Using Ubuntu Live Disk To Permanently Delete Hard Disk

Earlier, we showed you how to create a persistent Ubuntu Live media disk, and use it to reset
Windows 7 admin and standard user account password and clone hard disk partitions disk via dd
tool. Ubuntu provides a multitde of options to securely wipe the data without leaving any chances
of recovering it back. Before you start, make sure that youve backed up all your important data to
e!ternal hard disk. "irst, create an Ubuntu Live #$ by following steps mentioned here. %nce done,
reboot your system, and set &emovable U'B hard disk as first boot option from B(%' menu, which
can be accessed by pressing $el, "), "*+, ", or other system-defined key. %nce boot priority is
changed, plug-in Ubuntu Live media disk, save changes made to B(%', and then reboot the system.
(t will take you to Ubuntu boot menu, select Run Ubuntu from this USB option to load Ubuntu %'.
Ubuntu has a built-in #L(-based shred tool that re.uires /ust the path of file that you want to
securely delete from the system. 0he shred command comes useful in instances where you want to
selectively perform permanent file deletion operations. 0o find out more about shred command,
check out our guide here.
(n order to perform secure wipe operation over an entire disk or hard disk partitions, we recommend
using wipe tool. Ubuntu doesnt come with this tool installed, but you can download it by enabling
community-maintained open source repository option in Synaptic Package Manager. 0o do so, click
'ystem on panel, and select Synaptic Package Manager from Administration menu.
(t will open Ubuntu default package manager. 1ow, click 'ettings menu to select &epositories.
(n this step, select Community-maintained Open Source software uni!erse" option, and the click
close.
1ow click &eload on toolbar to start downloading open source repository list.
%nce the repository list is updated, use search bar present in top-right corner to find wipe tool.
1ow, right-click wipe tool in main window, select 2ark for (nstallation, and then hit 3pply on
toolbar.
0his will open 'ummary dialog bo!, which helps you verify the changes youre making to
repository4 e!pand #o be insta$$ed list to view the tools lined up for installation. #licking 3pply will
start the installation process.
%nce the wipe tool is installed, close 'ynaptic 5ackage 2anager. 1ow, you need to mount the disk
that you want to securely wipe. %pen P$aces menu from panel, and select primary hard disk from
the list to mount it. %nce mounted, open #ermina$ from App$ications %& Accessories menu.
(n 0erminal window, navigate to media, and then list down mounted drives using cd 6media and ls
commands. 1ow navigate to mounted hard drive using following command.
cd 7hard disk identifier8
9ou can use sudo fdisk %$ command or 'isk Uti$ity :accessible from 3dministration menu; to list
down and identify the hard disk partitions that you want to wipe.
(n $isk Utility :which is accessible from 'ystem <8 3dministration menu;, select your primary hard
disk from left sidebar, and then select the partition from main window to view the disk identifier
and other attributes such as total disk capacity, partition identifier, partition type etc. 1ote down the
device identifier and move to 0erminal window.
0he wipe tool re.uires disk identifier to perform the wipe operation. 0he synta! to securely wipe
the data via wipe tool is as follows=
sudo wipe 7disk identidfer8
(f you for instance want to wipe 6dev6sda>, enter sudo wipe (de!(sda) command. (t will ask you to
confirm the wipe operation. 0ype ?9es and then hit enter to begin the disk wiping operation.
0he time it takes to completely wipe the disk depends upon the si@e of disk. %nce finished, mount
the disk again to verify the disk wipe operation. 3part from permanently deleting the data, wipe
command fills the disk with random data. 0o .uickly wipe the disk, you could use <. switch to
instantly perform the operation. 0he <. switch makes A passes on each file residing in specified
location. Bowever, if you want to specify the number of passes, use the <C switch. "urthermore, if
youre a wiping data from a specific location, you can use <r switch to include sub-directories
present within the root folder. 0he <f switch forcibly performs the disk wipe operation. (t must be
noted that <f doesnt prompt you to confirm the action, so you need to make sure that youve
specified the correct device identifier to prevent loss of important data.
