cipher.exe ??

  • Thread starter Thread starter scoid
  • Start date Start date
S

scoid

Hi Folks,

I'm running XP Home. I want to use cipher.exe to overwrite the freespace on
my hard drive. This is what I've tried:


* Open "My Computer" from your desktop and note the desired drive letter
* OPTIONAL: Delete any files from that drive that are no longer needed.
* Click the Windows Start button and select "Run..."
* In the "Run dialog", type cmd and then press OK.
* A command prompt window will be opened.
* Type cipher /w:D:\ (You can substitute the desired drive letter for D)
* Press Enter and wait for the operation to complete.

Instead of getting this:

C:\Documents and Settings\JohnDoe>cipher /w:d:\
To remove as much data as possible, please close all other applications while
running CIPHER /W.
Writing 0x00
..................................................................................
....................
Writing 0xFF
..................................................................................
....................
Writing Random Numbers
..................................................................................
....................



I get:


" cipher is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable
program or batch file".


Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

James
 
From: "scoid" <[email protected]>

| Hi Folks,

| I'm running XP Home. I want to use cipher.exe to overwrite the freespace on
| my hard drive. This is what I've tried:


| * Open "My Computer" from your desktop and note the desired drive letter
| * OPTIONAL: Delete any files from that drive that are no longer needed.
| * Click the Windows Start button and select "Run..."
| * In the "Run dialog", type cmd and then press OK.
| * A command prompt window will be opened.
| * Type cipher /w:D:\ (You can substitute the desired drive letter for D)
| * Press Enter and wait for the operation to complete.

| Instead of getting this:

| C:\Documents and Settings\JohnDoe>cipher /w:d:\
| To remove as much data as possible, please close all other applications while
| running CIPHER /W.
| Writing 0x00
| ................................................................................
| ...................
| Writing 0xFF
| ................................................................................
| ...................
| Writing Random Numbers
| ................................................................................
| ...................



| I get:


| " cipher is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable
| program or batch file".


| Any ideas?

| Thanks in advance,

| James


Try the fully qualified name and path...

C:\WINDOWS\system32\cipher.exe
 
scoid said:
I'm running XP Home.
I want to use cipher.exe
Click to expand...

Those are mutually exclusive. You chose to get Windows XP *Home* which
means you chose to sacrifice features available in the Professional
version. You don't get EFS (encrypted file system) in the Home version.

There are tons of utilities some of which are free that can wipe the
free space in a partition. Killdisk is one of them (www.killdisk.com/).
Heidi Eraser is another (www.heidi.ie/node/6). I have Killdisk on a
bootable floppy and Eraser installed under Windows.
 
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