If you grew up like me playing with Ninja Turtles and using the elastic from your underwear to fashion a bowstring for your makeshift bow and arrows, then you might’ve missed a few things here and there in school.  Among them, anything computer-related.  Didn’t care, never did.

But my oh my the times are changin’, and it’s sink or swim, slim.

So let’s take a look at something fairly basic called DBAN, how it works and when to use it.

 

What is DBAN?

DBAN — or, Darik’s Boot and Nuke, if you’re nasty — is kind of like the Deebo character from Friday hitting the block, making the whole neighborhood scurry off like a rat.  Similarly, DBAN software essentially pulls out the magic wand and — abracadabra — every file, every picture, every byte of personal information, disappears.

More matter with less art?  Prithee.

In layman terms, then, DBAN is a free, open-source data destruction tool designed explicitly to securely erase all information from a computer’s hard drive.  And unless you have a first-world national budget backing the effort, once it runs, the data can’t be recovered.  Not by you or anyone you know, anyway.

Like Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon, once initiated, it’s a done deal.

 

Why People Use DBAN Software

Why people use DBAN software is tantamount to asking why people eat freely from samples on offer at the grocery store.  Because it’s FREE.  And effective.  And simple.  In that order.

 

1. It’s free.  

 

Unlike other paid tools, DBAN is open-source and completely free to use.

 

2. It’s effective.

DBAN performs multiple overwrites of your drive, replacing existing data with random patterns of zeros and ones, kind of like taking a pen to your wife’s to-do-list and furiously chicken-scrawling all over it till you got something resembling a Pollock.  

Me?  I’m more of a van Gogh man, myself, but you know what I mean.

 

3. It’s simple.

 

And it’s simple.  You won’t need to hit up your boy from the 7th grade to walk you through it.  You just download the DBAN software, load it onto a bootable drive, and let it do its thing.

 

How DBAN Software Works

Again, DBAN software basically works by overwriting the data on your hard drive.  When you delete something the normal way, your computer doesn’t actually get rid of it, rather it flags it as ‘available space.’  The information remains physically on the drive until it’s replaced, which is why recovery programs can still resurrect old files.

But DBAN goes a little further.  Here’s how it works.

 

1. Download DBAN

 

Download the DBAN ISO file and create a bootable USB drive, CD or DVD.

 

2. Boot It Up

 

Restart your computer and boot DBAN instead of your operating system.  It runs on its own, giving it full control of your drive.

 

3. Pick your Poison

Choose which drive you want wiped and how intense you want the process to be:

 

Quick Erase (1-pass): A fast and single overwrite.

DoD Short (3-pass): Three overwrites following Department of Defense guidelines.

DoD 5220.00-M (7-pass): Seven passes of Deebo hitting the block.

Gutmann (35-pass): And for the super-duper paranoid, the government-is-watching-me, startled-by-everything kind of person, the 35-pass hydrogen-bomb option is available as well.

 

4. Run the Wipe

 

Now DBAN goes to work, overwriting every sector with random data.  Depending on the size of the drive, you could be waiting a few minutes, or all day.

 

5. End Result

 

After the process completes, DBAN verifies the overwrite, and the end-result is a drive that’s completely blank and irrecoverable.  

 

What DBAN Software Doesn’t Do

 

Now DBAN is powerful, but it has its limits.  It’s ideal for personal use but quite frankly it’s not the be-all-end-all solution for every data destruction need.  Here’s what to keep in mind.

 

It doesn’t work on SSDs.

DBAN was made specifically for mechanical hard drives (HDDs).  Solid-state drives (SSDs) store information electronically, not magnetically, so the overwrite process doesn’t fully wipe them.  For SSDs, we recommend shredding.

 

It doesn’t provide certification.

Businesses often need proof that data has been securely destroyed.  Unfortunately, DBAN doesn’t provide you with a Certificate of Destruction.  So if you’re in a business that deals with private data like government work or banking, you’ll need that paper trail to stay compliant with regulations like HIPAA or GDPR. 

 

It doesn’t provide a redo.

 

Once DBAN runs, it won’t provide you with a redo.  No recovery or undo button, you’ve crossed the Rubicon at this point.

 

When to Use DBAN & When Not To

 

So, given everything mentioned, when does DBAN software actually make sense?

 

Use DBAN when:

 

You’re wiping an old desktop or laptop before recycling, gifting it, or selling it.

You’re dealing with an old school hard drive.

You want something free, fast, and effective.

You don’t need certification of data destruction.

Avoid DBAN when:

 

You have a solid state drive.

Your business/organization requires compliance documentation.

You’re short on time and need X-quantity of drives processed or to meet data protection requirements.

 

Safety Tips for Using DBAN

 

Before using DBAN software, here are a few safety tips to keep in mind.

 

1. Double-check before you wipe. 

 

Always make sure you’re erasing the intended drive.

 

2. Unplug what you want to keep.

 

Unplug external drive you don’t want erased.

 

3. Select the right erasure method.

 

A one-pass wipe is fine for personal files, but multiple-wipes for sensitive files.

 

4. If in doubt, call a certified data destruction specialist.

To sleep easy at night, or if these steps prove too much, have your drive physically degaussed or shredded by a certified data destruction company like eAsset Solutions. 

 

5. Download DBAN from a trusted source.

 

Need we say more?  Make sure you download from a legit source.

 

6. Test after wiping.

 

After DBAN finishes, try rebooting the drive or using a basic recovery tool to confirm it’s been truly destroyed.

 

Conclusion

In the wise words of the Victorian poet, Biggie Smalls: ‘Follow these rules and you’ll have mad bread to break up.’  Deviate from the above, and you’re on your own, slim.  

DBAN, while effective, does have its limitations, and it’s best to keep this in mind.  That being said, for the everyday man or woman about town looking to clear out an old laptop before recycling it or selling it, or doing whatever he or she may please with it, DBAN will get the job done.

It’s free, quick and final.  

Just don’t expect the extra bells and whistles or compliance reports.