What happened to DBAN
DBAN (Darik’s Boot and Nuke) is a free tool you start from a USB stick or CD. It overwrites every hard drive it finds. Blancco bought the project in 2012, and the last free release came out in 2015.
It has three problems today:
- No SSD support. DBAN only overwrites, which can’t reach all of an SSD’s storage. It often doesn’t detect NVMe drives at all.
- Old hardware support. It doesn’t boot on UEFI systems, and on newer laptops it often finds no drives.
- No proper records. It writes a basic log, with no signed certificate and no link to the asset.
Free alternatives compared
| Tool | What it does | Purge on SSD / NVMe | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| nwipe | DBAN’s wipe engine, updated, runs on any Linux system | No, overwrite only | Log and basic PDF report |
| ShredOS | A bootable USB image built on nwipe, with UEFI support | No, overwrite only | Log and basic PDF report |
| hdparm | ATA Secure Erase and Sanitize for SATA drives | Yes, on SATA | None, terminal output only |
| nvme-cli | NVMe Sanitize and Format | Yes, on NVMe | None, terminal output only |
| Parted Magic | A low-cost bundle of the tools above, with a graphical interface | Yes, through the bundled tools | Limited |
| Laptop BIOS secure erase | Erases the laptop’s own drive | Usually | Rarely anything you can save |
All of these erase data. For a few hard drives at home, ShredOS is a good choice. For SSDs, use the commands in our SSD erasure guide.
What free tools don't give you
For a business, the hard part is usually proving the erasure later. An auditor or customer might ask: “Show me that laptop LT-0412 was erased before it went to the recycler.”
With free tools, someone has to:
- save a log for every drive
- write down the asset tag next to each drive serial
- pick the right method for each type of drive, and record it
- store the files where no one can edit them
- keep them easy to find for years
Each step is simple. Doing all five for every device, at every site, is hard. One missing record leaves a gap for the whole batch.
When a free tool is enough
A free tool is usually fine if:
- you’re an individual, or the drives never held customer or regulated data
- you erase only a few devices a year and can record them by hand
- the drives will be shredded afterwards anyway
You need erasure software with certificates if:
- you must meet GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, ISO 27001 or India’s DPDP Act
- you erase many SSDs and NVMe drives
- you resell or reuse hardware and buyers ask for certificates
- you’re an ITAD or MSP and your customers’ auditors read your reports
VaultRazer is built for the second group. Like DBAN, it can start from a USB stick. It also picks the right Purge method for each drive, checks the result and issues a signed certificate. You only pay for successful erasures. Use our savings calculator to compare the cost with shredding drives you could resell.
Frequently asked questions
Is DBAN still safe to use?
On older hard drives, a DBAN overwrite still makes data very hard to recover. It doesn't work properly on SSDs or NVMe drives, it doesn't support UEFI, and it doesn't produce certificates. Use a maintained tool instead.
What replaced DBAN?
For free hard drive wiping, nwipe and ShredOS continue DBAN's approach. For SSDs, use the drive's own sanitize command through hdparm or nvme-cli. For business use with certificates, use commercial erasure software.
Does DBAN work on SSDs?
No. DBAN's project page says it isn't recommended for SSDs. Overwriting can't reach an SSD's spare or retired storage, so it can't reach Purge level.