Home
Support
Partners
Contacts
Products
Download Free Version
Features
Screenshots
Users Guide
Pricing & Licensing
Order On-line
PowerPoint Presentation
Common Questions
Feedback


Contents > Common Questions                                       Active@ KillDisk User Guide

4 Common Questions

4.1. How does the licensing work?

The software is licensed on a per floppy or CD basis. Each license allows you to use the program from a separate floppy or CD. If you want to use the program to wipe 5 computers concurrently, you would need 5 floppies or CDs (or combination of the two not exceeding five), and therefore need a 5 user license.

4.2. How is the data erased?

Active@ KillDisk communicates with the system board Basic Input-Output Subsystem (BIOS) functions to access hardware directly. It uses Logical Block Addressing (LBA) access if necessary to clean FAT32 drives more than 8 Gb in size. To erase data it overwrites all addressable locations on the drive with zeros (FREE version).  Active@ KillDisk Professional version suggests several methods for data destruction. For example, in US DoD 5220.22-M method it overwrites all addressable storage and indexing locations on the drive three times: with zeros (0x00), complement (0xFF) and random characters; and then verifies all writing procedures. This complies with the US DoD 5220.22-M security standard.

4.3. What is the difference between the Site and Enterprise license?

Site License means an unlimited usage of the program in one location , Enterprise License - in any location.

4.4.  Which operating systems are supported by Active@ KillDisk?

Active@ KillDisk runs in any DOS environment. It can be MS-DOS, PC-DOS, FreeDOS, DR-DOS, etc. As it can be installed easily onto a bootable floppy disk or a bootable CD-ROM, it does not matter which operating system is installed on the machine hard drive. If you can boot in DOS mode from the boot diskette or boot CD-ROM, you can detect and erase any drives independent of the installed Operating System.

4.5.  Is Active@ KillDisk compatible with Macintosh computers?

No, it is not.

4.6. What to do if I cannot boot from a floppy?

There are many possible reasons that you cannot boot from a floppy. Please consult this troubleshooting chart:

Table 4-3 Troubleshooting Floppy Disk Problems

Problem

Solution

Error message "bad command or file name"

You can use our KillDisk Bootable Floppy Creator to make a bootable floppy:

http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm

To use KillDisk floppy creator:

  1. From the link, save "killdiskfloppysetup.exe" file to your Desktop.
  2. Insert an empty floppy disk in the floppy drive.
  3. On your Desktop, double-click killdiskfloppysetup.exe and follow all instructions.
  4. When you purchase Active@ KillDisk Professional version, you receive the file "kd-setup.exe". Double-click this file and copy all the extracted flies to the floppy disk. Make sure that you overwrite the file "killdisk.exe" with the registered version.
  5. Restart your PC using the bootable floppy.

Floppy disk is not bootable or damaged.

With the floppy in drive A:, verify whether or not system files (COMMAND.COM, etc.) are located on floppy. If the disk directory can be read and system files appear by name, some files on the floppy may be damaged, or the surface of the floppy may be damaged.

On a DOS or Windows PC, run SCANDISK.EXE to check for damaged areas on the floppy surface. Alternately, prepare and test another bootable floppy disk. For more instructions, see chapter 3, Running Active@ KillDisk.

Machine has boot priority for Hard Disk Drives, or another device set higher than for Floppy Drives.

Parameters that are set in low-level setup are written to the machine's BIOS.

To change the boot priority:

  1. Open the low-level setup utility, usually by pressing F1 or Escape on the keyboard during PC startup.
  2. Use the arrow keys to locate the section about Boot device priority. This section will allow you to set the search order for types of boot devices. When the screen opens, a list of boot devices appears. Typical devices on this list will be Hard Drives, CD ROM drives, Floppy Drives and Network Boot option.
  3. If the floppy device has been disabled, enable it (provided you have a floppy disk installed). The priority should indicate that the floppy device is the number one device the BIOS consults when searching for boot instructions. If Floppy Drives is at the top of the list, that is usually the indicator.
  4. Save and exit the setup utility.

4.7. Will I be able to use my Hard Disk Drive after Active@ KillDisk erase operation?

To be able to use HDD again you need to:

  • Repartition the hard drive using a standard DOS utility like FDISK.

  • Reformat partitions using a standard DOS utility like FORMAT.

  • Reinstall the Operating System using a bootable CD-ROM.

 

Previous < Contents > Next

1998-2008