Darik's Boot and Nuke SE

• Quick specs
• Price: Free
• Operating system: Windows 3.x/95/98/Me/2000/XP/NT
• Date added: November 12, 2002
• Total Downloads: 71,886
• Downloads last week: 339
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• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 18 votes
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User reviews of Darik's Boot and Nuke SE

• Average user rating: 4.6 stars out of 18 votes
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• Showing 5 of 12 user reviewsSee all 12 user reviews
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• 5 stars

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

  Version: Darik's Boot and Nuke SE

  "Overkill Useless Files"

  by Jotts on June 20, 2007

  Pros: Darik's Boot and Nuke is an Open Source program that's used to construct a floppy disk or CD that will automatically wipe the all hard drives of any PC booted from the disk (OUCH!) . It's great for bulk disk cleaning of PCs and is useful too as an emergency tool for quickly removing sensitive information.

  Cons: Not the best UI I've seen in my life, and its power makes it a (very) dangerous tool in the hands of beginners.

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• 5 stars

  8 out of 8 people found this review helpful

  Version: Darik's Boot and Nuke SE

  "A MUST HAVE"

  by The user with no name on October 19, 2006

  Pros: Some programs say that they 'wipe' your sensitive data but afterwards a good look will find it tucked away in 'empty' sectors.... DBAN is not one of those!

  Simple text based user interface that gives you a choice of wipe methods including the now infamous Guttman Wipe which btw is not needed on new technology drives due to the difference in the way drives store data now versus back when Guttman wrote his paper (PRNG is probably the best for modern drives). You can also define the number of passes (rounds) that the wipe will make (I usually use 8 rounds) although the more you do the 'safer' you are.

  I use this while I sleep for my HARDCORE wipes and Secure Clean for my general everday cleaning. When Dban is finished I just pop one of my system images back onto my now 'like new' drive and continue on my merry way.

  Haven't tried it on a USB key or a bootable CD/DVD yet but those may be a possible solution for those of you who are floppy drive impaired.

  Cons: While in reality no wiping program can probably make someone 100% safe from the prying eyes of who exactly(???) this program is definately a keeper!

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• 5 stars

  5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

  Version: Darik's Boot and Nuke SE

  "been looking so long"

  by kbl5464 on March 9, 2007

  Pros: My office is donating several computers we no longer use and I have been looking FOREVER for freeware to wipe their hard disks (they were running Windows XP so programs that require you to be able to boot in DOS don't work). DBAN is a dream come true, super easy to use, highly recommended for frustrated XP/Vista users who are at their wits' end!

  Cons: DBAN needs some reviews (come on, CNET editors!) -- I skipped over this one the first time I browsed through disk wipe download options just because there isn't very much info available on how the program works.

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• 5 stars

  4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

  Version: Darik's Boot and Nuke SE

  "Best disk wipe utility available"

  by chilifries on April 14, 2007

  Pros: This great little utility is better than most commercial programs I've tried. It includes powerful wipe options, including DoD compliant methods. The interface is clean and easy to use. It is NOT a teaser or trial. It is fully functional and totally free!

  Cons: The link here is to an older version. An updated version can be found on the author's Sourceforge site: dban.sourceforge.net. The bootable CD version can be found there too for those who have given up floppies.

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• 5 stars

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

  Version: Darik's Boot and Nuke SE

  "Worked exactly as promised"

  by KayKayeInDBQ on January 2, 2008

  Pros: Ease of use, ease of installation, works exactly as promised

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