Gog asks:
My HDD has quite a lot of bad sectors. I’d like to dump it. But before doing that, I want to wipe it thoroughly.
I tried some disk wipers, but they are just too slow and hang on the bad sectors. Is there some tool that can wipe HDD with bad sectors quickly and reliably?
Browser: Explorer 8
System: Windows
Tagged: bad sectors, best software, delete user data, erase, hard drive, privacy, windows software
System: Windows
Tagged: bad sectors, best software, delete user data, erase, hard drive, privacy, windows software
17 Answers - Write an Answer
ha14
January 1, 2013boot on windows dvd choose the hard drive that you want to format and use Windows to format it.
Darik’s Boot and Nuke
http://download.cnet.com/Darik-s-Boot-and-Nuke-for-CD-and-DVD/3000-2094_4-10151762.html
HOWTO: Use DBAN on UBCD to Wipe a Hard Drive
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/dban.html
Paul Pruitt
January 1, 2013I don’t throw out old hard drives. They are kind of a super emergency backup too.
Jim Chambers
January 2, 2013Use a heavy hammer and bash it flat.
You can drill holes int it too. But still to be totally sure just don’t throw them out.
January 2, 2013If you use a hammer, you can send it for recycling all in one piece.
January 2, 2013Rajaa Chowdhury
January 2, 2013Completely low format it. Then use ccleaner to wipe MFT space. Then physically damage the HDD.
Jan Fritsch
January 2, 2013Next to physical destruction the best thing to do is running an ATA secure erase as it will fully wipe all the data present on the drive.
http://www.corsair.com/applicationnote/secure-erase
If secure erase doesn’t work for whatever reason you can use a tool like DBAN or any other secure wipe option that performs at least a single overwrite.
Unlike secure erase which is performed by the drives controller these tools are software based. That means they will not be able to wipe blocks already marked as bad – but don’t really worry about this data as a single block doesn’t really contain anything.
Since you are aware of bad blocks it might be a good idea to perform a second overwrite just in case the first one aborted or “jumped” duo to newly detected bad blocks.
Another suggestion I can make is to find a trustworthy and responsible recovery service provider and ask them to properly dispose the hard drive.
Junil Maharjan
January 2, 2013Use a tool that has been used for generation by human beings without which we could not have survived so long and gain the ultimate spot on evolution – FIRE
Alan Wade
January 2, 2013Take the hard disk apart.
Seperate the platters and wipe each of them with a strong magnet.
Now, just for good measure, drill holes in each of the platters then dispose of one at a time.
thats very technical:)
January 2, 2013@ ha14
January 2, 2013Yep and it works although you can subsitute the drilling holes and sisposing one platter at a time if you use a good epoxy glue to stick all the platters together.
Mike Kettle
January 2, 2013I was really happy with WipeDrive when I sold my netbook a year or so ago. If you haven’t tried it out, check it out, http://www.whitecanyon.com/wipedrive-erase-hard-drive. It wasn’t super fast but didn’t take too long. I don’t remember exactly. But I would use it again if need be.
Steve
January 2, 2013Dismantle the drive remove the disk platters and fold them in half and bash them with a big hammer
Scott
January 2, 2013http://www.dban.org/
Joey Tombazzi
January 2, 2013Use a good size magnet on the hard drive that will wipe data off it without working too much on trying to figure how to wipe it lol
Bob Russell
January 2, 2013My preferred method is to drill about six or seven holes through it with my electric drill. This only works if you want to dump it.
Daniel J. Karas
January 3, 2013Physical destruction of the magnetic media is the only sure way. I recommend several hard blows with a 3-lb mini sledge. Be sure to use goggles. Railroad tracks make a good anvil. Depending on your level of paranoia, a good roasting in a white-hot campfire works well to finish the job.
Jeff Taylor
January 3, 2013I use Darik’s Boot and Nuke (DBAN) &, for any drive that’s not SATA, I drill holes in the platter. When I throw them in the recycle bin, I never throw all of the platter from one drive in the same bin.
rlr
January 3, 2013Have it shredded
Gog
January 4, 2013I got a tool called WBD(Wipe Bad Disk) that can deal with the bad sectors. I will try it. If that does not work, I’d like to buy a big hammer.
Luca Vignando
February 4, 2013Try unstoppable copyer. Use it to fill the disk with fake data (maybe word files filled with lorem ipsum or excel files filled with random numbers). So you should overwrite data on “good” sectors. Bad are already unreadable.
Or use a powerful magnet on the disk. Or an hammer.
Or open the disk, scratch the platters, fold the arms that keep the heads in position and so on. Maybe a good bath in water with the cover removed could help