Wiping Hard Drive?

Origin Saint

Origin Saint

Well-Known Member
Hi all, I recently was given a old Dell Dimension 4600i. I have no use for it as a whole, but I could use the parts inside. I've already swapped out some RAM and put in my other desktop. I want to use the hard drive in the other desktop, but the previous owner said that when she took it to a repairman, he said it was stuck in a infinite loop and couldn't be fixed. I'm assuming the hard drive is what is stuck in an infinite loop, so I want to be able to wipe everything off the hard drive so that it's safe to attach to my other PC. Is there a way to wipe the hard drive and keep it operational and safe for the other PC? I would prefer a method that doesn't require I use the PC it's installed in, but anything will work really. Thanks for any help.
 
mrjack

mrjack

VIP Member
DBAN should be suitable for your needs. You could install the HDD in another computer (preferably as the only HDD that is connected to ensure that you don't wipe another drive by mistake) and boot from a CD with DBAN on it. Then you can use DBAN to wipe the HDD.
 
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Origin Saint

Origin Saint

Well-Known Member
Well the thing is, is that I can't get to a point where I can access a disk. Windows XP needs reinstalled and I have no disk for it and I havent been able to get a mouse to work on it to fully install Ubuntu. Is there a way to access the disk drive and run the program without using a OS?
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
Have you tried doing a diagnostic on the drive to determine if there were errors on the drive?
 
Origin Saint

Origin Saint

Well-Known Member
I just tried booting from the disk, but it keeps going into windows install. I have the boot configuration set-up to read the CD-ROM, then Diskette, then Hard Drive, but it seems to bypass the CD all together.
 
P

paulcheung

Active Member
Origin Saint said:
I just tried booting from the disk, but it keeps going into windows install. I have the boot configuration set-up to read the CD-ROM, then Diskette, then Hard Drive, but it seems to bypass the CD all together.
Click to expand...

Some computer need you to press a key to boot from the cd/dvd while it booting up.
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
So you downloaded the ISO file and then used burning software to write the image to a cd? If all you did was copy the file to the cd, it won't boot.
 
AntimatterAsh

AntimatterAsh

banned
Origin Saint said:
Ah, theres where I messed up. I did an ISO burn once before but I forget how. Can you help me out?
Click to expand...

If its software you want, theres an ISO burner in 7, or I think programs like WinRAR can provide it --- I THINK. Otherwise old cds like Roxio floating about might do it too :)
 
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