On Friday 31 May 2002 19:28, Dave Price wrote: > Hi, > > I am looking for a quick way to clear an HDD of old data, partitions, > etc. > > I found this on /. thru a google search: > > dd if=/dev/random of=/dev/hdX
I wouldn't use /dev/random for that. It blocks when it runs out of entropy which is very soon in that case. It could take some days to get enough data from there. If you insist on pseudo-random data, try /dev/urandom. It might not guarantee as much randomness but at least it doesn't block. BTW: yes|dd of=/dev/hdX -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]