(n our guide to clone hard disk, we used dd command to perform low-level copy operations. 0he dd
command can also be used to write random data and @eros to the specified disk. 0his ensures that
data recovery application will not be able to recover deleted data from the disk. 0o begin, open
0erminal and navigate to media, and enter the following command to fill disk with @eroes.
sudo dd ifD6dev6@ero ofD6dev67disk identifier8 bsDE2
Using DBAN To Wipe ut The Hard Drive ! "emovable #edia
$B31 :$ariks Boot 3nd 1uke; is an open source disk wiping application that ensures secure and
permanent data deletion. 0he application comes in ('% format, which has to be burnt to #$6$F$
for performing the disk wipe operations. 'upporting G staunch disk wipe algorithms, the application
lets you specify the deletion rounds to ensure permanent removal. Usage is simple, download
$B31 :link given at the bottom of the post;. %nce downloaded, insert a writeable #$6$F$ into
#$6$F$ drive. 1ow, right-click the downloaded ('% file and select Burn disc (mage.
0his will open Windows native $isc (mage Burner. 1ow all you need to burn ('% to disc to specify
the #$ $rive letter and then click Burn.
%nce done, reboot your system into B(%' menu by pressing system-defined key at system startup.
1ow you need to change the boot priority. 1avigate to boot menu and set #$6$F$ &%2 as first
boot option. %nce done, save the changes made to B(%' and restart you 5#. (t will take you to
$ariks Boot and 1uke menu. 0he $B31 allows you to wipe the disk via H modes, including
manual, automatic and interactive modes. 'ince (nteractive mode lets you easily specify the disk
wiping attributes, press Enter on boot prompt to launch interactive mode.
Upon pressing enter, it will start finding all the installed and e!ternal storage mediums. %nce all
disks are identified, it will list them down on main screen, letting you specify disk wipe method I
number of rounds.
9ou can select the disk wipe method by pressing ?2 on keyboard. (t supports a total of G methods
including Cuick Erase, &#25 0''(0, $o$ 'hort Jutmann Wipe and 5&1J 'tream. Use K and L
keys to navigate between the available methods. 5ressing Enter selects the method and takes you
back to main window.
0o specify disk wipe rounds, press & on main window :interactive mode; and specify the number of
rounds you want to pass for destroying data on disk, and then press Enter to get to main screen.
%nce youve specified disk wiping attributes, press space to select the disk followed by "*+ to
begin the permanent disk erasing operation.
Using Ubuntu Live Disk To Permanently Delete Hard Disk
Earlier, we showed you how to create a persistent Ubuntu Live media disk, and use it to reset
Windows 7 admin and standard user account password and clone hard disk partitions disk via dd
tool. Ubuntu provides a multitde of options to securely wipe the data without leaving any chances
of recovering it back. Before you start, make sure that youve backed up all your important data to
e!ternal hard disk. "irst, create an Ubuntu Live #$ by following steps mentioned here. %nce done,
reboot your system, and set &emovable U'B hard disk as first boot option from B(%' menu, which
can be accessed by pressing $el, "), "*+, ", or other system-defined key. %nce boot priority is
changed, plug-in Ubuntu Live media disk, save changes made to B(%', and then reboot the system.
(t will take you to Ubuntu boot menu, select Run Ubuntu from this USB option to load Ubuntu %'.
Ubuntu has a built-in #L(-based shred tool that re.uires /ust the path of file that you want to
securely delete from the system. 0he shred command comes useful in instances where you want to
selectively perform permanent file deletion operations. 0o find out more about shred command,
check out our guide here.
(n order to perform secure wipe operation over an entire disk or hard disk partitions, we recommend
using wipe tool. Ubuntu doesnt come with this tool installed, but you can download it by enabling
community-maintained open source repository option in Synaptic Package Manager. 0o do so, click
'ystem on panel, and select Synaptic Package Manager from Administration menu.
(t will open Ubuntu default package manager. 1ow, click 'ettings menu to select &epositories.
(n this step, select Community-maintained Open Source software uni!erse" option, and the click
close.
