Close the Disk Utility window and select Reinstall macOS.

Click Format and select macOS Extended.

Select the drive that you want to erase on the left-hand sidebar.

Go to the Utilities window and run Disk Utility.

Turn the device on and simultaneously hold down the Option, Command, and R keys on the keyboard.

M lets you choose which wipe method to use. P leads you to the PRNG method settings screen. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a few keyboard shortcuts. Use J and K on your keyboard to move up/down on the list and Enter/Space to make changes.

For example, it allows you to choose which hard drives you’d like to wipe. The interactive mode, on the other hand, gives you more options. So, if you ever hear anybody talking about “autonuking” a drive, they’re talking about the dodshort command. Another command that uses the same method is autonuke.

quick – Also known as Write Zero, this method involves writing zeros, as opposed to, for example, the Random Data method’s random characters.īoth DBAN and most experts recommend the dodshort command.prng – Also known as the Random Data method, it’s very effective on modern drives.The only difference, compared to DoD, is that it uses a single verification step. ops2 – An old Canadian method for data wiping.dodshort – Works in the same way as the above except only three passes.dod – The DoD 5220.22-M wipe method, which uses 7 passes when cleaning your drive(s).Here’s a list of commands that you have available in the F3 Quick mode: There are several methods that DBAN uses to wipe your hard drive(s) clean. To proceed with the more specific DBAN option (recommended), hit Enter. The second option gives you more flexibility in this department. The first involves pressing F3, at which point you’ll be taken to a screen that will help you quickly erase every plugged-in drive. The F4 key will take you to the full DBAN disclaimer (RAID). Pressing the F2 key on your keyboard will take you to an informational page about the DBAN software. Once DBAN runs in your BIOS, you’ll see a blue screen with a list of command options. This can vary from computer to computer, though, so keep an eye out for any BIOS instructions when your computer is starting up. Most likely, pressing the F10 key will allow you to choose which drive to use for booting.Restart your computer by clicking the Start menu icon, pressing the power button, and selecting Restart.Here’s how to boot from your USB/CD DBAN drive on Windows. Now that you have all the necessary equipment for performing a DBAN disk wipe, you’ll be working in BIOS. Additionally, you can use DBAN to wipe an external drive or any other drive attached to your computer clean. Note that you can turn any external hard drive into a bootable DBAN drive.

How to wipe a computer clean without cd