How to wipe 4-8 drives at the same time in a Windows PC?

[NETWizz]

I also like to wipe different ways with different tools.

Usually my go-to method is to first encrypt each drive with Bitlocker-To-Go including the free space. Then I fill it with something like 1's or 0's (one pass is enough usually) and for this I use diskpart clean all or nwipe.

Lastly, I like to use the built-in controller sending a secure erase or better an enhanced secure erase... It is believed this wipes some secure areas that other tools might not be able to readily reach like swap sectors, but in reality it probably doesn't matter because if you can write it from an OS, a wipe tool should be able to reach it.

 

[Choppie]

Don't want drills and their scrolling pube hair metal scrap messes or 9mm casings all over the office.

HA.....yep.... or the 10MM casings....

 

[Choppie]

Or I'll take it apart to pull the magnets and toss the rest loose in a box for recycling.

My carport/side entrance door is metal.....and on the inside.... plastered, almost completely, with hard drive magnets...

 

[NETWizz]

Is there any reason not to use the clean all command of diskpart?

There's not much that's more thorough than clean all, which, and I quote: "Specifies that each and every sector on the disk is set to zero, which completely deletes all data contained on the disk."

As far as physical destruction goes, I've never encountered a drive that will survive a direct hit from a 4-lb hammer. It doesn't have to "blow apart" or even be erased if the mechanisms that allow access to any data on the drive are destroyed. We're not generally talking about DoD level security.

Clean All is a GREAT argument of Diskpart. There is exactly (one) reason I dislike it... No progress indicator.

Other than that I always like to wipe spinners two+ ways whereby the other one is an ATA Secure Erase, which wipes swap sectors and other secure areas the OS generally cannot reach.

My go-to is:
1. to nwipe FILL with 1's (1 pass... not super slow)... and faster than generating random garbage, which is also perfectly okay in this step.
2. ATA Enhanced Secure Erase (or if unavailable just an ATA Secure Erase)
3. Using a different tool (i.e. Diskpart clean all) do a zero-fill

I am sure it's overkill that any of those methods alone should generally work very well, but it is what I do.

 

[britechguy]

There is exactly (one) reason I dislike it [the clean all command of diskpart]... No progress indicator.

I can get this if you are someone who is routinely wanting to monitor progress and is dealing with many drives "in process" at the same time.

That's just not the case for me. I don't do this often at all and when I do it's a, "kick it off before bed (or when I'll be away for hours) and check it when I next get in front of the machine."

 

[NETWizz]

I can get this if you are someone who is routinely wanting to monitor progress and is dealing with many drives "in process" at the same time.

That's just not the case for me. I don't do this often at all and when I do it's a, "kick it off before bed (or when I'll be away for hours) and check it when I next get in front of the machine."

So you just leave it with the cursor blinking... and by morning if you are at the command prompt or it gives a one-line message of success, you know you are good. Basically, you don't let it bother you or get inpatient like me?

 

[britechguy]

So you just leave it with the cursor blinking... and by morning if you are at the command prompt or it gives a one-line message of success, you know you are good.

Precisely.

I don't monitor it. I have no reason to. It's either going to succeed, or fail, and I have zero control over which occurs. So I kick it off, walk away, and check again at my leisure.

This is not the case for everything. I do sit and watch, strumming my fingers and muttering, for certain things. But those are select things (and, of course, so are the things I can and do walk away from and just check later).

It's a variant on my oft repeated, "tool to task," that's more, "approach varies by tool and task."

 

[Joep]

My go-to is:
1. to nwipe FILL with 1's (1 pass... not super slow)... and faster than generating random garbage, which is also perfectly okay in this step.
2. ATA Enhanced Secure Erase (or if unavailable just an ATA Secure Erase)
3. Using a different tool (i.e. Diskpart clean all) do a zero-fill

I am sure it's overkill that any of those methods alone should generally work very well, but it is what I do.

Yes, total overkill, the ATA secure erase is enough.

Any other methods potentially skip areas of the drive and you may never know about it.