[ale] Drive Erasure

[Keith R. Watson]

At 13:22 7/1/2005, you wrote:
>I've got a drive that has to go back to the manufacturer.  It's not dead yet,
>though it's dying.  What's the best way to erase it?
>
>dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hdx
>
>is what comes to my mind?  Is there a better way?


Darik's Boot and Nuke

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot floppy that 
securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically 
and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, 
which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

http://dban.sourceforge.net/


And best of all it's based on Linux.

keith

-- 

Keith R. Watson                        GTRI/ISD
Systems Support Specialist III         Georgia Tech Research Institute
keith.watson at gtri.gatech.edu           Atlanta, GA  30332-0816
404-894-0836