Security firm BluestSoft has introduced a handy tool to help IT staff securely wipe PC hard drives.

DiskDeleter USB 2.2.0 ships on and runs from a USB Flash drive, making it easier to decommission end-of-life systems, according to the vendor. The product offers secure wiping of hard drives using six delete methods, including zero write, random write, DoD 5220.22-M (US Department of Defense standard) and Nato Standard, and boasts a wipe speed of about 21 seconds per gigabyte.

DiskDeleter can be used in two ways: it can either be run as an application under Windows 2000, XP and Windows Server 2003; or it can be used as a boot device on non-Windows PCs or those using older versions of Windows.

The DiskDeleter USB drive is designed to be detected as a CD-ROM, and so will work with older systems that do not have firmware support to boot from USB storage, BluestSoft said.

DiskDeleter USB 2.2.0 is available now from the vendor’s web site, priced at $80 (£42).