MSConfig is a system utility to troubleshoot the Microsoft Windows startup process. It can disable or re-enable software, device drivers and Windows services that run at startup, or change boot parameters.
Windows includes all sorts of hidden little utilities that you can use to configure and change system settings that are normally not visible in areas like the Control Panel.
How to open MSConfig in Windows 10
The NIST Special Publication 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization, provides an overview of sanitization techniques and requirements. According to the publication, the purpose of sanitization is “to render access to target data (the data subject to the sanitization technique) on the media infeasible for a given level of recovery effort”, and describes the three categories of action to be taken to sanitize media as:
Clear applies logical techniques to sanitize data in all user-addressable storage locations for protection against simple non-invasive data recovery techniques; typically applied through the standard Read and Write commands to the storage device, such as by rewriting with a new value or using a menu option to reset the device to the factory state (where rewriting is not supported).
Purge applies physical or logical techniques that render Target Data recovery infeasible using state of the art laboratory techniques.
Destroy renders Target Data recovery infeasible using state of the art laboratory techniques and results in the subsequent inability to use the media for storage of data.
See Section 5 of the document for a more detailed summary of sanitization techniques, and Appendix A for sanitization requirements for specific media/device types.
The three most common techniques for properly sanitizing hard drives are:
Physically destroying the drive, rendering it unusable. This is a good alternative for defective hard drives or those that would be too costly to repair. For added security, the disk should be overwritten or degaussed prior to destruction.
Degaussing the drive to randomize the magnetic domains – most likely rendering the drive unusable in the process. Degaussing, or demagnetizing, applies a reverse magnetizing field to data stored on magnetic media, erasing the contents by returning the magnetic flux to a zero state.
Overwriting the drive’s data so that it cannot be recovered. Overwriting replaces previously stored data on a drive or disk with a predetermined pattern of meaningless information, rendering the data unrecoverable.
Note that when removing sensitive information, don’t forget storage devices such as thumb-drives, back-up external hard drives and CDs. Also, be sure to erase any stored names and numbers from phones and fax machines.
Suggested Software
Program | Cost | Platform | Comments |
Shareware | Windows & Mac | Self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers; consumer-grade, appropriate for bulk or emergency data destruction. (Acquired by Blancco in 2012.) | |
Free | Mac OS X | Securely erases data as well as disk’s empty space (latter prevents the recovery of erased files without erasing the entire disk). | |
Shareware | Windows | Permanently wipes sensitive data on partitions and disk volumes. | |
$29.95 | OS independent | Erase computer hard drives, partitions or media devices; US DOD compliant. | |
Shareware | Windows | Completely removes sensitive data from a hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. | |
Free version, Pro versions start at $39.95 | Windows, Linux | Powerful and compact software allowing you to destroy all data on hard disks, SSD and USB drives completely, excluding any possibility of future recovery of deleted files and folders; a hard drive and partition eraser utility. | |
Free | Linux | Use built-in dd, wipe and shred tools | |
Shareware | Unix & Windows command line program | Secure file removal utility for Unix and Unix-like computer systems; command-line compatible rm overwrites file contents | |
Free trial, $24.95 | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android | Easy interface, configurable overwrite pattern and number of overwrites | |
Shareware | Linux, Unix | Uses Gutmann’s erase patterns, erasing single files and accompanying metadata or entire disks | |
$29.95 | Windows, Intel-based Macs, Linux | Securely erases all hard drive or external storage information; military grade; wipe up to 3 different hard drives | |
Contact vendor for details (licensed per client) | Windows, Intel-based Macs, Linux | Flexible licensing permits wiping desktops, laptops, networked computers, servers, individual drives, or RAID arrays with one product and one block of licenses. Erase hard drives remotely. |
Removal Tips
Windows
Each of the software products listed above comes with specific instructions, some with an easy-to-use wizard interface. KillDisk (recommended by some DCCs).
Macintosh
In addition to the software offered above, Mac computer hard drives can be cleared by zeroing their data. Note that zeroing data (aka “low level” format) may take a long time and depends on the hard disk size. It is recommended to use the “8-way random” feature in conjunction with the “zero all data” option. See the section “Securely erase a disk” in the article Disk Utility 12.x: Erase a Disk, CD or DVD for details.
Solaris / Linux / Unix
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