Contents > Common Questions


Chapter 4. COMMON QUESTIONS.

4.1. Which operating systems are supported by Active@ KillDisk?

Active@ KillDisk runs in the Microsoft DOS environment. As it can be installed easily onto a bootable floppy disk, it does not matter which operating system is installed on the machine hard drive. If you can boot in DOS mode from the boot diskette, you can detect and erase any drives independent of the installed Operating System.

4.2. How is the data erased?

Active@ KillDisk communicates with the system board Basic Input-Output Subsystem (BIOS) functions to access hardware directly. It uses Logical Block Addressing (LBA) access if necessary to clean FAT32 drives more than 8 Gb in size. To erase data it overwrites all addressable locations on the drive with zeros (FREE version).  Active@ KillDisk Professional version suggests several methods for data destruction. For example, in US DoD 5220.22-M method it overwrites all addressable storage and indexing locations on the drive three times: with zeros (0x00), complement (0xFF) and random characters; and then verifies all writing procedures. This complies with the US DoD 5220.22-M security standard.

4.3. What is the difference between the Site and Enterprise license?

Site License means an unlimited usage of the program in one location , Enterprise License - in any location.

4.4. What to do I do  if I cannot boot from floppy?

There are many possible reasons that you cannot boot from a floppy. Please consult this troubleshooting chart:

Table 4-3 Troubleshooting Floppy Disk Problems

Problem

Solution

Error message "bad command or file name"

You can use our KillDisk Bootable Floppy Creator to make a bootable floppy:

http://killdisk.dgeko.de/downloadfree.htm

To use KillDisk floppy creator you should save "killdiskfloppysetup.exe" file to HDD, execute it,
insert an empty floppy in the drive and follow the creator`s instructions.
Then you should execute "kd-setup.exe" and copy all the extracted flies to the current diskette. Make sure you have overwritten the file killdisk.exe with your own from the registered version.
Then re-boot your PC using current floppy.

Floppy disk is not bootable or damaged.

With the floppy in drive A:, verify whether or not system files (COMMAND.COM, etc.) are located on floppy. If the disk directory can be read and system files appear by name, the disk or some files on the disk may be damaged.
On a DOS or Windows PC, run SCANDISK.EXE to check for damaged areas on the disk surface. Alternately, prepare and test another bootable floppy disk (see documentation, beginning with Chapter 3).

Machine has boot priority for Hard Disk Drives, or another device set higher than for Floppy Drives.

Open the low-level setup screen, usually by pressing F1 on the keyboard during PC startup. These setup parameters build structure in the BIOS. Locate the section about Boot Device Priority, or similar. This section will allow you to set the search order for types of boot devices. When the screen opens, a list of boot devices will appear. Typical devices on this list will be Hard Drives, CD ROM drives, Floppy Drives and Network Boot option. If the floppy device has been disabled, enable it (provided you have a floppy disk installed).
The priority should indicate that the floppy device is the number one device the BIOS consults when searching for boot instructions. If Floppy Drives is at the top of the list, that is usually the indicator.

4.4. Will I be able to use my Hard Disk Drive after Active@ KillDisk erase operation?

To be able to use HDD again you need to:

  • repartition HDD using standard utility like FDISK

  • reformat partitions using standard utility like FORMAT

  • reinstall Operating System using bootable CD-ROM or floppy

 

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