What's the fastest way to erase a mechanical drive?

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Bird222

[H]ard|Gawd
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I've got a 1.5tb drive that I want to erase. I know it has some bad sectors. I just want to write zeros to it once. I don't need DoD wipe methods. :) What's the fastest way to do this? What utility or command etc? TIA
 
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A 2 Tesla MRI machine will do it fast! Other than that, if you want to write actual zeroes you can use DBAN or whatever wiper you like, it will take the time it takes a full drive write.
 
Boot a live linux distro such as Ubuntu
To find your device name issue:
Code: 
sudo fdisk -l
Then to overwrite it once with zeros issue (replace /dev/sdX with the actual drive):
Code: 
sudo shred -v -n0 -z /dev/sdX
To understand what this is doing you can refer to the shred man page. By default shred will normally overwrite with random data, but -n0 skips this, -z will zero it out, and -v is verbose to show you the progress.
 
FWIW, a drive with bad sectors is the worst case. If your drive has already reallocated sectors, you probably can't write to the bad ones, and maybe somebody else can figure out how to read from them. For each bad sector, 512 or 4096 bytes of your data might not get wiped; which could be a sexy thumbnail or could be some totally useless garbage (more likely the later). If your drive supports secure erase, that'd be better, but like nothing does.

Shotgun or drill press will be much faster.
 
In Windows you can do a quick format to NTFS, mount it to a drive letter, and then run a CHKDSK <drive letter:> /R on it from the command prompt.

It will take a while to run, but it will be a background process so you can continue to use the computer while it's going on.
 
mvmiller12 said:
In Windows you can do a quick format to NTFS, mount it to a drive letter, and then run a CHKDSK <drive letter:> /R on it from the command prompt.

It will take a while to run, but it will be a background process so you can continue to use the computer while it's going on.
Click to expand...
This does not zero out the drive like OP requested to do. Neither suggestion does anything of value in this scenario.

Quick format will still allow for data to be recovered and chkdsk /r will attempt to locate bad sectors and recover readable information.
 
erase and continue to try and use? see 1st reply. erase and toss it? literally toss it as high as you can on to cement.
 
Dopamin3 said:
This does not zero out the drive like OP requested to do. Neither suggestion does anything of value in this scenario.

Quick format will still allow for data to be recovered and chkdsk /r will attempt to locate bad sectors and recover readable information.
Click to expand...

My understanding of his request was that the zeroing out of the drive was not intended to make the data unrecoverable, but to make the bad sectors detectable (and remove them from service). My recommendation based on that understanding is reasonable.
 
I assume by bad sectors you mean the OS is reporting bad sectors, so take it apart and play with the platters and magnets.
 
"This is the brand new Smith & Wesson .44 Automag, and if used properly, it can remoove the fingerprints" -Dirty Harry :)
 
If your going that route then how about the Tried and True "FIRE Sale" Match anyone 😁
 
jlbenedict said:
Windows DISKPART, use "Clean All" instead of "Clean"
Click to expand...
That will just delete the partition tables. That is good enough for 98% of the unwashed masses, but it is still possible to recover. I know, because I have done it when I accidentally diskpart'ed the wrong drive. That's another thing about diskpart... you better pay REAL close attention to what you're doing, it is very easy to royally screw up a wrong drive.

Another way if just want to clear partitions, create windows bootable media and during the install phase just delete the partitions during that part of the initial setup.

There are several linux options too but not everyone is down for that.
 
clean doesnt erase anything really and dban was the very first suggestion.
 
Linux

cat /dev/zero > /dev/path/to/your/block/device

(use the device path to the whole disk)
 
I figured the standard SOP of secret agencies would be thermite. Probably a fairly good option. Would also make a nice light show.
 
UnknownSouljer said:
I figured the standard SOP of secret agencies would be thermite. Probably a fairly good option. Would also make a nice light show.
Click to expand...
I'd love to agree with you. But they are too risk averse IRL. They would do something boring AF like a 3/8" drill bit in a cordless drill. You can pack that shit in your checked bags too, or hell even carry on.
 
yash11 said:
To write zeros to a drive on Windows:
  1. Open Command Prompt: Search for CMD in the Windows search bar and open Command Prompt as an administrator.
  2. Identify the Drive: Type diskpart and press Enter. Then, type list disk to identify your 1.5TB drive. Note down its Disk Number (e.g., Disk 2).
  3. Erase the Drive: Still in Command Prompt, type clean disk X (replace X with your actual Disk Number) and press Enter. This will clean the drive.
  4. Write Zeros: After cleaning, type format fs=ntfs quick and press Enter. This will format the drive with a basic NTFS file system.
  5. Verify: To ensure all data is overwritten with zeros, you can use a disk utility like DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke), which provides a straightforward way to perform this task.
Remember, be absolutely certain you've identified the correct drive to avoid accidental data loss.

[Footnote: genuine refurbished SSDs]
Click to expand...

After you identify the drive.. you can do a "Select Disk 2" for example.. Now any command after that is for Disk 2.. You can do your "List Disk" and look for the * symbol to validate you have correct disk selected.

1696103976080.png


"Clean All" is what is needed.. Not just "Clean" by itself. Clean just clears the table and allows a new file system table to be laid down..
"Clean All" writes a zero to each and every sector... As documented by MS

1696104017311.png


But... multiple ways to skin this cat...
 
Personally, I prefer to use an Omega particle-based torpedo, but dislike having to fire up the warp drives & go to the other end of the universe every time to do it, so unless the drive contains some uber-top-secret data, I mostly settle for the clean all + high speed drill + combustible routine, hehehe :D

And FYI, thermite is soooo 1900-ish, but will work too, but I think using it requires some major red tape/permits though !
 
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