Securely Erase All Data From Internal Hard Drives

Introduction

This document is intended to assist in the secure removal of data from internal hard drives using software called DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke), which has been specifically configured to follow the recommendations of the University of Wyoming (UW) division of Information Technology (IT) for the secure removal of data from an internal hard drive.

This application will automatically delete all data on all internal hard drives (i.e. IDE, SCSI, SATA drives) connected to the computer it is run from. The data will be absolutely unrecoverable. Though this software is not designed to recognize or erase data from other disks, external hard drives, or data storage devices (i.e. memory sticks, flash drives, etc.), as an added precaution, it is recommended that you disconnect or remove these devices prior to running this software. If you are unsure if you have data on the computer that you do not want totally and irreversibly deleted, do not continue with this process. Verify that you have backed up all data you wish to keep before running this software.

DBAN is a freeware application that is available for download online. Further information on this software can be found at http://dban.sourceforge.net. This software, in its original form, is not provided or supported by Information Technology.

Procedure

1. Accessing the UW Configured DBAN Secure Erase Utility
    
   1. A UW DBAN Secure Erase Utility CD has been provided to each department at UW. Contact your department's main office to check out this CD.
       
   2. IT maintains a UW DBAN Secure Erase Utility CD for check out. Contact the IT front office at 766-3686 for information.
       
   3. If you would like to create a UW DBAN CD for your own use, you have a CDRW and CD burning software that will allow you to burn an "Image to CD", and you are familiar with this process, the UW DBAN image is located at \\uwapps.uwyo.edu\dban$.
      
      NOTE: Be sure to read the Readme1st.txt file.
       
2. Erasing the Data From All Internal Hard Drives
   
   NOTE: This application will automatically delete all data on all internal hard drives (i.e. IDE, SCSI, SATA drives) connected to the computer it is run from. The data will be absolutely unrecoverable. Though this software is not designed to recognize or erase data from other disks, external hard drives, or data storage devices (i.e. memory sticks, flash drives, etc.), as an added precaution, it is recommended that you disconnect or remove these devices prior to running this software. If you are unsure if you have data on the computer that you do not want totally and irreversibly deleted, do not continue with this process. Verify that you have backed up all data you wish to keep before running this software.
   
   
   1. Put the DBAN CD in the CDROM drive.
       
   2. Click the Start menu button, click Shut down, select Restart from the list of options, and click OK.
       
   3. The computer will restart and boot into the DBAN utility.
       
   4. In the DBAN Secure Erase Utility screen, read the text provided carefully to make sure you understand the risks.
       
   5. To proceed with the deletion of the data , press the D key to continue.
      
      NOTE: If you are not prepared to complete the deletion at this time, press the Q key to stop the process, remove the CD from the CDROM drive, and restart the computer.
       
   6. The deletion process will complete without any further action from you and will take quite a bit of time depending on the size of the hard drives, the speed of the computer, etc. 
       
   7. Once the deletion process has completed, you will see “DBAN succeeded. All Selected disks have been wiped." You will also be prompted to insert a floppy disk to store a log file of the actions completed. This last step is optional; you can either place a floppy in the drive and press ENTER to save the log file, or you can remove the CD from the CDROM drive and turn off the system.
       
   8. All data has now been securely deleted from all internal hard drives in the computer.

    

Reviewed: 0606 By: CD