The contents of any hard disk that it can detect. Let me say that again, this time quoting the site: DBAN will automatically and completely delete Press F10 and it will detect and erase everything on every hard disk on the machine. Once you boot DBAN, there are several options which, for most practical purposes you can safely ignore. It’s that simple, and it’s very, very effective.ĭBAN is available as either an ISO file you can burn to create a bootable CD, or as an installer that will allow you to create a bootable floppy or USB stick. You boot from it, and you nuke the hard drive.

We often hear about people who’ve picked up an old computer at a recycler or yard sale, only to find that the hard disk is full of the previous owner’s sensitive data.ĭBAN, short for Darik’s Boot And Nuke, is a free utility dedicated to doing one thing, and one thing well… People are often concerned that files they’ve deleted might be recoverable after the fact, and it’s good and security conscious of them to be concerned.Īt the other end of the spectrum are people who give no thought at all to the potential recoverability of their data, and discard old computers and hard drives without giving it a second thought. I get questions surrounding data recovery fairly often.

Dariks boot and nuke