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4.2.3 Erase or Wipe Logical Drives (Partitions)

In all previous examples in this chapter, the process has erased data or wiped data from a physical drive. Using a similar method, you can erase or wipe logical disks and partitions, and even “Unallocated” areas where partitions used to exist and the area was damaged, or the area is not visible by the current operating system.

There are some cases where partitions on a device cannot be wiped; for example, if there is an unknown file system, or if the disk contains unallocated space. In these cases, the Wipe button is disabled.

To perform the Wipe or Erase action you must lock the partition first. If another user or an application is using files on the partition, it cannot be locked. In this case a dialog box appears with information that the disk is being used and you need either skip it, or perform a “hard drive dismount”. If you skip it, the wipe or erase operation is canceled for this drive. If you select “hard dismount”, some data in the drive’s cache may be lost.

4.2.3.1 Erase Data From a Logical Drive

To erase data from a logical drive:

1. Start Active@ KillDisk from a bootable device or from the Programs menu.
2. The Detected Physical Devices screen appears.
   All system hard drives and floppy drives are displayed in the left pane and system information is displayed in the right pane.
   
   Figure 3-9 Detected Physical Devices
3. Select the check box of a logical drive or next to the Unallocated area.
4. Press F10 or click Kill. The Kill dialog box appears.
5. Set erase method and set other parameters for erasing. For information on these parameters, see Chapter 5 Descriptions of Erase/Wipe Parameters in this guide.
6. Complete the process, similar to the process for devices.

4.2.3.2 Wipe Data From a Logical Drive

To wipe data from a logical drive:

1. Start Active@ KillDisk from a bootable device or from the Programs menu.
2. The Detected Physical Devices screen appears.
   All system hard drives and floppy drives will be displayed in the left pane along with their system information in the right pane.
3. Select the check box of a logical drive.
4. Press F9 or click Wipe to wipe data from unoccupied areas. The Wipe Free Disk Space dialog box appears.
5. Select a wipe method and set other parameters for wiping. For information on these parameters, see Chapter 5 Descriptions of Erase/Wipe Parameters in this guide.
6. Complete the process, similar to the process for devices.

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