CLI GUIDE (2026)

How to Automatically Wipe Drives

With this script, you can launch and monitor multiple disk wiping tasks simultaneously.

The core part of the script is the MultiDrive CLI command: mdcli.exe erase

Why automate disk erasure?

Picture this: 40 decommissioned laptops in a storage room, each needing its drive wiped before donation or resale. Doing it manually - opening the GUI app, selecting each drive, confirming - easily eats an entire day.

MultiDrive's CLI tool changes the equation. One script, one run, all disks erased in parallel while you focus on higher-value work.

This guide walks you through the erase command and shows how to wipe drives one by one - fully unattended. Use it when you need to:

Mass-wipe multiple drives attached to one machine
Run unattended wipes in a lab, ITAD, or refurbishment workflow
Reduce operator clicks and time spent on wiping

Verify your installation

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run the mdcli.exe from the MultiDrive folder. If you use MultiDrive installer instead of the portable version, the installation folder will be added to the PATH environment variable.

Alternatively, launch the MultiDrive app, click the menu icon in the top-right corner, and select Launch CLI.

Then list every disk the tool can see with the mdcli.exe list command.

Short IDs and the boot disk

The Short ID in the first column (d1, d2, d3…) is what every erase command uses. Write down the IDs of the disks you want to wipe before you run any script.

d1 is always your boot drive. MultiDrive protects it from being wiped, even if you mistakenly try to do so.

The erase Command: Full Reference

Enter mdcli erase -h to see the syntax of the MultiDrive disk erase utility:

The -y Flag

By default, MultiDrive asks for confirmation before any destructive operation. The -y flag (or --yes) suppresses all prompts - the tool answers yes automatically. This is what makes scripted, unattended wiping possible.

Warning: unattended erase

The -y flag bypasses all safety confirmations. Use it only in scripts that already validate the target disk ID.

Script: Wipe Drives in Parallel

The script below finds all drives using mdcli.exe, automatically detects and skips the boot disk, and wipes the others simultaneously.

MultiErase.ps1

param(
    [string[]]$DriveIds = @()
)

function Get-DriveInfo {
    $tempFile = [System.IO.Path]::GetTempFileName()
    Start-Process -FilePath "mdcli" -ArgumentList "list" -NoNewWindow -Wait -RedirectStandardOutput $tempFile
    $output = Get-Content $tempFile -Encoding UTF8
    Remove-Item $tempFile -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    $drives = @{}

    foreach ($line in $output) {
        if ($line -match '^\s+(d\d+)\s') {
            $id = $Matches[1]
            # Get full drive name
            $parts = $line.Trim() -split '\s{2,}'
            $name = if ($parts.Count -ge 2) { $parts[1] } else { "Unknown" }
            $drives[$id] = @{
                Name = $name
                Line = $line
            }
        }
    }

    return $drives
}

Write-Host "Retrieving drive list..."
$driveInfo = Get-DriveInfo

if ($driveInfo.Count -eq 0) {
    Write-Host "No drives found from 'mdcli list'."
    exit 1
}
if ($DriveIds.Count -eq 0) {
    $DriveIds = $driveInfo.Keys | Where-Object { $_ -ne "d1" } | Sort-Object
}

$DriveIds = $DriveIds | Where-Object { $_ -ne "d1" }
if ($DriveIds.Count -eq 0) {
    Write-Host "No drives to erase." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    exit 0
}

Write-Host "`nDrives to erase:" -ForegroundColor Cyan
foreach ($driveId in $DriveIds) {
    if ($driveInfo[$driveId]) {
        Write-Host $driveInfo[$driveId].Line
        if ($systemId) {
            Write-Host "       $systemId" -ForegroundColor Gray
        }
    } else {
        Write-Host "  $driveId : Unknown"
    }
}
Write-Host ""

Write-Host "WARNING: All data on the drives will be permanently erased" -ForegroundColor Yellow
$confirmation = Read-Host "Continue? (y/n)"
if ($confirmation -ne 'y' -and $confirmation -ne 'Y') {
    Write-Host "Operation cancelled."
    exit 0
}
Write-Host ""

$processes = @{}
foreach ($driveId in $DriveIds) {
    $name = if ($driveInfo[$driveId]) { $driveInfo[$driveId].Name } else { "Unknown" }
    $proc = Start-Process -FilePath "cmd" `
    -ArgumentList "/c", "title Erase $driveId - $name && mdcli erase $driveId -y && pause" `
        -PassThru
    $processes[$driveId] = $proc
}

Write-Host "Started $($DriveIds.Count) erase tasks." -ForegroundColor Cyan
Write-Host "Each drive is processed in a separate window.`n" -ForegroundColor Gray

while ($processes.Values | Where-Object { -not $_.HasExited }) {
    $runningIds = @($processes.GetEnumerator() | Where-Object { -not $_.Value.HasExited } | ForEach-Object { $_.Key })
    $completedIds = @($processes.GetEnumerator() | Where-Object { $_.Value.HasExited } | ForEach-Object { $_.Key })
    $runningStr = ($runningIds | ForEach-Object {
        $name = if ($driveInfo[$_]) { $driveInfo[$_].Name } else { "Unknown" }
        "$_ ($name)"
    }) -join ', '

    $completedStr = ($completedIds | ForEach-Object {
        $name = if ($driveInfo[$_]) { $driveInfo[$_].Name } else { "Unknown" }
        "$_ ($name)"
    }) -join ', '

    Write-Host "`r[$(Get-Date -Format 'HH:mm:ss')] " -NoNewline
    Write-Host "Running: " -NoNewline -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Write-Host "$runningStr " -NoNewline
    Write-Host "| Done: " -NoNewline -ForegroundColor Green
    Write-Host "$completedStr   " -NoNewline

    Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
}

Write-Host "`n`n=== Results ===" -ForegroundColor Cyan
foreach ($driveId in $DriveIds) {
    $name = if ($driveInfo[$driveId]) { $driveInfo[$driveId].Name } else { "Unknown" }
    $exitCode = $processes[$driveId].ExitCode
    if ($exitCode -eq 0) {
        Write-Host "  $driveId ($name) : Completed" -ForegroundColor Green
    } else {
        if ($exitCode -eq 1) {
            Write-Host "  $driveId ($name) : Paused" -ForegroundColor Yellow
        }
        else {
            Write-Host "  $driveId ($name) : Failed with code 0x$($exitCode.ToString('X'))" -ForegroundColor Red
        }
    }
}

How the script works

The script erases all disks except for the boot drive (d1).

You can also manually pass a list of drives via the $DriveIds argument. Use commas to separate disk short IDs. The short IDs are shown in the output of mdcli list. Example: .\MultiErase.ps1 d3,d4

The algorithm of the script is:

The script auto-detects all disks using the mdcli list command.
Then it skips the boot disk d1 automatically, lists all selected disks, and asks for your confirmation.
- To remove the confirmation, delete the script block that begins with:
  Write-Host "WARNING: All data on the drives will be permanently erased" -ForegroundColor Yellow
It launches multiple mdcli erase tasks as separate processes and monitors all of them.
When all tasks are done, the script reports one of three statuses:
- Completed
- Paused
- Failed with code (in HEX)

Paused disk wiping

You might ask, "How can I get the Paused state?"

All tasks—erase, backup, clone, and restore—support pause and continue functions.

You can pause an active wipe at any time by pressing the space bar key. MultiDrive will pause the current task and wait for your confirmation.

To resume, select the same disk ID in your script. The wipe will resume from where it paused. This is useful when you need to free up the machine temporarily without losing progress on a long wipe.