DBAN - 80 Hours for a 250 Gb Drive in AutoNuke Mode

[allanc]

I am trying to run DBAN on a 250 Gb SATA drive in AutoNuke mode.
The estimated time to completion is 80 hours.
The computer is a Dell Dimension 8400.

Previously, on another IDE computer with another drive of similar capacity it completed in about 4 hours

Are there some settings in the configuration of the program or BIOS that require changing?

Thank you in advance.

 

[iisjman07]

Not sure what configuration autonuke uses. Set it to use a one pass wipe of just 0's and skip verification. I nuked an 80GB drive in <2 hours recently, so I'm not sure why yours would take so much longer.

 

[MobileTechie]

I guess if the disk has any problems then the app could get stuck like any other. I understand it flips to PIO mode when it runs into certain problems too.

Also which wiping algorithm you choose makes a big difference.

Unless you have a particular reason, there is little or no technical advantage in using anything other than a simple zero write pass.

I stopped using DBAN a while ago when I discovered that most drives have FastErase function built in which can be used by software like MHDD or Secure Erase: http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml

It's often a lot faster than any other wiping application and doesn't suffer from bad sectors as badly in my experience.

 

[allanc]

Not sure what configuration autonuke uses. Set it to use a one pass wipe of just 0's and skip verification. I nuked an 80GB drive in <2 hours recently, so I'm not sure why yours would take so much longer.

I am now trying one pass, zeroes, no verify on a 250 Gb SATA drive and the estimated run time is 17 hours and increasing.

 

[allanc]

I guess if the disk has any problems then the app could get stuck like any other. I understand it flips to PIO mode when it runs into certain problems too.

Also which wiping algorithm you choose makes a big difference.

Unless you have a particular reason, there is little or no technical advantage in using anything other than a simple zero write pass.

I stopped using DBAN a while ago when I discovered that most drives have FastErase function built in which can be used by software like MHDD or Secure Erase: http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml

It's often a lot faster than any other wiping application and doesn't suffer from bad sectors as badly in my experience.

Well, my clients want that warm feeling that the data is destroyed.

 

[PaulRome]

Well, my clients want that warm feeling that the data is destroyed.

Then take a hammer to the drive and get them a new one.

 

[Xander]

Then take a hammer to the drive and get them a new one.

Was gonna say -- hard to get more secure than a jigsaw platter.

 

[paul1149]

I stopped using DBAN a while ago when I discovered that most drives have FastErase function built in which can be used by software like MHDD or Secure Erase: http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml

There's an interesting paper at the Secure Erase site. With increasing data density and hybrid heat-magnetic drives, bulk magnetic erasing and even even effective physical destruction is becoming harder to accomplish.

 

[allanc]

Was gonna say -- hard to get more secure than a jigsaw platter.

Some clients want the drive back (after wiping).

 

[iisjman07]

In that case I would use HDDErase (you can find it on UBCD). It invokes an ATA command written into the firmware of the drive and wipes it 'using hardware'

 

[allanc]

In that case I would use HDDErase (you can find it on UBCD). It invokes an ATA command written into the firmware of the drive and wipes it 'using hardware'

Yes, that wiped it in about 2 hours.

 

[MobileTechie]

Well, my clients want that warm feeling that the data is destroyed.

It is destroyed by any overwrite method you care to choose. Which one makes no difference other than the time taken.

 

[MobileTechie]

Yes, that wiped it in about 2 hours.

HDDErase is the same as Secure Erase. They both just issue the ATA fast erase command.

 

[Shark]

You could also check out SDelete.