Tip:
The exact procedure to access the BIOS differs by computer manufacturer,
so refer to your computer's manual for
specific information. You may also be able to locate vendor-specific information
through a Web search.
A bootable disk is used to open the DriveScrubber DOS-based application, which guides you through the process of wiping the selected drives.
The DriveScrubber DOS-based application provides detailed on-screen instructions and has a Help system that contains step-by-step instructions (press F1 to open the Help).
This topic is provided if you want to review the steps prior to running the application, or if you want to print instructions for later use.
A bootable disk is used to start the DriveScrubber DOS-based application. You can use the DriveScrubber CD (if you purchased a CD) or use the bootable disk you created using the Create DriveScrubber Boot Disk Wizard.
Put the bootable disk in the drive.
Start/restart your computer.
Some initializing information displays and then you will see a message that DriveScrubber will open in a few seconds.
If your computer starts as it normally does (meaning, you see the operating system booting), change your computer's BIOS so that the drive that contains the bootable disk is first in the boot sequence. See "Change Boot Order" below for more information:
If DriveScrubber does not automatically open when you start your computer, change the boot order so that the drive with the bootable disk boots first. DriveScrubber needs to boot before your computer's operating system does.
If you have a bootable CD, the CD drive needs to be first in the boot order (or before the drive with the operating system).
If you have a bootable floppy disk, the floppy drive needs to be first in the boot order (or before the drive with the operating system).
To change the boot order, edit the boot settings in your computer's BIOS (a software program that your computer uses to boot and control other functions). Generally, when the computer is starting, you will see a message to press a certain key or key sequence to "Enter setup"; this should open the BIOS. Once opened, look for a feature called "Boot" or "Startup" and then change the boot order/sequence. No other changes need to be made in the BIOS.
Tip:
The exact procedure to access the BIOS differs by computer manufacturer,
so refer to your computer's manual for
specific information. You may also be able to locate vendor-specific information
through a Web search.
The DriveScrubber DOS-based application uses a wizard to guide you through the process of wiping selected drives. All selections are made using the keyboard; the application does not support the use of a mouse or pointing device.
Note: Up through the final confirmation screen,
you can press Esc
to close the application without wiping. A DOS prompt will display. Remove
the bootable disk from its drive and then restart the computer.
The first screen of the wizard displays a brief description of DriveScrubber. Press Enter to proceed; press Esc to close the application without wiping.
The next screen displays a list of the physical drives detected on your computer. Select the one or more drives you want to wipe. You must select at least one drive to continue.
Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move to the desired drive.
With the desired drive highlighted, press the spacebar to select it; an X displays. (To clear a selection, press the space bar again.)
Repeat steps 1 and 2 for every drive you want to wipe.
Press Enter to proceed; press Esc to close the application without wiping.
On the next screen, select an overwrite method. The more secure the wiping method, the longer it will take to complete. You must select one (and only one) method.
Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move to the desired method. The methods are:
Single Overwrite. This method is the fastest, and it blocks most software-based recovery tools. It writes the hexadecimal "Zero" code to each sector of the drive.
Seven Overwrite - US Department of Defense 5220.22 compliant wiping. This method uses a data elimination algorithm compliant with the U.S. Defense Department Standard 5220.22. It uses seven overwrites of all sectors of the drive, blocking most hardware- and software-based recovery tools. It is more secure than a single overwrite.
Gutmann's Maximum Security Overwrite. This method overwrites sectors in compliance with Gutmann's Security Standard. It uses 35 overwrites of all sectors, using random patterns. This is the most secure method, and it requires significantly more time to wipe than the other two methods.
With the desired method highlighted, press the spacebar to select it; an asterisk displays. (To clear a selection, navigate to a different method, and press the space bar to select it.)
Press Enter to proceed; press Backspace to go back to the previous screen; press Esc to close the application without wiping.
On the next screen, you can select optional settings that enable security, safety, and logging features. No selections are required on this screen. Two options are recommended and enabled by default, as described below in step 1.
Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move to the desired option. The options are:
Verify Wiping. This option enables a Write Verify action for every sector overwritten. Whenever a sector of the hard drive is erased, that sector is read one last time to make sure that it has been erased properly. Note that this option increases the time required for wiping, depending on the size of the drive. DEFAULT: OFF
Wipe from end-to-beginning of drive. In a normal wipe operation, the drive is erased starting at the first possible sector (or the Zero Sector), and the writing is continued until the end of the drive is reached. With this option selected, the writing process is begun at the LAST sector in the drive, and is continued backward until it reaches the FIRST sector. This can make it easier to cancel and retain some partition information, allowing you to boot from it and even access some files, even if another part of the drive has been wiped. DEFAULT: OFF
Perform an additional final wipe with all zeroes. This option provides added security to the wiping process. Regardless of the method selected on the previous screen, this option will process a final write of "0" to each sector of the drive. In addition to extra security, this process eliminates any unique patterns that may have been left on the drive and can link the source of the wipe to DriveScrubber. DEFAULT: OFF
Save US Department of Defense style log file. Some organizations require standards to be followed in the way the "purging" of magnetic storage systems is performed and logged. This option enables the detailed logging features required by the U.S. Department of Defense. DEFAULT: OFF
Allow interruption of wiping process. This option is provided as a fail-safe feature in case you need to pause, resume, or stop the wiping process after it has started. If this option is not selected, you cannot stop a wipe in progress. DEFAULT: ON
Enable option to skip drive currently being wiped. This option allows you to skip the current drive when wiping. DEFAULT: ON
With the desired option highlighted, press the spacebar to select it; an X displays. (To clear a selection, press the space bar again.)
Repeat steps 1 and 2 for every option you want to select.
Press Enter to proceed; press Backspace to go back to the previous screen; press Esc to close the application without wiping.
The next screen confirms your selections prior to starting the wiping process. The selected drives and the selected wipe method display.
To make changes, press Backspace until you are at the screen you want to change.
To close DriveScrubber without wiping, press Esc.
When you are ready to start the wipe, press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + W.
This is the final screen before
the selected drives are wiped of all data. Exercise caution before proceeding.
As the wiping progresses, the following information displays:
A list of the drives to be wiped.
The wipe method being used (Single Overwrite, Seven Overwrite, etc.).
A progress bar showing how much of the wipe has been completed for the current drive.
The write mode method being used to overwrite data.
A few moments after the wiping starts, the following status information also displays for the current drive:
The number of seconds it takes for one overwrite pass.
The amount of data overwritten per second.
The estimated amount of time it will take to complete the wiping.
Depending on the options you selected, you may be able to cancel the wipe or skip the current drive:
If you selected the "Allow interruption of wiping process" option, you can press Esc at any time during the wipe process. The "Operation complete/canceled" screen will display (described below).
If you selected the "Enable option to skip drive currently being wiped" option, you can press Alt + S to stop the wipe for the current drive and start the next wipe. If there are no more drives to wipe, the "Operation complete/canceled" screen will display (described below).
At the end of the wiping (or cancellation of wiping), licensed users have the option to press Y to wipe another drive. All users can press N to exit.
If you press Y, the "Select Drives to Wipe" screen displays, allowing you to select another drive to wipe.
If you press N, the application closes and a DOS prompt displays.
If you selected the "Save US Department of Defense style log file" option, you can press V to view the log. From the log viewer, you can print the log by pressing Alt + P. The entire log will be printed.
Note: A printer must be directly
connected to the printer port of your computer to print logs directly
from DriveScrubber. Printers connected via a network are not available.