Questions tagged [wipe]

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Error formatting and creating partition on SSD in Ubuntu

After Giving this Error: Error formatting volume-Error wiping device: Failed to open the device '/dev/sdb1' (udisks-error-quark,0) How can I solve this problem and get the disk to format properly?
Zrn-dev's user avatar
13 votes
6 answers
7k views

If a hard drive has sectors that are corrupt or physically damaged, can those sectors be written over?

I have a bootable FreeBSD drive that I'm using to wipe the contents of a hard drive before donating the PC to my local thrift store. I'm using the following command to achieve this: dd if=/dev/urandom ...
Ramza's user avatar
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0 answers
47 views

Wiped and Reformatted external hard drive says it is completely full and windows cannot access it

I had a 1TB external HDD that developed an unresponsive folder. I used the errors checking tool on the properties tool tab, and that repaired the folder. I then moved the data off to a replacement ...
Amar's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
1 answer
75 views

What would trigger a Windows 10 PC to do a full factory reload automatically?

I got called out on a support call today where the computer had completely reloaded Windows 10 from scratch. All existing customer data, configuration, apps, etc were gone. There wasn't even anything ...
Ryan Griggs's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
474 views

Is there a Windows CMD command to wipe everything?

Is there a CMD command like rm ​-rf --no-​preserve-root but for Windows? to wipe everything at once.
Rwyn Swan's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

Correct syntax for SDelete to wipe free space on the disk?

If I use this syntax: sdelete64.exe -p 3 -c 1% C ...where: -p 3 sets number of overwrite passes to 3 -c 1% sets amount of space to leave free to 1% C Specifies drive letter C: ... I get the error ...
David.P's user avatar
  • 522
0 votes
1 answer
72 views

Can I format my HD from running Linux system?

I have a Debian Linux PC which I would like to have the HD completely wiped. Is it possible to do this while running Linux, without having to insert a removable media and boot it? The HD to be format ...
user5507535's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

How to wipe all data on HDD (Windows 10 system partition)?

I am a bit surprised that I didn't found a canoncial (= recommended by Microsoft) way of doing this by searching Google but here we are: I am tasked to delete all data safely from a Windows 10 ...
cluelessdeleter's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
35 views

Does Google Chrome wipe the profile data?

When turning off sync in Google Chrome, there's an option called "Clear bookmarks, history, passwords and more from this device". Will this do data erasure, so that the data is completely ...
root's user avatar
  • 1,366
-1 votes
1 answer
596 views

Is it normal that running a "wipe free disk space" utility finishes quicker the more times it's used?

I used cipher /w:C to wipe the free disk space on my C drive. The first time I did it, it took say 2 days. Then two days later I used it, and it took 1.5 days. Then again I used it and it took 1 day. ...
useraccount001's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
102 views

If a harddisk has format errors, would running disk wipe on it still wipe everything?

If a hardisk is connected via USB to Windows and I attempt to open it, Windows says it needs to be formatted before it can be used. If I ignore this message and run disk wipe on it (like the cipher ...
useraccount001's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
218 views

Shredding an SSD (or: Is an SSD harder than a CD?)

I have a small office shredder which can destroy not only paper but also CDs and credit cards. Can I use that to destroy an M2 SSD or will that break my shredder? In other words, are components of an ...
Heinzi's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
3k views

What does the command "fsutil file createnew" really do?

In the Windows OS command line, when I need to quickly create a file of arbitrary size, I use the command: fsutil file createnew <filename> <size_in_bytes> I recently created a 100GB file ...
End Anti-Semitic Hate's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
51 views

Would using a single pass of schred on an encrypted SSD be an effective way to prevent accessing file data?

If I would perform a single pass of schred on a file on a (self)-encrypted SSD, would there still be a way to retrieve the file data without knowing the encryption key / password? Assume that the ...
Maarten Bodewes's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
154 views

How to reset my profile in Windows 10 before returning PC to organization

I have a Windows 10 laptop with a regular domain account with no admin rights what-so-ever. Running MS Windows 10 Pro Education Version 1709. I'd like to wipe the profile prior to returning the ...
Eric B.'s user avatar
  • 1,011
0 votes
1 answer
681 views

nwipe on USB external hard drive

I am currently running nwipe on a brand new external USB hard drive, using the default setting if DoD Short. The hard drive is brand new, USB 3.0, and 5TB in size. When it started 14 Hours ago, the ...
theguitarman's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
849 views

DBAN on SSD using Quick Erase

I understand DBAN is not recommended for wiping SSD drives since DBAN was designed for HDD and SSDs should be wiped by either rotating the encryption key (if it is encrypted) or filling with zeros. ...
mlhDev's user avatar
  • 195
2 votes
4 answers
3k views

How does writing zeroes to a drive remove data from it?

