Active KillDisk is a data sanitization program from LSoft Technologies. It destroys the contents of hard disks, SSDs, NVMe drives, USB flash drives and memory cards so that files cannot be recovered afterwards. It runs on Windows and Linux, and it can also start from bootable media to clean a computer whose own operating system is not running. A freeware edition is available for home use, while paid licenses raise the number of drives that can be processed and cover business use.
Choosing disks to destroy
Work starts in the Disk Explorer, where the Local Devices view lists every disk the operating system recognizes: internal drives, external USB disks and flash drives. The disk holding the running system is hidden by default, which keeps it out of reach of an accidental erase. Users can select several disks and process them side by side, up to the limit set by the license.
Full disk erase and sanitization standards
Disk Erase overwrites every sector of the selected disk, removing both existing files and the traces of deleted ones. The user picks a method from more than 25 sanitization standards. They range from a single pass of zeros or random data to multi-pass schemes such as US DoD 5220.22-M, NIST 800-88 and the 35-pass Gutmann method. Each standard writes its own fixed sequence of patterns, and most finish with a read pass that checks what was written.
A User Defined method lets the operator set the number of passes and fill each pass with a custom pattern entered as text or hexadecimal values. The operator can also choose whether to verify and how much of the disk to check. When only one disk is selected, Active KillDisk can also limit the job to a chosen area of the disk instead of the whole surface.
After a final confirmation, each disk shows its own progress bar and time estimate. Users can stop jobs individually or all together. A Processing Summary then lists the result for each disk.
Resuming an interrupted erase
If an erase stops early, KillDisk flags the disk with an “Interrupted Erase” label at the next scan. The Resume Erase command continues from the point where the job stopped rather than starting over.
Wiping free space on a working volume
Disk Wipe is the gentler of the two main operations. It keeps the files that currently exist and overwrites only unused space: free clusters, unallocated areas outside partitions and the system records left behind by deleted files. Selecting a whole disk wipes its volumes one after another. Users can also choose individual partitions. Disk Wipe skips damaged volumes, unknown file systems and the running system volume.
SSD Secure Erase
For solid-state drives, KillDisk can send the ATA Secure Erase command, which makes the drive’s own controller purge all of its memory cells. Because the work happens inside the drive, there is no progress bar and no way to stop it. Drives that the BIOS has placed in a “frozen” state cannot be selected until they are unfrozen. This function is available only in the Linux-based packages and boot media, not in the Windows application.
Certificates, reports and labels
Every erase, wipe or Secure Erase can produce a printable certificate. It records the method and settings, start time and duration, and the disk’s name, serial number, size and partitioning scheme. It also records details of the machine that ran Active KillDisk and optional company and technician information. Certificates can carry a company logo and a barcode. Users can save them as PDF, protect them with a password and digitally sign them so that later changes can be detected.
The program also writes XML reports and CSV logs, can e-mail results and prints disk labels showing each drive’s final status.
Bootable media and hidden areas
To erase the system disk itself, the computer has to start from other media. The included Boot Disk Creator builds bootable CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, USB drives or ISO images. Depending on the license, the media can start a Windows-based environment, a Linux-based LiveCD or a text-mode console version of KillDisk. Users can add network shares, drivers and scripts to the media.
Some drives reserve areas known as HPA and DCO that the operating system does not normally see. KillDisk detects these hidden zones and can reset them so they are included in the erase.
Diagnostics and automation
Alongside erasing, Active KillDisk shows S.M.A.R.T. health data for connected drives. It also includes a Disk Viewer for inspecting raw sectors and searching data at a low level. For unattended work, the program accepts command-line parameters and can run in a batch mode that needs no user input.
Free and licensed editions
The freeware edition of Active KillDisk is meant for home use and erases up to two drives at a time on one machine. Paid Personal and Corporate licenses unlock the full version. The number of licenses sets how many disks users can erase in parallel. Site and Enterprise licenses remove that limit for one location or a whole organization. The Ultimate package combines the Windows and Linux applications with Windows, Linux and console boot disks.
