KillDisk Pro
KillDisk Pro is a utility that will completely erase your hard disk 10 times to ensure that the data is not recoverable. For security purposes, run KillDisk Pro before sending surplus computers to Central Management Stores. See CMS Procedure to Surplus Computer and Electronic Equipment for legal details.
Download KillDisk from the network
- Create a bootable floppy disk. Note: Any DOS bootable floppy will be sufficient. The KillDisk program does not need to be placed on a floppy created on the computer containing the hard disks that are to be wiped (in other words, once you create a KillDisk floppy, you can run it on any computer). Windows 2000 computers will not be able to create a bootable floppy, so the following steps (a-g) are specifically for creating a bootable floppy from Windows XP.
- On the Windows Desktop, double-click with the left mouse button on the My Computer icon (as shown in Figure 1, below).
Figure 1
- Insert a blank floppy disk in the A: drive.
- In the My Computer window, move the mouse cursor over the A: drive icon and click on the right mouse button. Select the option to "Format..." from the menu (as shown below in Figure 2).
Figure 2
- In the "Format 3 1/2 Floppy (A:)" window, check the box labeled “Create an MS-DOS startup disk” and click on the Start button (as shown below in Figure 3).
Figure 3
- Click "OK" in response to the warning message displayed (as shown in Figure 4).
Figure 4
- You will see a message that the format is completed (as shown below in Figure 5).
Figure 5
- In the "Format 3 1/2 Floppy (A:)" window, click "Close" to close the window.
- Download the KillDisk installation program. Download the file to the Windows desktop.
- Double-click on the icon on your desktop for "KDPRO3.exe" (the icon may appear as "KDPRO3").
- Make sure the bootable floppy disk created in Step 1 is currently in the A: drive of the computer. Then click "OK" for the message "In order to continue, you will need to insert a bootable floppy disk in your A drive. Press OK when ready."
- In the "WinZip Self-Extractor" window, click on "Unzip" to install the software on your floppy disk. Do not make any changes to the settings.
- When the "WinZip Self-Extractor" window disappears, the KillDisk software has been installed on the floppy disk in the A: drive of your computer. Remove the floppy from your computer and label it. You can now delete the installer utility ("KDPRO3") by dragging it into your Recycle Bin on the Windows desktop.
Using KillDisk
To use KillDisk from a floppy or a CD, make sure that the PC BIOS is set to allow booting from removable media and also that the CD-ROM and floppy disk drive(s) are set higher in the boot order than the PC hard drive(s).
- Insert KillDisk Pro floppy or CD-ROM into the computer. Activate the PC (or restart it). A message stating that KillDisk Pro is loading (similar to the one shown below in Figure 6) will appear.
Figure 6
- If you see an error message of "ERROR : Invalid partition table in sector 0 on 80h." (as shown below in Figure 7), the hard disk in the PC does not contain any valid partitions. If you still wish to wipe the hard disk press “I” to continue.
Figure 7
- When the KillDisk application opens, use the up/down cursors keys to select the hard disk to be wiped (as shown below in Figure 8). Once the proper disk is selected, press the F10 key.
Figure 8
- At the Configuration screen (shown below in Figure 9), press F10 again to begin wipe process (do not make any adjustments to the settings). A progress bar with the total estimated time to competition will appear at the bottom of the screen. See the Estimated Time of Completion chart at the end of this page.
Figure 9
- When KillDisk Pro completes, you will see a summary of the process (as shown below in Figure 10).
Figure 10
- Press the ESC key once to exit the Summary. You will get an exit message (as shown in Figure 11). Press the ESC key again to exit to DOS. At this point the hard drive should be completely wiped.
Figure 11
Estimated Time of Completion
These times are approximations. The actual speed will vary depending upon the speed of the hard disk and the computer.
| Hard disk size |
Amount of time needed to complete 10 passes in KillDisk Pro |
|
1 GB |
30 minutes |
|
2 GB |
1 hour |
|
4 GB |
2 hours |
|
8 GB |
4 hours |
|
20 GB |
10 hours |
|
40 GB |
20 hours |
|
80 GB |
40 hours |
CMS Procedure to Surplus Computer and Electronic Equipment
Effective July 2, 2007, Central Management Services is implementing an unfunded mandate that includes a new set of procedures for handling surplus computer and electronic equipment from state agencies. We will no longer be able to erase the hard drives in-house and apply certification labels (form# 24709) as described in our procedure dated 11-3-2003.
CMS has contracted with a firm to perform these and other diagnostic/ recycling activities for them. NIU Property Control will be charged for these services and the departments will be back charged through an internal billing process. The minimum charges outlined by CMS will be $20.00 per computer for disk wiping of hard drives, $12.50 per item for recycling of CPUs, monitors, printers and other electronics, in addition to freight and handling fees to be charged per item.
All surplus computer and electronic equipment must go through this process per CMS. They will only accept surplus items which have been processed through their contracted firm. Departments will need to supply NIU Property Control with a valid account number to be charged when placing a request for surplus computer and electronic equipment to be picked up.
