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Questions tagged [dban]

dban, also known as Darik's Boot and Nuke, is a tool based on Linux used erase hard disks permanently and securely.

dban is a tool used to erase hard disks by overwriting the data with psuedorandom numbers generated by ISAAC. dban is often used when donating or selling a computer. dban is based on Linux, and can be booted by CD, DVD, USB, and more. dban is open-source and can be downloaded from sourceforge. The dban website holds useful information on dban.

46 questions
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5 answers

How can I securely format a solid-state drive?

When selling / throwing away / giving away HDDs I always use DBAN to do a DoD wipe first. Is this still a valid thing to do on an SSD? Will it have an adverse effect on the SSD's lifespan?
Shevek
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2 answers

How to install DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) on an USB flash drive larger than 4GB and make it bootable on an UEFI-equipped PC?

Disclaimer: I am answering my own question. I need to wipe my Windows laptop's internal hard drive. I find DBAN per How-To Geek's recommendation, but I am having trouble installing it on a 64GB USB flash drive and make it bootable on an…
Cosmos Gu
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11
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5 answers

Does DBAN Make a Drive Un-reusable?

I heard that a disk is reusable just after being wiped with DBAN. Just to make sure, is this true? Will I be able to use it again just as easily if I ran the autonuke command on it? I don't care about my files because they're all backed up, but I…
GPWR
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7
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1 answer

DBAN Hangs at PCI (sysfs)

I'm running "Derik's Boot and Nuke 2.2.6 beta". When I get to a blue screen (not a BSOD) after booting to the live CD the following is printed... Derik's Boot and Nuke 2.2.6 (beta) is starting. Waiting for USB devices to …
David
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2 answers

Has DBAN completed wiping when it's showing an advertisement?

I ran DBAN (Darik's Boot And Nuke) on my notebook. When it finished, it showed a message saying "press any key to continue". When I pressed a key, I got an advertisement page, and then it stopped. Has my hard disk been wiped completely?
Napat Maipaiboon
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6
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2 answers

MicroSD card: can't format,or partition

TL;DR: I have a Micro-SD card that has a primary partition that isn't formatted and can't be selected and I have tried: DBAN nuke (wiped) Windows formatting 3rd party program formatting diskpart.exe Windows partition manager I can't get it to…
Matty G
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5
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7 answers

Disk wiping other than DBAN

Sometimes using DBAN takes several days to wipe a disk. What alternatives do you have experience with that work within a few hours and offer the simplicity of DBAN? I am mainly interested in free solutions but am happy to hear what works for you.
rodey
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5
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5 answers

Started DBAN on an external by accident - can I get my data back?

I was running DBAN on a laptop HDD and I had an external HDD attached. Without realising that, I ran DBAN in auto mode. Completely stupid, I know. I noticed it was attached when the operation started, and in a panic I pulled the external out of the…
Sacha
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4
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2 answers

Recover data after dban use

I had just finished a reinstall of windows xp and had put all my files back in place, then when I was out my little sister saw the dban disk I used and she thought it was a game.... When I got home I was welcomed to a formatted pc and a sister who…
Stephan
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3
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2 answers

Difference between DBAN and dd command to securely wipe a HDD

I have read about dd and see that it can be used to securely wipe a HDD. But there is also a program called DBAN to wipe the HDD as well. I know that using a live gnu-linux ISO I can wipe my HDD by issuing following command several(say 25)…
destan
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3
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2 answers

DBAN not able to format my HP notebook

I have a HP pavillion dv6 notebook that somebody gave me. It has Windows Vista installed on it, and somehow it got ruined. I don't know what actually happened, but Windows vista will not boot. It just hangs at the loading screen, which is why I want…
Anthony
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How does Darik's Boot and Nuke work?

How does oft-recommended hard drive scrubber Darik's Boot and Nuke actually work?
Soup
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2
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1 answer

DBAN on SSD using Quick Erase

I understand DBAN is not recommended for wiping SSD drives since DBAN was designed for HDD and SSDs should be wiped by either rotating the encryption key (if it is encrypted) or filling with zeros. DBAN does offer a quick erase option that writes…
mlhDev
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2
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1 answer

DBAN to wipe flash drive?

I know DBAN can be used to securely wipe HDDs, and I know that it cannot be used to securely wipe SSDs. What about flash drives? It is my understanding that SSDs use flash memory, but that they move the data around whereas flash drives (as in small…
Emma
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What is the best method to wipe disk with DBAN?

What is the most effective method of using DBAN to wipe disks such as HDD, SD card,... Please ignore Gutmann method because it only use for old drives. I only care about the security level, I don't care about time.
Guest
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