1ow click &eload on toolbar to start downloading open source repository list.
%nce the repository list is updated, use search bar present in top-right corner to find wipe tool.
1ow, right-click wipe tool in main window, select 2ark for (nstallation, and then hit 3pply on
toolbar.
0his will open 'ummary dialog bo!, which helps you verify the changes youre making to
repository4 e!pand #o be insta$$ed list to view the tools lined up for installation. #licking 3pply will
start the installation process.
%nce the wipe tool is installed, close 'ynaptic 5ackage 2anager. 1ow, you need to mount the disk
that you want to securely wipe. %pen P$aces menu from panel, and select primary hard disk from
the list to mount it. %nce mounted, open #ermina$ from App$ications %& Accessories menu.
(n 0erminal window, navigate to media, and then list down mounted drives using cd 6media and ls
commands. 1ow navigate to mounted hard drive using following command.
cd 7hard disk identifier8
9ou can use sudo fdisk %$ command or 'isk Uti$ity :accessible from 3dministration menu; to list
down and identify the hard disk partitions that you want to wipe.
(n $isk Utility :which is accessible from 'ystem <8 3dministration menu;, select your primary hard
disk from left sidebar, and then select the partition from main window to view the disk identifier
and other attributes such as total disk capacity, partition identifier, partition type etc. 1ote down the
device identifier and move to 0erminal window.
0he wipe tool re.uires disk identifier to perform the wipe operation. 0he synta! to securely wipe
the data via wipe tool is as follows=
sudo wipe 7disk identidfer8
(f you for instance want to wipe 6dev6sda>, enter sudo wipe (de!(sda) command. (t will ask you to
confirm the wipe operation. 0ype ?9es and then hit enter to begin the disk wiping operation.
0he time it takes to completely wipe the disk depends upon the si@e of disk. %nce finished, mount
the disk again to verify the disk wipe operation. 3part from permanently deleting the data, wipe
command fills the disk with random data. 0o .uickly wipe the disk, you could use <. switch to
instantly perform the operation. 0he <. switch makes A passes on each file residing in specified
location. Bowever, if you want to specify the number of passes, use the <C switch. "urthermore, if
youre a wiping data from a specific location, you can use <r switch to include sub-directories
present within the root folder. 0he <f switch forcibly performs the disk wipe operation. (t must be
noted that <f doesnt prompt you to confirm the action, so you need to make sure that youve
specified the correct device identifier to prevent loss of important data.
(n our guide to clone hard disk, we used dd command to perform low-level copy operations. 0he dd
command can also be used to write random data and @eros to the specified disk. 0his ensures that
data recovery application will not be able to recover deleted data from the disk. 0o begin, open
0erminal and navigate to media, and enter the following command to fill disk with @eroes.
sudo dd ifD6dev6@ero ofD6dev67disk identifier8 bsDE2
Using DBAN To Wipe ut The Hard Drive ! "emovable #edia
$B31 :$ariks Boot 3nd 1uke; is an open source disk wiping application that ensures secure and
permanent data deletion. 0he application comes in ('% format, which has to be burnt to #$6$F$
for performing the disk wipe operations. 'upporting G staunch disk wipe algorithms, the application
lets you specify the deletion rounds to ensure permanent removal. Usage is simple, download
$B31 :link given at the bottom of the post;. %nce downloaded, insert a writeable #$6$F$ into
#$6$F$ drive. 1ow, right-click the downloaded ('% file and select Burn disc (mage.
0his will open Windows native $isc (mage Burner. 1ow all you need to burn ('% to disc to specify
the #$ $rive letter and then click Burn.
%nce done, reboot your system into B(%' menu by pressing system-defined key at system startup.
1ow you need to change the boot priority. 1avigate to boot menu and set #$6$F$ &%2 as first
boot option. %nce done, save the changes made to B(%' and restart you 5#. (t will take you to
$ariks Boot and 1uke menu. 0he $B31 allows you to wipe the disk via H modes, including
manual, automatic and interactive modes. 'ince (nteractive mode lets you easily specify the disk
wiping attributes, press Enter on boot prompt to launch interactive mode.
