Erase Data Prior to Equipment Surplus or Re-Purposing
Policy | Standard | Procedure | Informative
Version: 1.1.3
Last Updated: 06/17/05
University Computing and Communications Services

Erase disk drives on a Windows or Macintosh workstation prior to submitting computer equipment for surplus or internal re-purposing.

Completion of the Computer Disposal Certification Form is required prior to surplus or transfer to other Georgia State departments.

CAUTION: These procedures delete all software and data from a computer's hard drive; do NOT execute these procedures unless it is your intention to surplus the computer, or re-generate all software and data from another source.

Non-functioning Equipment
Windows
Macintosh
(Unix Assistance)
Help

Non-functioning Equipment:

    In some circumstances, it is not possible to over-write the data on the hard drive; in which case, the non-functioning computer or storage device has to be physically destroyed. When physical destruction is required, departments are still responsible for sending the remains to Property Control, along with the Computer Disposal Certification Form.

    1. Remove the hard drive, tape, or cartridge from the computer or storage unit.
    2. Place the device flat on its side, and strike it with a heavy hammer until it is crushed. Note: Pay particular attention to damaging the platters inside hard drives where data is magnetically recorded. If necessary, you can hammer nails into the platters.
    3. Send the remains to Property Control for proper disposal.

Erase Disk Drives on a Windows Workstation:

Step 1: Create a Bootable Floppy Disk:

      1. Start up your Web Browser.
      2. Go to \\public1\support\desktop\Misc .
      3. Download the boot98.exe file.
      4. Insert a floppy disk that is not write-protected into the A:
        All existing data on the floppy disk will be lost, so ensure that nothing important is saved on it.
      5. Run the boot98.exe, and it will create a bootable floppy disk.

Step 2: Delete the Partition:

      1. Insert the floppy disk into the computer that is to be wiped.
      2. Power the machine on.
      3. Select 2. to Start computer without Cd-Rom support, and press Enter.
      4. At the A:\>(prompt), type fdisk (it should look like A:\>fdisk), and press Enter.
      5. Confirm that [Y] is selected to Enable Large Disk Support, and press Enter.
      6. If asked Should NTFS partitions on all drives be treated as large? Confirm that Y is selected and press Enter.
      7. Select [3] to choose to Delete Partition or Logical DOS Drive, and press Enter.
      8. Select [1] to Delete Primary DOS Partition, and press Enter.
      9. If it reports "No Primary DOS Partition to Delete", press ESC, select [1] as above and then press [4] to delete a non DOS partition.
      10. Confirm that [1] is selected as the Primary Partition that you want to delete, and press Enter.
      11. Type in the Volume Label (shown at the top of the screen under Volume Label), and press Enter.
      12. Select [Y] to indicate that you are sure you want to proceed, and press Enter.
        At this point, the partition has been deleted.
      13. Press Esc to continue.

Step 3. Wipe the Machine:

      1. Select [1] to Create DOS Partition or Logical DOS Drive, and press Enter.
      2. Select [1] to Create Primary DOS Partition, and press Enter.
      3. Confirm that [Y] is selected to Use Maximum Size and Make Partition Active, and press Enter.
      4. Press Esc to exit FDISK after partition has been created.
      5. Restart the machine with the floppy still inserted in the drive.
      6. Select 2. to Start computer without Cd-Rom support, and press Enter.
      7. At the A:\>(prompt), type d:, (it should look like A:\>d:), and press Enter.
      8. At the D:\>(prompt), type format c: /s (it should look like D:\>format c: /s), and press Enter.
      9. Type Y to Proceed with Format,and press Enter.
        Formatting will probably take a few minutes depending on the size of the Hard Drive.
      10. Press Enter for no Volume Label.
        The computer is now wiped and ready for surplus.

Erase Disk Drives on a Macintosh Workstation (OS 9 or OS X):

OS 9 Workstations:

    1. Insert the OS CD ROM disk; hold the "C" key down to boot off the CD ROM disk.
    2. Locate the Utilities folder. Inside the Utilities folder you will find a "Drive Setup" icon; double-click this icon.
    3. Locate the Function Menu; choose initialize a hard drive, and then choose the option to zero all data.


OS X Workstations:

You will need the OS X installation CD to format the drive.

    1. Insert the Cd into the computer and reboot it while holding down the "c" key.
      This will cause it to reboot from the CD.
      You should see a screen that displays "Welcome to the Mac OS X Installer." If you do not, it probably failed to boot from the CD. Retry the step until you get to this screen.
    2. Click on Installer in the upper left corner of the screen, next to the Apple logo.
      A menu will appear.
    3. Select Open Disk Utility... .
    4. After the Utility has loaded, select the hard drive from the list on the left.
      If the computer has multiple hard drives, these steps will need to be repeated for each drive.
    5. Select the Erase tab on the Utility.
    6. In the menu labeled Volume Format, select Mac OS Extended.
      At this point the drive is ready to be erased.
    7. Click the Erase button. Click Erase again the confirm this choice.
      The computer will then erase the drive. It may take several minutes.
    8. Close the utility by clicking on the red X button in the upper left hand corner of the window.

      Note:
      If you wish to reinstall MAC OS X on the clean hard drive, you may continue through the installer from this point.

Unix Assistance:

For assistance in erasing disk drives on a Unix machine, contact the Help Center 404-651-4507 or help@gsu.edu.

Help:

If you have questions, or need assistance, please contact the Help Center (404-651-4507 or help@gsu.edu).

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