Let's face it - we live in a digital world. Almost every record or bit of information exists on a computer somewhere, and the hard drives in those computers may exchange hands several times throughout their lives. Before Craigslist-ing your drive to a stranger, wipe it clean with DBAN.
Allow me to debunk two myths right off the bat. First, emptying your Recycle Bin (or Trash) does not erase the files permanently. Second, formatting your hard drive does not permanently destroy the data on it.
So if you do your finances on your computer, or if you have had personal information, passwords, sensitive documents, or your secret jambalaya recipe stored on your hard drive at one time or another, this data (or parts of it) can be recovered by an expert unless you take the necessary precautions. I know, why would someone want that jambalaya recipe - is it that good? Unfortunately it may be, and wiping your hard drive is a necessary precaution. Fortunately, DBAN makes this simple.
Simply download DBAN and burn the .ISO disc image to a CD (using ImgBurn for example), then boot to that CD. DBAN does a pretty good job of guiding you through the process - just make sure you select the right drive to wipe. The security ranges from normal to insane, depending on how much time you have (more secure = more time) and how sensitive your data is. It's your call whether or not protecting that jambalaya recipe calls for a 10 minute or a 24 hour wipe.
Download latest version:
DBAN v2.0.0
Intel/AMD version labeled as 20070429 beta.
* Images courtesy of DBAN
| Homepage: | http://www.dban.org/ |
| Supported OS: |    |
| Portable version: |  (technically, it's portable by nature) |
| 64-bit version: |  |
| Active project: | |
| No strings attached **: | |
** No spyware, ads, nags, registration reminders, etc.
Other Disk Health freeware to keep an eye on:
