I already showed you how to safely get rid of your old computer while protecting your data; now, in this video, you are going to learn how to use Darik’s Boot and Nuke (DBAN) to wipe or erase all your data stored in a hard drive.
Warning! You are about to delete all the data that resides in your hard drive. I would recommend you to make e a data backup in case things go wrong.
The first thing that we need to do is to grab a copy of Darik’s Boot and Nuke (DBAN) the software will be in .ISO format (ISO or disc image is a replica of an optical disc in a file). After you get the Darik’s Boot and Nuke ISO, you need to burn it to a writable disc; if you are using Windows 7 it is pretty easy:
- Right-click the dban-x.x.x_i586.iso file, go to Open with and select Windows disc image burner.
- Insert a new writable disc in your Disc Drive.
- Next, click Burn.
If you are not using Windows 7, you may need to get software in order to burn correctly the dban-x.x.x_i586.iso file; it could be ImgBurn or any other you like, and check their documentation to learn how to burn an ISO file.
When you finish burning the disc, you need to reboot your computer. Insert the burned disc into the Disc Drive and the computer will start Darik’s Boot and Nuke. If your computer does not boot to the software, make sure that you are able to boot from the computer’s Disc Drive. To do this, go to the computer’s BIOS and change the boot order to boot from Disc Drive first (This configuration may be different from manufacture to manufacture, so check the computer’s manual).
Next, I’ll invite you to watch the video and learn how to use DBAN:
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].