WipeDrive 5 Completely eliminate hard drive data

WipeDrive Online Help

Download the WipeDrive User Guide.

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Tutorials

• Learn how to Wipe Your Drives with WipeDrive
• Step-by-Step Instructions to Reinstall Windows
• How to Change your Computer's Boot Order
• How to Burn a CD from an ISO Image File
• How to Do a Custom Overwrite with WipeDrive
• How to Use Command Line Parameters

Helpdesk Knowledgebase

• Online Help & Support - Use our Knowledgebase to find further answers to your questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I reinstall Windows after using WipeDrive?
2. How do I upgrade WipeDrive to the latest version?
3. How do I make a WipeDrive bootable CD?
4. How long does it take to wipe a drive?
5. Can I wipe a drive from within Windows?
6. What types of hard drives are supported by WipeDrive?
7. Can I run WipeDrive using Command Line Parameters?
8. Will WipeDrive detect bad sectors on a hard drive?
9. Will WipeDrive work with Flash cards and removable USB storage media?
10. Will WipeDrive get rid of viruses? What about a BIOS virus?
11. Can I define custom parameters to overwrite a hard drive?

1. How do I reinstall Windows after using WipeDrive?

   See Operating System Installation Help in the WhiteCanyon Knowledgebase.

2. How do I upgrade WipeDrive to the latest version?

   Update: WipeDrive users can see if there is a newer version by checking the WhiteCanyon Updates Page. Compare the version number listed to the one in yellow at the top of the main WipeDrive menu screen when running the program on your computer. If they do not match, request an update using the link on that page.

   Upgrade: Registered users who desire to upgrade from WipeDrive to WipeDrive PRO can request an upgrade for the price difference between the two programs. Please include where you bought your product and the name and e-mail address under which it was originally purchased.

3. How do I make a WipeDrive bootable CD?

   See How Do I Burn WipeDrive to CD? in the WhiteCanyon Knowledgebase.

4. How long does it take to wipe a drive?

   The time it takes to wipe a drive is limited to the speed of the hardware in your computer and not the software. Each sector on the drive must be overwritten to ensure that the data has been erased. Older drives will take much longer to wipe than newer drives.

   For detailed statistics regarding the length of time required to wipe a hard drive, please see How Long Does it Take to Wipe a Hard Drive in the WhiteCanyon Knowledgebase.

5. Can I wipe a drive from within Windows?

   Because WipeDrive is designed to wipe all physical disks on a computer, including the drive that has Windows installed currently, users will need to run WipeDrive outside of Windows. This can be done with either a bootable CD, bootable floppy, or with the WipeDrive Installer.

   Users that want to wipe partitions other than the C: drive can use MediaWiper.

6. What types of hard drives are supported by WipeDrive?

   WipeDrive fully supports IDE, ATA, SATA, SCSI, PATA, and RAID hard drive configurations.

   WipeDrive will also provide limited support for external USB hard drives. If you would like to verify whether WipeDrive will properly detect the hardware in your computer, we recommend that you download the trial version of WipeDrive.

7. Can I run WipeDrive using Command Line Parameters?

   It is possible to run WipeDrive with command line parameters specified in a batch file. Please see How to Use Command Line Parameters in the WhiteCanyon Knowledgebase.

8. Will WipeDrive detect bad sectors on a hard drive?

   WipeDrive will indicate any bad sectors found during the optional drive verification. For more information regarding this topic, please see WipeDrive reports bad or dirty sectors. What does this mean?.

9. Will WipeDrive work with Flash cards and USB drives?

   WipeDrive was intially designed to only wipe internal hard drives; however, it does have limited USB hard drive support. For the best results in wiping external hard drives, flash drives, and memory cards, see our product MediaWiper.

10. Will WipeDrive get rid of viruses? What about a BIOS virus?

    Wipedrive cleans every sector of your hard disk. Any data on the drive, including viruses, will be completely erased.

    However, there are other places viruses can be stored. One such place is the System BIOS. Viruses can remain here after the computer has been shut down and even after the hard drive has been wiped. Most System BIOS have an option to "Restore Factory Defaults." Usage of this option will restore the original settings of the BIOS and at the same time wipe it of any viruses if they exist.

11. Can I define custom parameters to overwrite a hard drive?

    Users that want to perform a custom overwrite pattern on their hard drive can find instructions on doing so in the Knowledgebase article How to Perform a Custom Overwrite with WipeDrive.