file shredders

  • Thread starter Thread starter Helium
  • Start date Start date
H

Helium

I'm looking for a file shredder that meets the following
requirements:
1. runs under dos (>= Dos5).
2. Is small - fits on a floppy diskette along with
the system files, fdisk, and format.
3. Will shred individual files, a subdirectory, or the whole HD
as directed by command line entries.
I've looked at at a few shredders but most run in Windows, are
shareware or commercial, or wipe/shred the whole HD. Is there a
freeware program that meets my specifications? Thanks, He2
p.s. I currently use a free shredder that runs under Windows,
bcWipe, and I like it but now I have to wipe a few HDs.
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I'm looking for a file shredder that meets the following
requirements: [Snip]
p.s. I currently use a free shredder that runs under Windows,
bcWipe, and I like it but now I have to wipe a few HDs.
Click to expand...

If you use a free version of BCWipe you'll find a BCWipePD subdirectory
in your BCWipe folder. BCWipePD is a DOS-utility for wiping whole drives.
For other wipe utilities (DOS) you can look here:

http://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/security.html
ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/security/
http://short.stop.home.att.net/freesoft/fileuti2.htm

Some previously popular wipers (like the menu driven DataEx - <50 KByte)
seem to have vanished from the net...

BeAr
 
Helium said:
I'm looking for a file shredder ...
Click to expand...

Not sure if one program can fill your list of requirements.

If you want to diskette to carry around and wipe HDs then look at:

Wipe HD before reformatting:
'Darik's Boot and Nuke' ("DBAN")
http://sourceforge.net/projects/dban/
is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most
computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of
any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for
bulk or emergency data destruction.'


For individual files and unused disk space consider Eraser
http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/ which is an excellent windows-based shredder.
There is a function within Eraser called eraserd which runs from DOS to
wipe files. I use it to wipe files before Windows begins to load by placing
commnand lines in the Autoexe.bat.
For example, in the first lines - important here - FIRST lines of my
autoexe.bat are:
eraserd -folder c:\windows\tempor~1 -subfolders -passes 1
eraserd -folder c:\windows\history -subfolders -passes 1
eraserd -folder c:\windows\cookies -passes 1
eraserd -folder c:\windows\temp -passes 1
REM eraserd -file C:\win386.swp -passes 3 <-run it by removing "REM"
which means that these lines run first in DOS before Windows begins to
load. You can change the number of passes (1-255) to suit yourself.
Eraser also wipes files, including cluster tips, on-demand from Windows and
will wipe free disk space as well.
You can also create a bootable diskette that uses the eraserd.exe and wipe
your HD. (See the help file in Eraser on how to do that.)

Just a note: IIRC bcwipe (freeware) does not wipe cluster tips whereas the
payware version of bcwipe does. Eraser does wipe cluster tips.

HTH

Gary
 
It wipes file slacks, which is another term for cluster tips?
Click to expand...

Yes REM, you're right. Sorry about that.
File Slack Defined http://www.forensics-intl.com/def6.html

What I should have said was about the comment by Sarah Dean in her "Disk
and File Shredders: A Comparison" at;
http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/true/882/Comparison_Shredders.htm
about bcwipe 2.28.

Under her topic heading of "When destroying free space, old filenames are
overwritten" she made the comment about bcwipe 2.28
"Sometimes; old filenames overwritten with random data, but this is
unreliable"

and that is what I should have said.
 
Yes REM, you're right. Sorry about that.
File Slack Defined http://www.forensics-intl.com/def6.html
Click to expand...
What I should have said was about the comment by Sarah Dean in her "Disk
and File Shredders: A Comparison" at;
http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/true/882/Comparison_Shredders.htm
about bcwipe 2.28.
Click to expand...
Under her topic heading of "When destroying free space, old filenames are
overwritten" she made the comment about bcwipe 2.28
"Sometimes; old filenames overwritten with random data, but this is
unreliable"
and that is what I should have said.
Click to expand...

I think I really would feel more confident in recommending Eraser today. That is
the last freeware version of BC and I really think Eraser has provided the
better program.
 
Thank you for your help. I've looked at the sites listed in your
messages as well as the links on these sites. I also found a site
in russia (http://esca.atomki.hu/paradise/sac/security.html)
that has a few wipe utilities on it along with pgp,etc.
I'll be spending some time evaluating all the dos wipe programs
th I d/l ed from these sites. Best wishes, He2
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