Time Needed: several hours (varies with size and speed of disk)
Software: Hard disk utility software from your drive vendor
Media: blank CD, flash drive or floppy disk
Software: Hard disk utility software from your drive vendor
Media: blank CD, flash drive or floppy disk
Although writing zeroes across the entire hard drive surface ('zero-filling') is not sufficient to meet government data sanitation (disk wiping) standards overwriting the entire hard disk prevents most types of data recovery from being successful. The only way to recover data would be with professional high end expensive data recovery software.
All the great tools we have for the field. Contribute to Seagate/ToolBin development by creating an account on GitHub. ToolBin / SeaChest / Erase / v2.0.1 / Fetching latest commit Cannot retrieve the latest commit at this time. Type Name Latest commit message. This freeware HDD Wipe utility will erase and re-certify a SATA, IDE or SCSI hard disk drive with any size of up to 281 474 976 710 655 bytes. Will work with USB and FIREWIRE external drive enclosures. Low-level erasing of Flash Cards is supported too. HDD Wipe Tool.
Here's where to get zero-fill software from hard disk vendors:
Western Digital
Data Lifeguard Diagnostics
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?lang=en
Use Write Zeros to drive to zero-fill your hard disk
Data Lifeguard Diagnostics
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?lang=en
Use Write Zeros to drive to zero-fill your hard disk
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostics Screenshot, other manufacturer utilities below look very similar.
Seagate and Maxtor
SeaTools for DOS
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools
Use Full Erase to zero-fill your hard disk
SeaTools for DOS
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools
Use Full Erase to zero-fill your hard disk
Samsung
HUtil
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/hdd/support/utilities/Support_HUTIL.html
Use Tool, Erase HDD to zero-fill your hard disk
HUtil
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/hdd/support/utilities/Support_HUTIL.html
Use Tool, Erase HDD to zero-fill your hard disk
Hitachi
Drive Fitness Test
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT
Select the Erase Drive feature to zero-fill your hard disk
Drive Fitness Test
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT
Select the Erase Drive feature to zero-fill your hard disk
Definetly the DBAN method mentioned on the previous page is the preferred and most secure method but these tools are available as an alternative.