I occasionally ask how to completely wipe a hard drive.  Usually someone is selling their PC, giving their old one away, etc., and know all the risks of leaving bits of their identity on their hard disk.    I have been telling people where to get a basic security CD that runs Linux and run scrub, but that can take a long time (someone told me it took the better part of a weekend on their old laptop!).  I ran into Darik’s Boot And Nuke (DBAN) recently and that may be what I suggest from now on.

From their website:

Darik’s Boot and Nuke (“DBAN”) is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

Why DBAN?  It seems faster, has more methods, and has a nice little package to install everything. If you still aren’t trusting, then simply smash your drive with a hammer — sounds strange, but it will work.