How To Wipe A Secondary Hard Drive Windows 10

Table of Contents

Overview on wiping a hard bulldoze

It's common to most users to sell or requite away estimator or hard bulldoze when they want to dispose of erstwhile device or upgrade to new ones. You may take already formatted the difficult drive or deleted files on it in order to erase sensitive personal information and avert becoming the victim of identity theft.

Nonetheless, the fact is that wiping out a hard bulldoze is not as easy as deleting data or formatting hard disk. Simply deleting files past Shift + Delete or elimination the Recycle Bin does non permanently articulate data, every bit deleted files can easily exist recovered by recovery software. Formatting a hard drive does non completely erase data either. Though operating organization cannot see deleted or formatted information and the drive looks empty, boilerplate users are able to get dorsum lost data easily with the help of difficult bulldoze recovery software.

If you view tech forums or comminutes online, you can see lots of users looking for an piece of cake fashion to clean storage devices, and here is 1 of them:

"What is the best style to clean the hard drive of my laptop? I'k going to selling it to someone but want to ensure all personal files are deeply erased. What I want to practise is cleaning hard drive completely and reinstalling Windows 7 (its configurations does not suitable for Windows 10). Everything on the hd has been backed upwardly to my external hard drive, I'g hoping one of y'all hither tin tell me how to clearing PC step past step? I know how to install Windows from CD merely have no thought how to safely wipe hard disk. Many thanks!"

Why deleting and formatting is non the aforementioned every bit erasing hard bulldoze?

Are you i of those who hold the view that deleting a file is similar to erase information technology? If yes, you should take a fresh expect at this issue. We'll explicate reasons in an easier fashion.

Hard drive is a kind of storage devices which is used to shop digital data. Files are stored on the surface of magnetic and rotating platters in hard deejay case. Hard disk changes the magnetic holding of platter surface to i or 0 when reading or writing data. Thus all data on hard drive will be finally stored in the form of bones binary information, for example, when system saves information like photos, music, etc. on hard bulldoze, rows of zeros and ones are recorded on platters.

When a file is deleted, those ones and zeros of that files stays unaffected, for only a pointer indicating the file is existence deleted. Therefore, the recovering deleted files is bachelor before file information gets overwritten or damaged. What about deejay formatting? Formatting works in a similar way, as it does not actually wipe data. Formatting disk or partition looks like tearing the contents of a volume without disturbing actual capacity of the book. Recovery software is as well able to think lost files from formatted disk.

How does hard disk wiping works?

You may wonder how disk wiping works since deletion and formatting does not work on permanently clean hard drive. Autonomously from physical damage to hard drive, nosotros tin can completely remove data with disk wiping technology.

Every bit nosotros've mentioned above, to completely erase disk, we should remove those binary data, which means overwriting those zeros and ones with new data. One time binary data of a file is replaced and overwritten by new information, information technology cannot be recovered any more. Some professional disk eraser software is able to filling upward deejay with zeros or random information sector past sector, ensuring no data can exist recovered from a wiped disk.

What to do before wiping a difficult drive?

Some preparatory work should be done before wiping computer difficult drive in order to make certain the deejay wiping tin can be completed without break or causing extra issues.

• Download and install difficult drive wipe software. If you plan to clean hard deejay on your own, a disk wipe tool is necessary. You lot should select one easy-to-use and effective tool for the task. If you lot want to wipe the entire computer, you should brand sure the software can work on bootable drive.
• Ensure battery is full. If you want to wipe a laptop, y'all should make sure the bombardment is well charged or continued to ability. If power goes out during deejay clearing, it might spell disaster to the drive.
• Backup your data to a different hard disk. When you wipe your calculator, everything on it will be lost, thus you should back upwards whatsoever files y'all want to proceed to another difficult drive. You lot can clone difficult bulldoze or just re-create & paste files to that disk.
• Remember to save software serial numbers. Those applications you bought volition be lost after wiping your PC, and you demand to reinstall them to new hard bulldoze. Do not forget to record each program'due south series number so that yous can activate them after reinstallation.
• Download drivers. If you are going to reinstall operating arrangement after difficult bulldoze is completely wiped, you may need to download necessary drivers for new system. Y'all can get to official web site of the device and download the latest drivers.
• Ready a bootable disk. If you are wiping computer's main hard disk drive, you'll take to acquit out the task without booting organization, such equally under WinPE. In that case, a bootable USB drive or CD is needed.

