Many of you know that Mike and I are the goto people in our circle of family and friends when it comes to computer repair. We’ve had about 40 computers pass through our home in the past year. Every one left in like-new or better condition save one, only because the owner chose not to spend the money on a hardware replacement needed on an archaic laptop.
When we get a computer that has a virus or other software related issue, we almost always just back up the client’s data, run Kill Disk, and then reinstall the operating system or run the recovery disks. Running Kill Disk is one of those anal things that we’ve always done because it ensures that the hard drive is blank before reinstalling the OS and other software. There will be no rogue viruses or data hiding on the drive – run Kill Disk and wash it all away.
Kill Disk has a free version of the software, which is what we’ve always used (single pass zero writing is only permitted, vs. several passes in the paid version). Create your own bootable Kill Disk by going to the Kill Disk website and choosing the option that is right for you. Detailed instructions are towards the bottom of the linked page.
Kill Disk works by writing zeroes to every sector of the hard drive. Once you run Kill Disk, your data is gone…for good. So always remember to do a thorough backup of all of your data ongoing and do a triple-check before running Kill Disk.
Another way we’ve used Kill Disk is to blank out hard drives before destroying or recycling them. This ensures that no personal information is left on the drive that any person with ill intents may try to recover and use (i.e. credit card numbers, personal photos, etc.).
Overall, we’ve been extremely happy with Kill Disk. It is extremely powerful and reliable, and we have not had any issues with the software at all.
Disclaimer: Mike and I have written this honest review and are submitting it to Active@ Kill Disk to obtain a free copy of the paid version of the software.
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