Wiping a harddisk from a USB stick....

Discussion in 'Application Software' started by ThomasMann, Jan 24, 2020.

  1. ThomasMann

    ThomasMann MDL Expert

    Dec 31, 2015
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    Now, that we have Win 7 "Sp2", I want to do a clean install. Having had not so nice experiences with doing that on a not-wiped SSD, I want to totally wipe my SSD.

    Is there a such a software, that can be installed on a (Rufus-)bootable USB stick, that will do the job from there?

    Thank you
     
  2. Enthousiast

    Enthousiast MDL Tester

    Oct 30, 2009
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    Isn't deleting all existing partitions and re-partition not enough, at setup?
     
  3. Shanedh65

    Shanedh65 MDL Novice

    Oct 11, 2017
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    Dariks boot and nuke will completely erase your disk. As ssd have limited write cycles, are you sure you want to.
     
  4. Flipp3r

    Flipp3r MDL Expert

    Feb 11, 2009
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    Start your Win7 install. At the first screen press SHIFT+F10. This will open the CMD window. Run:
    Code:
    Diskpart
    lis dis
    sel dis 0
    cle
    exit
    exit
    "lis dis" will display your drives. "sel dis 0" Selects Disk 0 - Change this if your ssd is NOT disk 0! "cle" cleans the disk.
    Continue with install...
     
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  5. ThomasMann

    ThomasMann MDL Expert

    Dec 31, 2015
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    That is what I did during the the install process the last time, and there were a few surprises after installing the same Win7 I always use. I do not know how or why.... Basically I want to format it.
    The SSD is four years old, and still at a 100%, so there should be no damage
     
  6. ThomasMann

    ThomasMann MDL Expert

    Dec 31, 2015
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    Sounds good to me... and I of course always disconnect the second disk before installing an OS on the main disk.
    Or has anyone had bad experiences using this method?
     
  7. Sako549

    Sako549 MDL Novice

    Oct 18, 2011
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    Windows 7 never had SP2 and it went EoL last week.
    If you want a clean install (completely fresh install), then just boot using a Windows 7 DVD or Flash drive and when on the screen to select where to install, click "Drive options (advanced)" remove all partitions and proceed with the installation.
    Warning: The above will delete all data you have stored on that drive.
     
  8. Flipp3r

    Flipp3r MDL Expert

    Feb 11, 2009
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    Disk Manager doesn't show all partitions (ie, MSR under UEFI) & doesn't clear the type (MBR/GPT). The Clean command from diskpart does...
     
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  9. Sako549

    Sako549 MDL Novice

    Oct 18, 2011
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    I've never mentioned Disk Manager. Win7 Setup does detect most of the drive controllers and even if doesn't, still gives you the option to load controller's drivers. Once Setup.exe detect the drive, then it will run DiskPart internally and will show all partitions (volumes) on the drive. One exception might occurs, if one of the drives/partitions is formatted in a format not recognized by Windows.
     
  10. Is this the official nickname for the ESU stuff? :confused:
     
  11. darkrats

    darkrats MDL Junior Member

    Dec 16, 2012
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    I also want to know what you mean by "SP2".
     
  12. ThomasMann

    ThomasMann MDL Expert

    Dec 31, 2015
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    It is amazing the kind of probelms some have with thinking.
    We just got the last official updates for Win7? So if you integrate those updates and the usual drivers in your .wim, you have (in their theory) the "final" version of Win7...
    Win7 "Sp2" sounds like a fitting name, I also put it in " " as not to get questions like that. "Much ado about nothing"...

    Oooops... did it again... the Generation Display is around
     
  13. ThomasMann

    ThomasMann MDL Expert

    Dec 31, 2015
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    "While DBAN is free to use, there’s no guarantee your data is completely sanitized across the entire drive. It cannot detect or erase SSD...."
     
  14. ipx

    ipx MDL Addicted

    May 24, 2017
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    #14 ipx, Feb 15, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2022
    .