I know a fair bit about the process of securely wiping drives, including that one wipe is usually sufficient and that no-one has yet (publicly) been able to recover a bit of data from one pass of ...
Hashim Aziz's user avatar
  • 12.7k
-2 votes
1 answer
41 views

What is the operating system, intended to work with disks and able to wipe them?

I've got Windows and Kali Linux on my laptop. I want to erase both of them in several keyboard prints. So, what I need is to wipe both disks data (obviously, without leaving the OS) (with using an ...
KViiTEN's user avatar
  • 147
2 votes
4 answers
12k views

Does wiping free space on disk free any space?

CCleaner has a feature for wiping free space on a disk. CCleaner's documentations says: When you delete a file, Windows removes the reference to that file, but doesn't delete the actual data that ...
lolman981234's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Can my personal iPhone be wiped remotely via Exchange ActiveSync? [closed]

I have an iPhone 7 Plus. I connect to the corporate Exchange Server (via Outlook 365) using the plain Exchange account settings (under Passwords & Accounts). In other words, I have not installed ...
cbmeeks's user avatar
  • 235
-2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Destroying an internal hard drive

Does removing and soaking a computer hard drive in water with salt (sodium chloride) destroy the data on it? If so, how long should it be immersed in the salt water?
Bob Patterson's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
3k views

How to wipe a disk completely that has been encrypted by ransomware

Recently my HDD was encrypted by a ransomware attack (I have no idea which encryption method has been used) and as a result I cannot access the contents of my HDD (see how Disk 1 seems in the first ...
yildizabdullah's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is there a faster way to verify that a drive has been fully zeroed?

In the coming months, I'm going to need to zero out a lot of disks. After wiping each drive, I need a quick way of making sure that the drive has been completely filled with zeroes. I could open each ...
Hashim Aziz's user avatar
  • 12.7k
0 votes
1 answer
116 views

I just partially wiped out an external hard disk drive

I was installing Windows 10, so I cleared the C:/ partition on my internal hard drive, only then to be greeted by the message: Windows cannot be installed on this disk. The selected disk has an MBR ...
BeBlunt's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
6k views

Why does dd give me an error at the end of zero-writing a disk?

I'm running Cygwin on Windows 7. I was using the following dd command to securely erase a 1TB mechanical disk: dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sde bs=4M status=progress About 2 and a half hours into the ...
Hashim Aziz's user avatar
  • 12.7k
0 votes
0 answers
57 views

Seagate hard drive not recognized on any computer - Would like to wipe

I have an old Seagate external hard drive that I would like to wipe clean and repurpose. However, it isn't showing up on any computer I try it on. I can't find it on my Mac, via disk utility or ...
etgriffonage's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
200 views

Quick permanent erase with 3 modes of unnecessary files, short time and recovery search optimisation [duplicate]

My sister asked me to back her photos up to my external HDD and to format his laptop. Days later, my external HDD suffered a fail, resulting in loss of photos. I used Windows' Recuva, Linux's RD-Linux ...
Oo'-'s user avatar
  • 103
0 votes
0 answers
383 views

Can´t format, write nor delete files on a corrupted microSD card

I have a SandDisk Ultra PLUS 16 GB microSD card (This exact model) and I'm trying to format it without any luck so far. It's the microSD card that I've using in my Android phone for 3 years without ...
Juani Elias's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
341 views

linux shred does not remove traces of filename even after truncate/removal?

I'm testing the coreutils /usr/bin/shred command. It leaves traces of a file's name even though I told shred to "truncate" (remove) the file. I was assuming that shred would remove all the metadata ...
Vahid Pazirandeh's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
442 views

How to wipe OS only

I'd like to wipe my corrupted OS entirely before installing a new. I've found your answer how to do it along with the full disk, but I'd like to keep the other partitions (data). How to wipe one ...
George's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
1 answer
281 views

Windows 7: Cipher or Format console program to wipe (write 0) across a hard drive

How good of a job does Windows 7 cipher do in wiping a hard drives contents? I have cmd elevated with administrator privileges and I'm running cipher with /w on a designated 1TB Seagate hard drive. ...
Francis Cugler's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can you effectively wipe a hard drive from the current Linux OS?

