On Tue, 3 Sep 2013, 09:53, Roger wrote: } On 09/02/2013 02:56 PM, David Zuccaro wrote: } > What is the best way to wash a disk? } > } > I tried this but it is taking forever. } > } > dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdg1 } > } > } > Thanks } > } } In years past I successfully used mdsos 3.1 or 5.6 to clean hard } drives, just changed the partitioning information for each install and } rebooted pc before installation completed, then installed Linux of } choice. Linux re partitioning then seemed to remove any chance of } finding coherent data even from the hidden Microsoft filesystem on the } inside tracks of the hard drive. } Roger I know of one scenario where an NT4 system had been taken offline and locked in a cupboard for three months, was deemed to be of no further use, and subsequently got reformatted with ext3 (or maybe ext2 - it was Redhat 7-ish). Of course, the minute that happened, someone called up wondering why their website was offline! (You can't make this stuff up - website offline for three months, and they notice _on the day the disk is wiped_). Naturally, they needed it fixed ASAP as it was fundamental to a presentation they were giving the following week. So, the tech reinstalled NT4 again (by this stage, the disk had now been formatted twice). Then, with an assortment of forensic tools, blood, sweat & tears, and a week of sleepless nights, somehow managed to retrieve about 90% of the data! Crisis averted. T.