platters.  Think small explosive charge or acid.

Thermite.

http://digg.com/comedy/Kevin_Rose_blowing_a_hard_drive_apart_with_thermite?t=2215226


EDit:  DBAN on the DOD-Short sequence (3 overwrites) seems to take an hour or so for an average sized 200G drive.

Perhaps those with things they need to worry about getting rid of quickly should try a solution like TrueCrypt.

http://www.truecrypt.org/

[ChadTower]

Smash it into a Nintendo joystick.

[Ed_McCarron]

Smash it into a Nintendo joystick.

Nope.  Not gonna take the bait. 

[ChadTower]

Now that tommy isn't around anymore you need a new random quote source.

[EwJ]

Sorry to piggyback onto your request, but I am also looking for something similar, except that it completely wipes the free space on your disk (ie really deletes deleted files so they cannot be recovered).

That program (Eraser) (and others that run in Windows) won't completely wipe the free space as Windows 'locks' the swap file (page file/virtual memory).  So if you're concerned about any content there, you would have to use a dos type utility to wipe all the free space (believe you can make the boot disk with the program)....or ...to do it in windows, set your page file max and min to zero, reboot, wipe all free space, reset your page file size, reboot.

I would pretty mich like to stick with something that used the DOD compliant method.

That's another nice feature of that program...you can select dod 3 or 7 pass, a single pass, a 35 pass, etc. from a context menu for single/multiple file 'shredding' as you go, as well as for free space wiping.

Smash it into a Nintendo joystick.

lmao

[protokatie]

Can someone confirm for me if SpinRight has a cleanout feature? If it does, it would prolly be about the best you can get...

Oh, and since noone mentioned it: if you need to be REALLY sure in a hurry, when the men in black coats show up, just blast the thing with a shotgun, im sure that would make quick work of any retrievable info on the disc...

* protokatie reminds everyone to get a copy of spinright, as it is the only available program that goes to the voltage level when dealing with data on the disc, and can save many a headache... (If only I myself would get off my own but and drop the 80 bucks for it)