Once everything gets ready, you can showtime erasing computer hard drive or external disks. The rest part of this educational activity volition show you how to wipe a hard drive, external deejay, SD carte du jour or flash drive via dissimilar ways.

Method #1: Completely wipe calculator by resetting your PC

This method wipes computer by using the reset feature in Windows 8.one or 10 during reinstalling operating system, which has an choice to remove everything on hard drive. This section takes Windows 10 as example to explain how to wipe figurer completely. If your computer is running an older version of Windows, you can endeavor steps in Method 2 to erase hard disk. Here are steps to wipe a hard drive in Windows 10:

Step 1. Click "Start" bill of fare and select "Settings" option. On Windows Settings pane click "Update & Security" selection.

Step ii. Click "Recovery" selection on the left navigation options and then click "Get Started" button under "Reset this PC" department.

Step 3. Select "Remove everything" pick. This will remove all of your personal files, apps, and settings and start over.

Pace four. Select "Remove files and clean the drive" when you are asked to whether to clean the drives as well. The cleaning procedure may accept longer time but information technology makes certain no one can recover erased files.

Pace five. Click "Next" and "Reset" button on following steps to consummate the chore.

Method #ii: Wipe difficult bulldoze using free difficult bulldoze eraser software

The secure fashion to erase information for good is overwriting information and refill hard disk drive using zeros or random data, so that nobody can recover wiped data with disk recovery software. Sounds complex? Actually, nowadays cleaning hard disk drive is not a complicated piece of work, and you can easily and deeply erase disk using disk wipe software.

Free hard drive wipe software - DiskGenius Free Edition

DiskGenius is gratuitous software for permanently data wiping. With this hd eraser, you can wipe all information on by filling disk sector by sector, making files unrecoverable. Besides, it is a free partition manager program which is able to resize, format, clone or backup partition, check &repair bad sectors, backup information, etc. Here are features of disk wiping function:

• Completely erase data on an entire difficult drive or partitioning
• Permanently delete sure existing files then that they cannot be recovered.
• Safely wipe deleted data without affecting existing files.
• Supports creating bootable USB bulldoze so that y'all can use the software when computer fails to kicking.
• Supports all popular file systems such every bit NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, FAT12, exFAT, Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, etc.
• It works with various storage media for instance hard bulldoze, external HDD, SSD, USB flash bulldoze, SD menu, virtual disk, etc.
• Portable version is available, both 32 bit and 64 chip.

ô  Free Download

The following content introduces how to erase data in difference situations, and you can choose which to use in line with bodily demands, for instance, you want to clear an SD card or other removable devices, Example 1 is the proper solution; if you lot desire to wipe computer, and so go to Case 2.

Example #i: Safely erase secondary HDD / external hard bulldoze / SD card / USB flash drive in Windows x/8/vii

By way of the free disk erasure DiskGenius Free Edition, you tin can completely wipe hard drives and removable drives via rewriting sectors to 00 or random characters. Thus, files on the hard drive cannot be recovered by any method, ensuring privacy. Follow steps below to wipe your hard drive or USB drives in Windows 10/8/7.

Pace 1. Connect the removable device to your computer and make sure information technology tin exist recognized past Windows.

Step 2. Install and run DiskGenius from your PC and y'all tin run across all local disks and portable devices on the main interface.

Pace 3. Select the external hard drive or SD carte y'all want to erase information, and select "Erase Sectors" option under Tools menu.

Step 4. Select items to make full deejay sectors and click Erase button on the popped-up window.

There are iv options to fill disk sectors in the drop-down list, i.east. Random Information, 00, FF and User Specify. You lot tin either choose one from "00, FF and Random Data", or specify item to make full deejay.

Step 5. DiskGenius asks confirmation for the action, click Erase push button to keep.

Since the process wipes data permanently, you should make certain you lot are erasing correcting disk and important files have been backed up.

Stride 6. The disk eraser starts wiping data on selected drive and the process may take long time if the disk has very large capacity.

Case #ii: How to wipe computer organization hard bulldoze?

In this example, you lot tin can acquire how to wipe a computer'due south primary hard drive where Windows is installed. Operating system does not allow to erase system while it is running, and we can only wipe not-system partitions. In this situation, we tin can erase the hd in Pre-Os environment, for example Windows PE.

