How to Wash a Hard Drive on a Computer Before Selling

Having your old computer sit around collecting dust in the corner only clutters up your home or apartment. When you decide to sell it, you may want to consider what you want to do about the old data on the hard drive, given the rampant identity theft going on in the world today. One way to solve the problem is to securely erase all data on your old hard drive using a program called Darik's Boot and Nuke, or DBAN for short.

Instructions

1. Download and install the file dban-2.0.0_buildroot.tar.bz2.

2. Install the DBAN application to a USB drive. Choose the USB drive letter when prompted.

3. Click the install button. DBAN will automatically make the USB drive a bootable one as the program installs.

4. Get the computer you want to wipe clean. Set the first boot device in the bios to USB. Consult your computer's documentation to learn how to access the bios. Usually it is done by holding down the Del or another key during the boot process. once in the bios, locate the setting for boot priority.

5. Plug the DBAN USB device into the USB port of the old computer. Reboot the computer.

6. Press the Enter key when the Darik's Boot and Nuke warning screen comes up in order to start DBAN in interactive mode.

7. Choose "DOD Short" with a "Security Level of High (7 passes)" on the wipe method screen using the spacebar to select the option.

8. View the next screen to come up, called the Wipe screen, to see the total number of passes, the percentage complete and the rate in kilobits per second. This process may take two to eight hours to complete depending on the size of the hard drive.

9. Check the final screen. In green letters it will say "DBAN succeeded" and that "All selected disks have been wiped."

10. Remove the bootable USB drive and turn off the computer to complete the process.

Resources

• Darik's Boot and Nuke