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FAQ
Q: Is a single-pass zero fill sufficient? A: For modern HDDs, yes. NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1 confirms that a single overwrite pass is sufficient for sanitization of non-classified data on modern magnetic media. Multi-pass methods exist for legacy compliance requirements.
Q: Why can't I wipe my boot drive? A: DriveWipe refuses to wipe the drive the OS is running from as a safety measure. To wipe your boot drive, boot from a USB drive or another installation.
Q: Is software wipe effective on SSDs? A: Not reliably. Due to wear leveling, over-provisioning, and remapped sectors, software overwrite may miss data on SSDs. Use firmware erase methods (ATA Secure Erase, NVMe Format/Sanitize) for SSDs when they become available.
Q: Does it work on Windows? A: The code compiles on Windows, but I/O and drive enumeration are currently stubs. Full Windows support is planned for v0.3.0.
Q: Can I use firmware erase on macOS? A: Not yet — firmware methods are stubs on all platforms. When implemented, macOS support for ATA passthrough will be limited. We recommend using Linux for firmware erase operations.
Q: What PRNG is used for random patterns? A: AES-256-CTR mode, seeded from the OS CSPRNG, with hardware AES-NI acceleration when available.
Q: How does resume work?
A: State is saved to ~/.local/share/drivewipe/sessions/<uuid>.state every 10 seconds. On resume, the tool matches by device serial number (not path, which can change between boots) and continues from the last saved offset.
Q: Is the JSON report suitable for audit/compliance? A: Yes. It contains session UUID, device serial/model, method used, all pass details, verification result, timestamps, hostname, and operator name. The PDF report formats this as a formal "Data Sanitization Certificate."