DiskGenius is able to reboot to its WinPE version straight from Windows as well as creating bootable USB disk with which y'all can boot computer and run the WinPE version. If you desire to create a bootable WinPE USB stick, y'all can insert your USB flash drive and click Tools carte du jour and select "Create WinPE bootable USB bulldoze of DiskGenius". The following steps show how to reboot computer to WinPE version directly and then erase system disk.

Footstep 1. Launch the free disk wipe tool DiskGenius from your Windows estimator.

Step two. Click bill of fare "File" and choose "Reboot to DiskGenius WinPE version" choice.

Pace three. It takes about two minutes to create booting data for Windows PE, delight wait it to complete with patience.

Step 4. One time the application is gear up to reboot, it prompts to restart and backup information. Click "OK" push and calculator reboots.

Then the DiskGenius WinPE version is launched, which contains aforementioned features with the Windows version.

Stride 5. Select computer's system hard drive where Windows is installed and click "Erase Sectors" pick which can exist establish nether Tools menu.

Pace vi. Click Erase push and the software starts wiping the deejay.

Annotation: Once the process finishes, the estimator cannot boot to system, equally system partition have been erased. You need to brand a make clean system installation on the hard disk.

Case #3: Wipe a single file or folder on hard bulldoze

Erasing an entire hard bulldoze takes as well much time, and you lot don't have to do that if you just want to erase certain existing files on the disk. On account that deleting files by elimination Recycle Bin does non wipe data complete, we should do actress operation to brand files unrecoverable. Files deleted in this way cannot exist recovered by any recovery software or professionals. Let'southward have a close look at how to wipe files and folders:

Step 1. Launch DiskGenius again, and locate files you desire to permanently delete. Select those files and right-click them to choose "Delete Files Permanently".

Footstep 2. Click "Permanently Delete" button on the popped-up window.

In gild to completely delete the file, the awarding will refill hard drive sectors taken by the file during deletion. By default, information technology overwrites data by filling zeros which can be modified to random data as well. As well, you should select "Delete Directory Entry" option on Fatty partition (and the option will exist "Delete File Record in $MFT" on NTFS partition).

Step iii. Click "Delete" button to confirm the action to be done.

When selected files get deleted, you tin continue to delete other data on your estimator.

Case #4: Erase deleted files only without affecting existing data

Erasing free infinite on hard drive overwrites lost files, which does not disturb existing files on the disk. This solution applies to those who but desire to overwrite lost files merely in order to make lost data unrecoverable. For instance, you've formatted difficult drive and reinstalled operating system, what y'all need to practise is erasing all disk area except organisation; or you've deleted sensitive using Shift + Delete, and want to brand certain they are no longer recoverable without affecting existing information.

Step ane. Start Eassos DiskGenius, click "Tools" bill of fare and select "Erase Gratuitous Space" item.

This function permanently erases unused free disk space, preventing information from being recovered.

Stride two. Select partition / disk for which you want to erase gratis infinite and click "OK" button.

Step 3. Select characters to overwrite disk infinite and click "Erase" button.

Step four. The application starts cleaning unused deejay space, which takes long time if free space is very larger.

Method #3: Clean PC hard drive past physically destroying information technology

Physically destroying a hard drive is also a solution to ensure data is forever unrecoverable. If you are not going to reuse or recycle your hard drive, y'all can effort this solution to clean information.

Pace 1. Use a screwdriver to remove all screws on the hard drive case. Then you'll be able to remove enclosure and the main circuit board.

Step 2. Remove platters and heads out of hard bulldoze enclosure, and use a hammer to striking platters. So repeatedly strike other components.

Footstep 3. Box up all components and throw them to garbage can.

Conclusion

This article talks about three methods regarding how to wipe a hard drive, SD card or removable deejay, helping to brand sure sensitive information can be erased safely and completely. Files erased by these methods are no longer available for data recovery, thus please make certain important files have been backed upward to somewhere else before erasing any storage media. If you lot feel this commodity useful, please share information technology to help more people. If you have better solutions or whatever questions almost this topic, feel free to contact us please.

Source: https://www.diskgenius.com/how-to/how-to-completely-wipe-a-hard-drive.php

Posted by: terrytherend.blogspot.com

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