Upon pressing enter, it will start finding all the installed and e!ternal storage mediums. %nce all
disks are identified, it will list them down on main screen, letting you specify disk wipe method I
number of rounds.
9ou can select the disk wipe method by pressing ?2 on keyboard. (t supports a total of G methods
including Cuick Erase, &#25 0''(0, $o$ 'hort Jutmann Wipe and 5&1J 'tream. Use K and L
keys to navigate between the available methods. 5ressing Enter selects the method and takes you
back to main window.
0o specify disk wipe rounds, press & on main window :interactive mode; and specify the number of
rounds you want to pass for destroying data on disk, and then press Enter to get to main screen.
%nce youve specified disk wiping attributes, press space to select the disk followed by "*+ to
begin the permanent disk erasing operation.
Using Ubuntu Live Disk
Last week, we showed you how to create persistent Ubuntu Live U'B, and use if for changing
Windows 7 administrator and standard user account password. 9ou can follow the steps for creating
Ubuntu Live #$ from said guide to recover data from hard disk and e!ternal storage mediums.
%nce created, reboot your system into B(%' menu by pressing E'#, "), "*+, ", or other system
defined key, and set e!ternal hard disk6U'B as first boot option from boot menu. %nce boot priority
is changed, save changes made to B(%' and restart your 5#. (t will take you to Ubuntu Live boot
menu, select Run Ubuntu from this USB option to load Ubuntu %'.
Ubuntu doesnt come with #est'isk and *oremost tools, but you can download and install them by
enabling community maintained open source software option in Synaptic Package Manager. 0his
will download the list of open source software, so that you can easily find and install third-party
applications. 0o begin, open 'ynaptic 5ackage 2anager from 3dministration menu, which is
accessible from 'ystem menu.
"rom 'ettings menu, select &epositories.
0his will open 'oftware 'ource dialog, letting you enable an option to download open source
software list. Under Ubuntu 'oftware tab, enable Community-maintained Open Source uni!erse"
option, and click #lose.
1ow, hit &eload to refresh the repository list.
(t will start downloading the open source package list.
3fter the list is downloaded, it will start rebuilding search inde!. %nce refreshed, type testdisk in
Cuick search, and hit enter. 1ow, right-click testdisk and select 2ark for (nstallation.
1ow, click 3pply on toolbar to download testdisk. 'imilarly you can download and install
*oremost tool4 /ust enter the *oremost in Cuick 'earch, right-click it to select Mark for +nsta$$ation
and apply the changes.
%nce tools are installed, close the 'ynaptic 5ackage 2anager. 'ince 0est$isk and "oremost are
console applications, you need to open #ermina$ from 3ccessories menu :accessible from
3pplications menu; to use them.
While TestDisk is a widely-used speciali@ed tool for repairing lost partitions, it has the ability to list
down and recover deleted data from primary and removable hard disks. 0o begin, enter following
command to run the tool.
sudo testdisk
When you run the tool, it will ask you to create a log file to save the recovery processes issues and
errors. Kust press Enter to create a log file, and to move to ne!t step.
(t will start finding internal hard disk and all attached removable drives. %nce disk scanning is
finished, select the disk that is to be scanned for recoverable data and lost partitions.
1ow, you need to specify the drive partition table type from the list, which includes (ntel, E"( J50,
MBo!, 'un, and 2ac. (n our case, its (ntel, so we will select (ntel.
9ou will find 0est$isk features in ne!t step including 3naly@e, 3dvance :include "ilesystem Utils;,
Jeometry, 2B& #ode and more. Kust select 3naly@e to analy@e the partition structure and search
for lost partitions.
(t will first analy@e partition structure and then list down lost partition:s;. Bowever, if it fails to find
partitions, enter Cuick 'earch.
3fter Cuick and $eep search, 0est$isk will be able to find the partition. (t lets the user specify the
partition characteristics. 9ou can press 5 to make it 5rimary, L to Logical, E to E!tended and $ to
$eleted, or 3 to add a partition. 1ow all you need is to press Enter to recover the partition. (t will
take you to main menu, where you can select ,rite and hit -nter. (t will ask you to reboot the
system to repair the lost partition of specified disk.
