How To Completely Wipe Your Hard Drive? 7 Possible Ways

If you’re seeking to promote your working pc, simply deleting the information or performing a fast format on the laborious drive isn’t sufficient. This is as a result of the information will not be truly erased and could be recoverable using specialised software program. It means the client can probably achieve entry to your earlier information.

Fortunately, there are other ways to fully wipe a tough drive, which completely erases the information. This method, your knowledge turns into unrecoverable or a minimum of makes it troublesome to get well.

Before You Begin

First, let’s start by understanding a couple of technical phrases—delete, erase, wipe, and shred. The phrases may seem synonymous, however they’re totally different ideas when speaking about laborious drives.

• Deleting: It refers to quickly hiding the objects. This means it’s by no means troublesome to get them back. A typical instance is recovering deleted information from Windows Recycle Bin.
• Erasing: It refers to completely deleting all the information from the drive. However, it’s nonetheless doable to get well knowledge using superior recovery instruments.
• Wiping and shredding: It means erasing knowledge such that they change into unrecoverable. The former works by overwriting each sector of the HDD with zeros or random bits, whereas the latter refers back to the bodily destruction of the drive.

With that, let me information you thru each doable method of wiping the information guaranteeing the minimal risk of knowledge recovery.

Full Format Your Hard Drive

Before shifting on with the required steps, it’s essential know that two choices can be found right here—Full and Quick format. Usually, most of us depend on the latter methodology believing it removes all of the information and folders in a a lot shorter time. 

However, it is a fable as regular formatting solely deletes the handle information that time to the precise knowledge location (which means knowledge will not be erased). Clearly, this won’t wipe the laborious drive fully as you’ll be able to get well the objects using acceptable software program.

On the opposite hand, full format erases the handle information and fixes the dangerous sectors. Most importantly, it wipes all the information by rewriting each sector with zeros making it unrecoverable using regular strategies (however nonetheless doable when superior software program is used).

1. Use Windows + X and choose Disk Management from the listing.
2. Get to the goal disk and right-click on every partition and choose Format. If you solely have one partition, you might merely format that one.
   
3. In the Format dialogue field, ensure that the ‘Perform a quick format’ possibility is unchecked earlier than hitting Ok.
   
4. Press Ok within the affirmation immediate to begin the complete format. You may even examine the Status subject to look at the progress.
   
5. Once all of the drives are formatted, right-click on every partition once more. This time, select Delete Volume.
   
6. Click on the Yes button to substantiate your motion.
   
7. You ought to now be left with a single unallocated partition. Right-click on it and choose New Simple Volume.
   
8. In the New Simple Volume Wizard, hit Next to proceed.
   
9. Specify the quantity measurement and press Next.
   
10. Assign the drive letter and click on Next.
    
11. Again, ensure that the ‘Perform a quick format’ possibility is unchecked and hit Next.
    
12. Press Finish and your wiped laborious drive ought to now be prepared to make use of.
    

Using Diskpart Utility

This command-line disk partitioning utility offers you total management of your storage drive with easy and easy-to-use instructions. While we needed to format and delete every partition of the HDD one after the other within the earlier methodology, the Diskpart command will carry out all these duties in a single line.

Note that two choices can be found to erase the information and partitions—clear and clear all. While the previous erases the partitions and knowledge, the latter wipes out the whole lot from the drive, guaranteeing every sector on the disk is zeroed.

1. Open Command Prompt and execute the diskpart command.
   
2. Press Yes within the UAC immediate to launch the Diskpart command-line utility.
   
3. Now, begin working the beneath Diskpart instructions in succession:
   listing disk [lists all the drives in your computer]
   choose disk <disk_number> [specifies to select the disk as per its number]
   clear all [wipes all the data inside the disk drive including the partitions]
   create partition main [creates a primary partition on the current disk]
   format fs=ntfs [formats the partition into NTFS]
   convert MBR or convert GPT [optional]
   assign [a letter will be automatically assigned]
   exit [exits from the Diskpart CLI]
   

Factory Reset With Clean Drive

If you’re seeking to give away your PC, manufacturing facility resetting is a should. But only a few are conscious of the suitable process. Most stay unaware of the hidden “Clean Drive” characteristic.

