Tutorial: Securely Erase Hard Drive Using Shred OS

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through securely wiping data from your hard drive using Shred OS, a USB bootable Linux distribution.

Requirements

• USB Flash Drive: Must be blank.
• Software: Shred OS image file and Rufus utility program.

Steps

Preparation

1. Download Shred OS image file and Rufus.
2. Connect the USB Flash Drive to your computer.
3. Launch Rufus once the USB is detected.

Setting Up Rufus

• Ensure your USB flash drive is selected in the device options.
• Partition Scheme:
  • Use MBR for Legacy BIOS.
  • Use GPT for UFI. Modify boot selection to UFINFS if the option is grayed out.

Creating Bootable USB

1. Click Select and choose the Shred OS image file.
2. Click Start to create the bootable USB flash drive.
3. Close Rufus and other programs.

Booting Into Shred OS

1. Restart your PC.
2. During boot, press the boot menu key (F8, F9, F10, or Escape) based on your PC's brand.
3. Select the Shred OS bootable USB flash drive and press enter.

Using Shred OS Interface

1. Adjust Font Size: Press F for larger fonts if needed.

2. Select Disk/Partition:

   • Use arrow keys to navigate.
   • Press Space to confirm selection.

3. Choose Wipe Method: Press M to view methods, use Up/Down keys to select. Confirm with Space.

   • Example: Select PRNG stream.

4. Verification Mode: Press V, select options (last pass, all pass, off) and confirm with Space.

5. Wipe Rounds: Press R, input rounds number, and press enter.

Start Wipe Process

• Press Shift + S to start data erasure.
• Duration: Process may take hours based on drive size (e.g., 200 GB takes approximately 8 hours).

Create and Access Report

1. Upon completion, press enter to create PDF wipe report.
2. Access report on Shred OS bootable USB.
3. Restart PC to return to Windows.

Post-Erasure Steps

1. Open File Explorer: Erased drive won't appear.
2. Review Shred OS disk eraser report for details.
3. Use Windows Disk Management to initialize and create a new volume on the erased disk.

Conclusion

Following these steps ensures secure data wiping using Shred OS. Access the report for detailed operation status and manage disk settings in Windows.

Additional Notes

• Larger number of rounds increases wipe duration.
• The PDF report provides verification of successful wipe operations.