(f you want to selectively view and recover deleted files, enter 5 to view all the lost files. 0he
deleted files are shown in red color, while items in white represents current data. (t shows files and
folders at root location4 you can change the directory by pressing & on keyboard, and then select the
files6folders you wish to recover.
&ecovering files and folders is easy. 'elect the folder6file, you want to recover, and press #. (t will
ask you to specify the output location where files are to be recovered. Kust move to the location and
press 9 to begin copying item to specified location. Bowever, if you want to e!plore a folder to,
lets say, copy data to 'esktop(Reco!ered 'ata folder, move to $esktop location in the list and then
press Enter, it will open the $esktop folder. 1ow, move to Reco!ered 'ata folder and press 9 to
copy the deleted item to it.
0he time it takes to fully recover the data depends upon the si@e of selected file6folder. When done,
you will see Copy done. message above the list of deleted files. 'imilarly, you can selectively
recover deleted files and folders from primary hard disks and removable drives.
Like 0est$isk, the $oremost console application supports a number of file systems including
EM0H, 10"' and "30. 0he application was specifically designed to recover data from image of the
drive. (ts recommended to first create a directory in disk where recovered files are to be stored4
mount the disk and navigate to location where you want to create a folder using following
commands in 0erminal.
cd 6media
ls
cd 7disk identifier of volume8
sudo mkdir 7folder name8
%nce created, enter following command to begin recovering data from specified disk to newly
created folder.
sudo foremost < i 6dev67identifier of disk which is to be recovered8 <o 67folder name8
0he standard procedure for recovering data through foremost includes <i and <o switches, which
recover all the data on the specified disk to defined folder. Bowever, if you want to specify the
types of files that are to be covered, you can use <t switch. 0he synta! of foremost command with <
t switch is as follows.
sudo foremost <t 7file e!tension8 <(6dev67identifier of disk which is to be recovered8 <
o 67folder name8
Using Hiren%s Boot &D
Birens Boot #$ includes all the essentials tools and system formatting utilities to help you fi!
numerous types of 5# issues, including corrupt boot sector, hard disk boot problems,
invalid6corrupt 2aster Boot &ecord, registry discrepancies and more. 'ince its a Boot #$, it
doesnt re.uire you to boot up the system with installed %', and use the included system
diagnostics packages. 3ll you need is to burn the Birens Boot #$ ('% image to disc to run system
performance and diagnostic utilities in an isolated and completely independent environment. 0o get
started, download Birens Boot #$ ('% image :link given at the bottom of the post;. 1ow, right-
click Birens Boot #$ image file and select Burn disc image/
0his will open Windows native $isc (mage Burner. 1ow all you need is to burn ('% to disc to
specify the #$ $rive and then click Burn. %nce the image is burned to disc, reboot your system
into B(%' menu by pressing system defined key at system startup. 1ow, move to boot menu and set
#$6$F$ &%2 as first boot menu. %nce changed, reboot your system to access Birens Boot #$
system diagnostics menu.
(f the hard disk has bad sectors, you need to run B$30) to identify and repair bad sectors. 9ou will
find all the hard disk related issues under $os 5rograms <8 Bard $isk 0ools.
3s mentioned earlier, Boot Birens #$ includes recovery tools namely 0est$isk and 5hoto&ec. 9ou
will find these tools in $os 5rograms <8&ecovery 0ools menu.
0he 5hoto&ec is .uite similar to 0est$isk as far as usage is concerned. (ts considered as one of the
most powerful data recovery application, as it ignores file system and starts searching the lost data
:video images, archive containers etc;. 3ccording to 5hoto&ec developer, it can recover data even
if your media is severely damaged or formatted. (t also searches for disk partitions, and lets you
recover files from both only free unallocated space and full :freeNused; disk space.
'ince Birens Boot (mage in loaded from #$6$F$, the 0est$isk will relatively take more time in
searching, analy@ing and recovering data, than running with Ubuntu Live $isk.