If you don’t allow it in the course of the resetting course of, your knowledge will solely be deleted however not wiped. I undoubtedly suggest it as Microsoft additionally confirms that this makes knowledge recovery tougher.

1. Open the Settings app using Windows + I shortcut.
2. Next, go to System > Recovery.
   
3. From the Recovery Options part, press the Reset PC possibility.
   
4. Once the Reset PC window opens, choose Remove Everything.
   
5. Next, choose Local Reinstall.
   
6. In the Additional Settings window, click on on Change Settings.
   
7. Enable the Clean knowledge possibility. As it states, this may take hours to finish the Windows set up. But it makes certain your knowledge turns into laborious to get well, which is strictly what we’re in search of.
   
8. Once that’s achieved, hit the Confirm button.
9. Then, press Next.
   
10. Finally, hit the Reset button and this may begin the manufacturing facility resetting course of.
    

Using Windows Installation Media

If you’re seeking to wipe out the drive containing dwell Windows, it’s not doable to totally format or clear it using the aforementioned strategies.

The solely option to obtain that is by making a Windows Installation Media (a bootable USB flash drive will do) and clear putting in the working system.

1. Boot your pc using a Windows Installation Media.
2. In the Windows Setup display screen, choose your language, time, forex format, and enter methodology. Then, hit Next.
   
3. In the following display screen, press the Install Now button.
   
4. After the setup begins, you need to get a display screen to activate Windows. Enter your product key and press Next.|
   
5. Next, choose the OS you’re going to put in and click on Next.
   
6. Accept the license phrases and click on Next.
   
7. Now, right here comes the necessary step. In the Installation Type, ensure you select the customized possibility.
   
8. Now, begin formatting all of the partitions.
   
9. Then, delete all the partitions.
   
10. Once solely the drive with unallocated house stays, click on on New.
    
11. Then, enter the dimensions and hit Apply.
    
12. Once the affirmation immediate pops up, press Ok to proceed.
    
13. After Windows assigns further partitions, they need to pop up on the display screen. Press Next to maneuver ahead. While you’re at this, make sure you’ve picked the first partition.
    
14. Finally, watch for the Windows set up to finish.
    

Using Third-Party Hard Drive Wiping App

All the choices we explored above zero fill the laborious drive making it troublesome to get well previous knowledge. However, there are specialised functions that work by overwriting current knowledge with random bits a number of occasions making it unattainable to retrieve them.

These are referred to as knowledge destruction or knowledge sanitization software program. Here are some fashionable ones to check out—DBAN, KillDisk, Secure Eraser, Disk Wipe, Hardwipe, and many others. For a few of these data-wiping instruments, you require making a bootable USB.

Secure Erase in Manufacturer Software

Whether you’re using an HDD or SSD, your producer offers a devoted software that permits you to erase knowledge far more conveniently. The Secure Erase possibility is primarily for SSDs because it has restricted write cycles, and the overwriting approach can be a foul thought.

Since the standard method will hamper its lifespan, it’s higher to make use of the Secure Erase characteristic supplied by your producer. All it’s a must to do is obtain the app from the official web site (if you happen to haven’t already).

For instance, Samsung presents its customers with Samsung Magician program. Likewise, Western Digital’s Dashboard lets you erase the drive using Sanitize or User Erase. However, if you happen to’re making an attempt to wipe the boot drive, you require a bootable USB drive.

Physically Destroy the Drive

Even although all of the choices I’ve talked about above are nice methods to wipe the laborious drive, knowledge recovery can nonetheless be doable using refined knowledge recovery algorithms. Since wiping isn’t 100% correct, the ultimate possibility can be bodily destroying the drive.

Well, there are totally different strategies to attain this. Some customers have tried exposing the magnetic platters to highly effective magnets, warmth, and even water immersion! However, you’ll be able to’t be 100% certain this methodology will wipe the information. Additionally, you would need to give additional effort, which could possibly be time-consuming.

That being stated, the most suitable choice can be fully destroying the platters using a hammer. Once you shred the HDD into items, getting the information back turns into unattainable.

However, the bodily destruction of the mechanical drive will not be the very best method and ought to all the time be your closing alternative (solely once you’re not going to make use of the HDD once more).