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10/06/2005 Archived Entry: "Scrubbing your hard disk"

More on scrubbing your hard disk... My friend Steve C. writes to point out that Knoppix includes the Linux "wipe" utility. Like "eraser" for Windows, this can securely delete any file from your hard drive.

To scrub the entire drive, however, the tool of choice seems to be Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN). The last thing you do, before taking a computer to the dump, is to load this floppy disk (or CD-ROM) and boot the computer. DBAN will scrub the hard drive(s) clean. Warning: this is a dangerous tool! Accidentally leaving this disk in your current computer, and then rebooting it, will wipe everything from your hard disks! Label this floppy disk/CD-ROM clearly, and keep it in a very safe place.  —brad

P.S. There are links to more free scrubbing tools (for Linux and Windows) here.