How to use Sanitary Erase

[Tweak]

Sanitary Erase

Be warned: This will erase all your data on the drive!

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THIS ON A NON-OCZ DRIVE, OR A 1. GENERATION DRIVE, OR A DRIVE THAT IS NOT INDILINX BASED. THIS IS FOR 2. GENERATION INDILINX BASED DRIVES ONLY! (Do not use Sanitary Erase on OCZ Solid Core, or Apex. It's ok to use it on Solid 2.)

For the USB method, go to post #2

If you have a Vertex (also the Mac edition), Vertex Turbo, Vertex EX, Agility, Agility EX, or Solid 2, you may proceed.

Since there has been numerous posters asking for a guide on how to use this tool, I thought I would try to make one. Keep in mind that I'm not an OCZ official, so this is based on my own info and knowledge. This also means that you proceed at your own risk, and that I will not be responsible for any consequence.

I will try to improve it along the way, so don't be shy with suggestions/corrections to what I'm posting here.


Grab Sanitary Erase here

Using Sanitary Erase from Windows

The best way to use the tool from windows (both 64 bit and 32 bit), is to have the drive you want to erase attached as a spare drive, and boot to another drive with Windows on. Make sure you're not in RAID mode in BIOS. I will advise to use IDE mode, but AHCI mode works for some motherboards. It can also be run from Windows on the same drive you want to erase, but you should be quick about rebooting when the erase is done.

Once in Windows, open the folder where you have the file sanitary_erase.exe

Right-click on the file, and choose to "Run as Administrator" as shown here:



You will then see a new DOS window, as shown here:



It will list the drives attached. You need to pay attention to what drive you want Sanitary Erase to run on. In this case I have my Vertex Turbo listed first - and to select this drive to be erased I need to type the number 0
You need to select the drive number that represents the drive you want erased. Then hit Enter.

You will be prompted by a message telling you that the drive has a partition table and if you want to proceed.

Type Y

The tool will now clean your drive, and set the drive back to a raw unpartitioned state, like it was in from factory. It will not do anything to the drives firmware. The process may be over in just a second, or it can take up to a couple of minutes to finish.

After it's done, you need to reboot to see that the data is gone, and the drive has been reset.

It will now be ready for use, and should be like the state it was in when it was taken out of the box, however it will not restore the erase-count to the NAND.

I will follow up on using Sanitary Erase from a USB drive, using a 32 bit Windows 7 Install/Recovery disc. I will reserve post #2 for this, to have it organized.


Regards,

tweak

[Tweak]

Sanitary Erase from USB drive using Windows recovery console

Be warned: This will erase all your data on the drive!

This applies only to 2. generation Indilinx drives, the same as stated in post #1!

This method will show how to run it from a 32bit Windows 7 Install/Recovery disc. If you don't have such a disk, you can

Download Windows 7 Recovery Disc Here make sure you download the 32 bit (x86) edition.

Burn the ISO to a DVD, or use THIS tool to make your USB drive a bootable recovery drive. Don't use this option if you cannot boot to USB!

Copy the file; sanitary_erase.exe to your USB drive (root or make a folder for it)

Reboot, and make sure your optical drive is set as first boot priority, or USB as first priority, if you use that. Optical as first priority is often the default setting, and if it doesn't boot to your disc/USB, you should find the boot settings in your BIOS.

Put your 32bit Windows 7 Install disc into your optical drive, or USB into the port, and boot to that.
After windows has loaded files and displayed the splash screen, it will end up presenting you with what is shown in this image:



We will not be installing anything.
Hit Shift+F10 to bring up command prompt

This will bring you to a DOS-like, black screen - which is the command prompt (look at the next pic below). You now need to locate your USB drive. You need to find the drive letter that represents YOUR USB drive. You can do this as described here:



In the command line, type diskpart and wait for diskpart to start, then type list volume.

This will list the drive volumes and drive letter, you should now see what drive letter the USB drive has. It should be recognized by the size of the drive.

Now type exit to bring you back to the x prompt


Use the commands shown in the following picture, but change the drive letter to the one for your USB drive.

If you didn't put the file in a folder, but on the root of the drive, you can skip the; cd sanitary_erase-command.

I used that to show the command to enter a folder. (I put the red circle a bit wrong there, should have been where it says: cd sanitary_erase - the line just above the red circle)



After you located and executed the file, you can follow the same instructions as when run from windows at the same point. Hit the correct number that represents the drive you want to erase, and when asked to proceed, you hit - Y
As shown here:



After a short while, it is done. Now remove the disc from the optical drive, and reboot. Your drive is now erased.

*This is still a draft to this guide, and will be edited to better serve as a guide as flaws are corrected, and suggestions considered.

Hope this helped you.

[tuney]

excellent job Tweak!!!!

[Ron5382]

Just wanted to say Thanks for your guide.....

Just one question: SE needs to be run from a 32 bit OS or Disk, I may be confusing this with something else?

Thanks,
Ron

[Tweak]

Just wanted to say Thanks for your guide.....

Just one question: SE needs to be run from a 32 bit OS or Disk, I may be confusing this with something else?

Thanks,
Ron

It should work on 64bit, but NOT the USB method, which I'm working on now... so hang on guys.

[Tweak]

Alright, we have a start.

I have done some editing in the text, adding warnings, and rephrasing to make it clearer.

Now, tell me if there's something else that needs to be changed/added/removed in order for this to function as a guide that we can link to when people ask for a pointer on how to use it.

Thanks in advance.

[Petokz]

Excellent guide, but I don't have Windows 7 32bit install disc.. I have only 64bit. Is there any way to use that with USB method?

[Tweak]

Sadly, no. But you can download a free windows repair disc that is 32 bit from here:

http://neosmart.net/blog/2009/window...-repair-discs/

I will edit the link into the guide.

[Petokz]

Oh great, thx

[Tweak]

You're welcome.

Thanks to you, I've updated the USB-method guide with the link.

[Ian]

Nice job Noobtweaker

[Tweak]

Thanks, OCZ Guru...

[Ian]

lol

why is that anyhow? Oh wait, maybe 500 posts? Maybe can be changed in the profile?? nope! must be a vBulletin thing..

[Tony]

When you hit the first windows screen:



now hit shift and F10, this will immediately bring up the DOS console window..like this:



Now type diskpart and wait for diskpart to start, then type list volume.

This will list the drive volumes and drive letter, you should now see what drive letter the USB drive has.

Now type exit to bring you back to the x prompt

You now carry on using tweaks guide to run SE etc

[Tweak]

Ahh.. GREAT TIGER!! Thanks a bunch. I keep forgetting the commands I learned 20 years ago... lol

I will get that into the guide. I'm at work at the moment, but will do it soon.

Edit:Thanks again, T. I've implemented your steps, and removed the now unnecessary steps. It seems better organized and easier to follow now.

tweak