How can I overwrite the primary partition?
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From: �� on 29 Mar 2010 00:47 Hi, I'd like to use file shredder to overwrite the primary partition C:, but it failed for the partition is in use. What can I do? Can I install another system on another parition such as E or F, and then boot from E or F partition, so that I can overwrite the ex-primary partition using file shredder? Please help me. thanks.
From: LD55ZRA on 29 Mar 2010 01:11 You can't unless you boot from CD or disk. Depending on your HD, you can download a tool just for that from here: http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=502&sid=30&lang=en The file is: Diag504fCD.iso, burn it on to a CD and then boot your system with it. It will allow you to write Zeros and Wipe your disk clean! hth "��" <H> wrote in message news:%23r1ZurvzKHA.4328(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... > Hi, I'd like to use file shredder to overwrite the primary partition C:, > but > it failed for the partition is in use. What can I do? Can I install > another > system on another parition such as E or F, and then boot from E or F > partition, so that I can overwrite the ex-primary partition using file > shredder? > > Please help me. thanks. > > >
From: Paul on 29 Mar 2010 02:18 �� wrote: > Hi, I'd like to use file shredder to overwrite the primary partition C:, but > it failed for the partition is in use. What can I do? Can I install another > system on another parition such as E or F, and then boot from E or F > partition, so that I can overwrite the ex-primary partition using file > shredder? > > Please help me. thanks. > If you need to erase your entire drive, OS and all, try DBAN. http://www.dban.org/ DBAN will erase *all* connected drives, so use it with care. In the DBAN forums, there were a few reports of clever people, who managed to erase their connected "backup" drive. DBAN can erase up to 100 connected hard drives, at the same time. ******* If you want something with a little more precision, you can boot a Linux LiveCD, and erase a partition with "dd". For example, if I booted Ubuntu and did something like this. sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda1 and let it run to completion, that would write zeros over the partition named "hda1". It helps, if your partitions all have labels assigned. Or if you have unique files at the top level of your partition, that may make it easier to verify you're erasing the right partition. (I have some files like that on my C: drive, so when I'm in Linux, I have a way to verify I have the right target.) So you don't absolutely need to install another copy of Windows to mess about. (I have a dual boot machine, WinXP on one disk, Win2K on the other, and that is how I get around your current situation, of not having a second OS to use.) Now, the next question is, do you have a way to reinstall the OS on the C: partition ? Don't erase it, if you don't have something to use for recovery. And if you're using some tool which erases the whole disk, you could easily delete your recovery partition as well. So DBAN and Dell, don't mix. Make sure you understand what the tool is going to do, before pulling the trigger. If you had a Dell, and a recovery CD in hand, that would be OK. But if you're one of those people who only has whatever recovery software is in the hidden partition on the hard drive, then using DBAN to erase *everything* on the hard drive, wouldn't be very clever. Paul
From: ? on 29 Mar 2010 02:55 Thanks, But it seems that DBAN can not wipe the disk using 35 passes as file shredder does. How many passes can DBAN erase? "Paul" <nospam(a)needed.com> ??????:hopgn1$h3q$1(a)speranza.aioe.org... > �� wrote: >> Hi, I'd like to use file shredder to overwrite the primary partition C:, >> but >> it failed for the partition is in use. What can I do? Can I install >> another >> system on another parition such as E or F, and then boot from E or F >> partition, so that I can overwrite the ex-primary partition using file >> shredder? >> >> Please help me. thanks. >> > > If you need to erase your entire drive, OS and all, try DBAN. > > http://www.dban.org/ > > DBAN will erase *all* connected drives, so use it with care. In the > DBAN forums, there were a few reports of clever people, who managed > to erase their connected "backup" drive. DBAN can erase up to 100 > connected hard drives, at the same time. > > ******* > > If you want something with a little more precision, you can boot > a Linux LiveCD, and erase a partition with "dd". For example, > if I booted Ubuntu and did something like this. > > sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda1 > > and let it run to completion, that would write zeros over the partition > named "hda1". It helps, if your partitions all have labels assigned. > Or if you have unique files at the top level of your partition, that > may make it easier to verify you're erasing the right partition. (I have > some files like that on my C: drive, so when I'm in Linux, I have a > way to verify I have the right target.) > > So you don't absolutely need to install another copy of Windows to > mess about. (I have a dual boot machine, WinXP on one disk, Win2K on > the other, and that is how I get around your current situation, of > not having a second OS to use.) > > Now, the next question is, do you have a way to reinstall the OS > on the C: partition ? Don't erase it, if you don't have something > to use for recovery. > > And if you're using some tool which erases the whole disk, you could > easily delete your recovery partition as well. So DBAN and Dell, don't > mix. > Make sure you understand what the tool is going to do, before pulling > the trigger. If you had a Dell, and a recovery CD in hand, that would be > OK. But if you're one of those people who only has whatever recovery > software is in the hidden partition on the hard drive, then using > DBAN to erase *everything* on the hard drive, wouldn't be very clever. > > Paul
From: Paul on 29 Mar 2010 03:35
? wrote: > Thanks, > > But it seems that DBAN can not wipe the disk using 35 passes as file > shredder does. How many passes can DBAN erase? The inventor of the 35 pass method (Peter Gutmann), reports that it is unnecessary for modern disks. http://www.dban.org/node/40 "some people have treated the 35-pass overwrite technique described in it more as a kind of voodoo incantation to banish evil spirits than the result of a technical analysis of drive encoding techniques. "For any modern PRML/EPRML drive, a few passes of random scrubbing is the best you can do" HTH, Paul |