DBAN and Windows install on same USB drive?

[GeneralMitch]

Hey guys. I'm trying to erase all my HDD/SDD'S and start fresh so I can be more organized so I want to DBAN them. However I only have ONE USB. And no way to wipe the USB inbetween. Is their anyway I can have DBAN AND the windows installer on the same USB? 

[iamdarkyoshi]

Don't DBAN SSDs. You'll want to use Secure Erase to wipe them (and HDDs while you're at it, they finish quicker)

 

Parted magic and I think even just a ubuntu live USB can secure erase disks.

 

If you're just reinstalling windows and not worried about someone scanning the HDD for old data, just delete every partition during the install phase and you'll start fresh.

[GeneralMitch]

3 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

Don't DBAN SSDs. You'll want to use Secure Erase to wipe them (and HDDs while you're at it, they finish quicker)

 

Parted magic and I think even just a ubuntu live USB can secure erase disks.

 

If you're just reinstalling windows and not worried about someone scanning the HDD for old data, just delete every partition during the install phase and you'll start fresh.

I want to  secure erase MY HDD (2) and wipe my SSD and fresh install windows. Will parted magic work? How would I go about it, do I need to put it on a USB? Can I do it to my SSD as well that has my windows on it?

[iamdarkyoshi]

2 minutes ago, GeneralMitch said:

I want to  secure erase MY HDD (2) and wipe my SSD and fresh install windows. Will parted magic work? How would I go about it, do I need to put it on a USB? Can I do it to my SSD as well that has my windows on it?

You will need to put it on a USB unfortunately. I'm not aware of any methods of putting two bootable things on a USB drive, so hopefully another user sees this thread and has some advice. Personally, I'd just "clean" the drives by deleting their partitions during windows install. The only difference between deleting partitions and wiping the drives fully with secure erase or dban is that if someone were to take the drives out of the system and run special software on them, they MIGHT recover some old data.

 

Both wiping the drives and deleting the partitions during an install will both yield the same results once you begin to install windows, so unless you're worried about someone getting old data, just delete partitions during windows install.

 

ALSO, I do remember that a few motherboard actually have a secure erase program in the BIOS, I'd look into that. Don't wipe them before you make your windows installer though!

[GeneralMitch]

13 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

You will need to put it on a USB unfortunately. I'm not aware of any methods of putting two bootable things on a USB drive, so hopefully another user sees this thread and has some advice. Personally, I'd just "clean" the drives by deleting their partitions during windows install. The only difference between deleting partitions and wiping the drives fully with secure erase or dban is that if someone were to take the drives out of the system and run special software on them, they MIGHT recover some old data.

 

Both wiping the drives and deleting the partitions during an install will both yield the same results once you begin to install windows, so unless you're worried about someone getting old data, just delete partitions during windows install.

 

ALSO, I do remember that a few motherboard actually have a secure erase program in the BIOS, I'd look into that. Don't wipe them before you make your windows installer though!

Im not concerned really about data being recovered. Im just trying to reinstall windows completely fresh because Im afraid my windows was corrupted. And while Im at it im just gonna wipe all my drives.  Maybe I can secure erase the 2 drives and just clean my windows drive

[iamdarkyoshi]

3 hours ago, GeneralMitch said:

Im not concerned really about data being recovered. Im just trying to reinstall windows completely fresh because Im afraid my windows was corrupted. And while Im at it im just gonna wipe all my drives.  Maybe I can secure erase the 2 drives and just clean my windows drive

There's no need to secure erase or dban anything then, it won't do anything more than just deleting partitions as far as you're concerned.

 

Before you reinstall though, I'd download Crystal Disk Info and check the health of your drives. 

 

If everything looks good, make a windows installer with the media creation tool, shutdown, and boot to the flash drive.

 

Once you're in the windows installer, just click next and stuff until you get to a screen with Custom or Upgrade, choose custom

 

Once in the custom screen, delete every partition off every drive until every drive just says "unallocated space"

 

Then select the SSD and click next, and you're on your way to a fresh copy of windows!

[Acedia]

On 4/21/2019 at 9:03 PM, iamdarkyoshi said:

I'm not aware of any methods of putting two bootable things on a USB drive

Easy2Boot - Can confirm it works.

YUMI - Personally I haven't tried it but I heard it works aswell.