Wipe a Computer
Wiping a computer means removing everything--operating system, programs, and files--from the hard drive. To figure out how to wipe a computer, first determine what the hard disk is going to be used for after it's erased and find out why it's being wiped. If the hard drive is going to be discarded and you just don't want anyone to access the data on it, an easy way to wipe it is simply to remove it from the computer and smash it or drill several holes through it. If the drive is going to be used again for a fresh Windows installation, the Windows installation program provides tools to wipe it and prepare for a new install.
Contents
Steps
Wipe a PC (Low Security)
- Put a Windows CD or DVD in the drive. If you have only basic data on your computer (no saved passwords, no financial data, no sensitive pictures or documents, etc.), you can use this basic method for removing most data by formatting the drive. Be aware that a skilled person may be able to recover some of this information. The necessary CD or DVD is either a Windows operating system CD (such as Windows Vista) or the system restore CD that came from the manufacturer. Turn off the computer.
- Turn on the computer. Wait for a prompt that says "press any key to boot from CD" and hit a key. If there is no such option, you will need to enter the BIOS settings as described below:
- Restart the computer if there is no prompt to boot to CD. The first screen will give the function key to hit to get into the bios. Press this key.
- Look for an option to change the boot order. This will vary depending on the bios manufacturer.
- Select this option, and set the computer's boot order to boot from the CD drive first.
- Save the settings, exit BIOS setup and restart the computer. Press a key to boot from CD when prompted.
- Wait for the Windows Setup program to run through the first steps. At the prompt that asks where to install Windows, choose the existing Windows installation (usually C:Windows).
- Click next, and follow the prompts to the next screen. Choose the option to delete the partition.
- Follow the instructions to delete the partition. If there is more than one partition, delete each one. At this point, the drive is clean. Continue on to create and format a new partition and install Windows. If the computer is to be discarded, remove the CD and turn off the computer.
Wipe a PC (High Security)
- Use Active@KillDisk. If your computer contained any sensitive documents, photos or information which could be used to steal your identity, you will want to use a more secure method of removing your data. Active@KillDisk is the program recommended by Microsoft to securely remove your data.
- Download the program from a reputable website and use the included utility to create a bootdisk. You can get a perfectly functional free version but the pay version is much more thorough and secure. If your computer cannot create disks, use the utility to create a USB boot disk (this will need to be accounted for in your BIOS settings).
- Boot the computer from the disk, similar to the process described above in the previous section. If the computer will not boot from the disk, use the instructions in that section for entering the BIOS settings.
- Once it starts, you will see a blue screen with options on the left including “Active@Killdisk” and then either free or pro, depending on what you chose. Press the down key until this option is selected and press enter.
- Select your hard drive from the list which then appears on the left. It will bring up another window which will have the option to “Confirm and Erase”. Select this with the down arrow and hit enter. Type “erase-all-data” as requested by the window. Hit enter.
- It will now wipe your system and then present a report. When this is done you can turn off your computer and reinstall Windows (if you want to use the computer again) or Linux (a free operating system which will make the computer usable if you intend to sell it) or simply discard the machine.
- Use Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN). This is another common program (completely free) which also works very well. It will be loaded onto a disk or USB drive similarly to the Active program.
- Once the computer boots from the disk, the fastest method will be to type in either “dodshort” for a sufficient wipe or “dod” for something a little stronger (leave off the quotation marks). You can open the interactive mode if you want more options.
- Once you’ve typed in your preferred method, hit enter and you’re done. It will start wiping.
- Use ErAce. This is new program (completely free). It works from CD/DVD or from usb stick
- Download ErAce ISO image from sourceforge
- Burn image to CD/DVD or make it bootable from USB stick
- Make computer boot from CD/DVD or from USB stick
- Boot computer
- Choose how many overwrite cycles are made
- Click hard drives you want to overwrite
Wipe a Mac
- Get your boot disk. You can use either the Active@Killdisk method above, which will work on any Mac running OS X, or you can use the OS DVD, the methods for which will be described below.
- Boot the machine. With the disk in the drive, boot your Mac. Hold down the “C” key while you do this. You will then need to select your language.
- Open the “Utilities” menu. Open this menu and select “Disk Utilities”.
- Select your hard drive. Once the drive is selected from the resulting menu, go to the “Erase” tab. This will bring up another menu where you will want to press the “Security Options” button.
- Choose your method. Once in the security options menu, choose which type of wipe you’d like to perform. Press enter.
- Erase. You will be asked to name the drive, though it will also name itself by default. Press “Erase” and you’re done!
Warnings
- Once the computer is wiped, all data is irretrievable. Be sure to back up any files that need to be saved to a USB drive, CD, or another storage medium.
- System wipes such as these take great deal of time, so be patient. Thorough system wipes can take several days. If you do not plan to use the computer again, it may be easier to simply destroy it with a sledgehammer.
