Secure deletion on Ubuntu

Conanius · 7 May 2012 at 19:52

Hi There,

I'm just installing the latest Ubuntu on a PC that I am about to sell and realised I didn't make use of CCleaner in windows to securely erase the hard drives first.

I've just made the drives into a new RAID 5 array, and I believe they will have been formatted as part of the Ubuntu install.

Can anyone recommend a decent secure deletion command/file/application for ubuntu that is free, and importantly, idiot proof for me?

Conanius · 7 May 2012 at 20:13

will that secure delete all the free space on the drive?

Conanius · 7 May 2012 at 23:17

Sorry for the confusion, my poor posting style I'm sure.

I'll be clearer !

I want an easy way to ensure that the drives I'm selling have _NONE_ of my data on, and that the files CANT be recovered(easily/by an average joe/up to a point of the Americans getting an electron microscope on the drive looking for voltage fluctuations on the platter surface)

... ok the last example is a joke, but seriously, I don't want the details of my rare my little pony collection getting out.

Conanius · 9 May 2012 at 19:22

so based on that, is my best option to boot in with a live cd (can ubuntu do this?) and then do the deletion, and THEN install a new OS on the array ?