How to Zero Fill a Flash Drive
Zero-fill formatting is a thorough method of wiping a storage drive. Where formatting a storage drive deletes the data on the surface, the data can still be recovered until it is overwritten. Zero-fill formatting wipes the storage drive, overwrites the deleted data with a series of zeroes and then wipes the drive again to make data recovery beyond civilian means. Zero-fill formatting is typically done to hard-disc drives, but flash drives can also benefit from the method. Darik's Boot and Nuke software is a cross-platform utility for zero-fill formatting. Active@ KillDisk is an alternative for Windows and PCs.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN)
-
1
Visit the website for Darik's Boot and Nuke. Click “Download” then click one of the DBAN links to download the software. DBAN is available for PC and Mac.
-
2
Extract the contents of the DBAN archive into a new folder then burn the ISO image to a disc.
-
-
3
Insert the USB flash drive into a port that is directly connected to the computer, not by USB hub, then reboot the computer with the DBAN disc inserted.
-
4
Follow the instructions to start DBAN in “interactive mode” when it boots. “Interactive mode” allows the user to select the drive to be zero-fill formatted. Select the flash drive, then press F10 to start the zero-fill format.
Active@ KillDisk
-
5
Visit the website for Active@ KillDisk, then click “Download Free Version” in the side menu.
-
6
Click “Download KillDisk Suite" for Windows to download the Kill Disk setup file. A DOS version of the software is also available.
-
7
Run “KillDiskSuiteFree-Setup.exe” to install KillDisk. The installer includes software for creating bootable discs and USB flash drives. Insert the flash drive to be zero-fill formatted before continuing.
-
8
Run KillDisk. In the left-hand panel titled “System Local Disks,” select the flash drive from the list then click the “Kill” button in the upper menu. Click “Start,” enter the confirmation phrase (in bold) into the text field, and then click “Yes” to begin the zero-fill format.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Back up flash drive contents before performing a zero-fill format.
Storage drive manufacturers usually offer zero-filling utilities for their products.
The DBAN website offers older versions of the software.
KillDisk can perform a multiple-pass zero-fill format.
Zero-fill formatting a storage drive is a long process.
DBAN's “autonuke” or “automatic mode” will wipe every drive it can detect on the computer.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jeffrey Hamilton/Digital Vision/Getty Images
More Like This
Comments
-
this all sucks why do these tools all require booting from a disk. why can't windows do it.