I have a laptop that is barely alive. The screen is busted. The power cord is frayed. The power indicator flashes red sometimes. Etc. So I want to wipe the hard drive as effectively as I can before I ...
Mike Pierce's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
141 views

Hard wiping Linux laptop to fix Wifi

Some time ago I booted my laptop up and for some reason my WiFi stopped working... F9 nor the WiFi switch and button seem to respond anymore no matter how or which order I press them. Messed with ...
ShoulderMonster's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
49 views

In case of OS and MBR malware, what will be the difference between a factory reset, a format and a disk wipe? [duplicate]

In case of malware infection in latest windows OS, like win 10, which is the best course of action for complete disinfection - a factory reset using troubleshoot and recovery, a format of entire drive ...
Dobby's user avatar
  • 53
0 votes
2 answers
220 views

What marks data as deleted - the hard drive or the filesystem?

Anyone with a cursory understanding of data recovery and sanitisation as it relates to hard drives is aware of the concept that data "permanently" deleted from within an operating system is not ...
Hashim Aziz's user avatar
  • 12.7k
1 vote
2 answers
16k views

Format a USB Drive CDFS to NTFS

I have some USB Drives that came pre-programmed. They are read-only and are being loaded as a CD Drive (ISO9660 / CDFS). I cannot format the drives via the standard "right-click >> format". I have ...
Justin_DavieHigh's user avatar
6 votes
5 answers
5k views

How safely does reinstalling Windows wipe old data?

I've got a set of computers that have had privileged information on that I want to be able to re-use. If I used a Windows boot drive to re-install Windows, how sufficient would that be towards keeping ...
Yann's user avatar
  • 239
1 vote
1 answer
585 views

How to Zero out free space on a pen drive on Windows?

I am looking for commands or methods whereby I can just write all zeros to the free space on a Pen drive on Windows OS. The existing files should not be affected. There's a built in command called '...
rajeev's user avatar
  • 1,646
-1 votes
2 answers
6k views

Wipe UEFI hard drive

I would like to completely wipe my hard drive but I can't achieve it because it's an UEFI hard drive so : - DBAN won't work; - I can't use tools such as HDDErase because I can't boot from FreeDOS ...
Chams's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Wiping free space - NFTS, exFAT?

I'm trying to wipe some of my older (NTFS, external) hard drives, but even after using 'Wipe free space' programs like CCleaner and Eraser, the file names are still visible in file recovery programs. ...
user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
78 views

Are some files that show up in the Windows Recycle Bin of a fully formatted secondary drive linked to another drive or physically present?

I have a primary (boot) SSD and a secondary HDD (via a SATA-to-USB adapter) connected to my computer. My goal is to sell the secondary HDD without exposing any previous data that was stored on it. I ...
Wuschelbeutel Kartoffelhuhn's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
265 views

Cypher command din't wipe my deleted data

I used Recuva and got a list of deleted data that can be recovered, then applied the Windows command Cypher to wipe the partitions D and C, 3 passes were made. cipher /w:D:\ cipher /w:C:\ Finally I ...
AFA Med's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Is the dban quick method for HDD equal to a full wipe?

I wiped my HDD with DBAN and the quick method. Craig Steven Wrigt says it‘s secure to erase an HDD one time. I think so too, but is the DBAN quick wipe a full one time wipe?
Emil Engler's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
7k views

Is the blocksize important when wiping a disk with dd and zeros

I used dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=4096 For wiping a disk. Can be the blocksize a security risk or is it just speeding the thing up. Sorry for my bad english
Emil Engler's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
197 views

If This Is TRIM, DBAN Should Work

I am informed that drive wiping tools do not work reliably on SSDs due to such features as wear leveling. Here, for example, a quote from MakeUseOf: [T]o comply with wear levelling, the SSD must ...
Ray Woodcock's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
65 views

How to erase any kind of files after formating and installing Fedora 27 Workstation

How can I safely erase files that could potentially be recovered after a hard drive format and installation on a Fedora 27 workstation? I was using Windows 10, and everything that I had in Windows 10 ...
Tales's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

How to securely erase HPA, DCO, and any bad sectors of a SCSI HDD

Does dd if=/dev/zero of =/dev/cciss/c0d0 bs=1M wipe over the HPA, DCO, and any bad sectors?
oshirowanen's user avatar
  • 1,720
1 vote
2 answers
7k views

Wipe hard drive on old windows xp laptop - no CD Drive & no USB Boot support

I need to wipe an old laptop (one pass, all zeros will do). The laptop is ancient and has: Windows XP Professional installed as its sole os. no USB boot support no working CD drive no hammer/drill ...
Jack_Hu's user avatar
  • 189
2 votes
3 answers
3k views

Can I reliably use `dd` to wipe the root filesystem on a running Linux server?

I have a (physically) remote server I'd like to securely destroy. Unfortunately, the disk is partitioned with a single, large root partition and nothing else. Can I reliably use dd to wipe the device ...
Christopher Schultz's user avatar