Member Avatar for Tebb20

I want to completely erase all data using DBAN. I have a few questions about how I should go about reinstalling Windows afterwards:

1. Will Windows installer start as usuall - that is just by insterting the CD?

2. Can BIOS be accessed after the process?
(I'll be using a floppy disk to run DBAN. Since they say that the BIOS should be set to boot from the floppy drive first, before starting DBAN, I wondered whether it is possible to access BIOS again after the process to set the boot order to boot from the CD-rom first?)

I have reinstalled Windows XP many times, but I've never done this before, so I am a bit nervous. Hope that you tech guys can help me.

  • 2 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 251 Views
  • 8 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Tebb20

Dani AI

Generated

In 's situation - an infected Windows XP install with sensitive data - DBAN is a reasonable way to make prior data unrecoverable. DBAN overwrites disk sectors (including sector 0, where the MBR and partition table live), so filesystem traces and deleted-file remnants are far harder to recover than after a plain partition delete or quick format.

Recommended workflow: back up any files that must be kept and export product keys and hardware drivers to removable media; verify those backups on a separate, clean machine and scan them with a current antivirus before restoring. Boot DBAN from the chosen media (floppy, CD, or USB), pick a wipe method - single-pass for speed, multi-pass for more thoroughness - and let it finish. Large drives and multi-pass options can take many hours.

After DBAN completes, remove the DBAN media and boot the Windows CD (or use the BIOS/boot-menu key to select the CD). Because DBAN clears the partition table and MBR, the installer will see the disk as unallocated space. If the XP installer does not detect the drive, check the motherboard SATA mode in BIOS - XP often needs IDE/compatibility mode or an F6-supplied SATA driver during setup.

Other points: DBAN wipes the drive surface only - it does not change BIOS or device firmware. DBAN is not appropriate for SSDs; use the drive maker's secure-erase utility or the ATA Secure Erase command instead. Before restoring files, scan backups again with up-to-date antivirus and restore selectively (avoid restoring executables from untrusted sources). Finally, consider moving off Windows XP if possible - Microsoft ended support for XP in April 2014 - since a supported OS gives far better long-term security. 's comment about reinstalling from the CD is correct; the above expands the safe, practical steps and cautions for a thorough wipe-and-reinstall.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for bobbyraw

I want to completely erase all data using DBAN. I have a few questions about how I should go about reinstalling Windows afterwards:

1. Will Windows installer start as usuall - that is just by insterting the CD?
Yes, as long as the bios is set to boot from the cd first. and you have a bootable CD
2. Can BIOS be accessed after the process?
Yes the bios can be access after the wipe. the bios is not stored on the area to be wipe
(I'll be using a floppy disk to run DBAN. Since they say that the BIOS should be set to boot from the floppy drive first, before starting DBAN, I wondered whether it is possible to access BIOS again after the process to set the boot order to boot from the CD-rom first?) after the wipe change the bios back to boot from the cd first.

I have reinstalled Windows XP many times, but I've never done this before, so I am a bit nervous. Hope that you tech guys can help me.

to be honest you don't need to use Dban to wipe the disk, when you run windows setup it will detect the partitions on you pc. the best thing to do is delete the partition then create a new one then format all this can be done in widows setup.
Dban is mainly when you want to throw out a old pc or give it to some one and you want to make sure that all data is deleted first.

Member Avatar for Tebb20

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I've been searching the web for this information for hours and hours.

I have to do this because my computer got infected with a virus and I did a clean install of windows with formating and partitioning, already. But I am not sure whether the virus is really gone. The computer is slow etc (maybe paranoia :) ) I have sensitive information in my computer and want to be really sure that everything is clean, before I put the files back.

Thanks again for the help.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.