Card Wiping software?

[andy1868]

I understand the OP has sorted this for himself, but for anybody else that checks back in this thread

I've always found the Western Digital Lifeguard software to do what i want with the write zeros option. I downloaded it eons ago, but i wouldn't have paid for it, and it never came with any additional software

 

[Deleted member 49549]

From a command prompt, i think the following will do what you want:

format e: /fs:NTFS /X

substituting e: for correct dfrive letter (important!)

I think /p is assumed

 

[neil_g]

From a command prompt, i think the following will do what you want:

format e: /fs:NTFS /X

substituting e: for correct dfrive letter (important!)

I think /p is assumed

/passes (where passes is the amount of 0 passes) isnt assumed, you need to specify otherwise its the same as formatting via the windows dialogue

 

[Deleted member 49549]

Hi Neil - It has been included and assumed since vista, but many people still using xp, so not sure if the dos command will work

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/commandlinereference/a/new-removed-commands-windows-8.htm

Snip:-
Format

The format command has had a /p option since Windows Vista which acts as a basic data sanitization tool, performing a write zero on each sector of the drive as often as you specify (e.g. format /p:8 for eight full write-zero passes). In fact, the /p option is assumed unless you perform a "quick format" using the /q option.

 

[neil_g]

standing corrected

e: i could also be wrong about what pookey said, i cant find much info online though..

 

[gramps]

If the card is fully formated (all locks zero written) not a quick format, no data will be recoverable. Formatting in teh camera will not erase data as it's not a full format.

I mean a full on, write to the entire block allocation format from your computer.

Learn something new every day - though I'm sure it won't be a 'forensic' clean it'll be good for most casual uses.

 

[Deleted member 49549]

Learn something new every day - though I'm sure it won't be a 'forensic' clean it'll be good for most casual uses.

I think, from the link in my post above, that it may do a write to each sector on vista and newer, but not xp or previous.

Cant seem to find a definitive answer...

 

[Deleted member 49549]

Article ID: 941961
Change in the behavior of the format command in Windows Vista

INTRODUCTION
This article describes a change in the behavior of the format command in Windows Vista.
MORE INFORMATION
The format command behavior has changed in Windows Vista. By default in Windows Vista, the format command writes zeros to the whole disk when a full format is performed. In Windows XP and in earlier versions of the Windows operating system, the format command does not write zeros to the whole disk when a full format is performed.

The new format behavior may cause problems for the on-demand allocation modes that a volume storage provider, such as a Storage Area Network (SAN), supports. Problems may occur because the new format behavior prematurely triggers allocation of the backing space.

In the on-demand scenario, zeros do not have to be written to the whole disk because the volume storage provider initializes the on-demand-allocated data. To avoid causing unnecessary on-demand-allocation, you must use the quick format option.

You can use four methods to format a volume in Windows Vista. You can use the quick format option for these four methods:
Command line: Use the format /q command.
Diskpart: Use the format command together with the quick parameter. For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windo...c5f3-4681-8667-2d566c8ddf231033.mspx?mfr=true
Windows Explorer: Click to select the Perform a quick format check box.
Disk Management (Diskmgmt.msc): Click to select the Perform a quick format check box.

 

[Nod]

From a command prompt, i think the following will do what you want:

format e: /fs:NTFS /X

substituting e: for correct dfrive letter (important!)

I think /p is assumed

Any chance of instructions as to how to get to the command prompt in a few versions of Windows (XP and newer if possible please) and exactly where to put the /p:x.

Thanks.

As I've said, I've solved my problem but for a multi GB card, filling it (even with maximum size raw files) would take a while! Far easier then to leave a computer doing the work.

 

[neil_g]

Any chance of instructions as to how to get to the command prompt in a few versions of Windows (XP and newer if possible please) and exactly where to put the /p:x.

Thanks.

As I've said, I've solved my problem but for a multi GB card, filling it (even with maximum size raw files) would take a while! Far easier then to leave a computer doing the work.

click start go to run (or in vista/7 in the search box), type:

cmd

I dont think the /p works in XP though. if you do format /? it should give you all supported switches.

 

[Nod]

Thank you Neil. This machine runs 7 (and is a lot faster than the netbook which runs XP).

 

[Pookeyhead]

standing corrected

e: i could also be wrong about what pookey said, i cant find much info online though..

All I know is from experience. I know that from Vista onwards, a full format has rendered cards clean with all my image recovery software. It has the /p modifier in the command line for just that reason. This is an assumption, but I assume that this is the default method used from the GUI also.. again, based on experience only, but it does seem to render cards unrecoverable.


[edit]

CCleaner DOES zero fill though... and it's free. As a bonus, it's a great temp file cleaning tool, and it's registry cleaning tool works flawlessly too.

 

[Xjacktar]

No software required; this really will do the job:

Format the cards then fill the cards with rubbish then erase.
no useful info left.

 

[Nod]

Read the thread, David - that's exactly what I did.

 

[swanseamale47]

I've a sneaking suspicion that you need to overwrite 3 times to ensure the datas totally gone, otherwise some clever beggar may be able to recover it, I know some DOD software overwrites 7 times for security.

 

[weybourne]

I've a sneaking suspicion that you need to overwrite 3 times to ensure the datas totally gone, otherwise some clever beggar may be able to recover it, I know some DOD software overwrites 7 times for security.

I think that's for magnetic media where there may well be a magnetic trace of the data even after a re-write - with solid-state memory cards, once the data is over-written, it's gone - there is no magnetic persistence.

 

[Nod]

If I had had any sensitive data on the cards, I wouldn't have given them away, I would have disposed of them using a method that renders the data completely unrecoverable - an angle grinder! If anyone really, REALLY wants to, they might be able to dig under the last load of raw files (of a rug) to find some old holiday photos and family snaps.