- How To Erase A Hard Drive Magnet
- How To Erase A Hard Drive Pc
- How To Erase A Hard Drive Mac
- How To Erase A Hard Drive
- How To Erase A Hard Drive Windows 7
Summary :
- How to format a hard drive, SSD, or USB flash drive. How to make sure all data is erased on a computer hard drive. Why am I unable to restore my computer using restore disc? Erasing the hard drive and reinstalling Windows. To erase your hard drive and reinstall Windows, follow the steps below for your version of Windows.
- Please note that this article describes our investigation about using magnets to completely erase data on a hard drive. It completely ignores the question of whether a strong magnet can DAMAGE a hard drive. These strong magnets certainly can damage a hard drive if brought close enough. Keep neodymium magnets away from good hard drives!
This post lists top 10 free hard drive data wipe software for Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP. If you want to completely erase all data on hard disk, SSD, external hard drive, USB, etc. on Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP PC, so as to prevent private data from leaking, you can check the tutorial below.
This post lists top 10 free hard drive data wipe software for Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP. If you want to completely erase all data on hard disk, SSD, external hard drive, USB, etc. On Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP PC, so as to prevent private data from leaking, you can check the tutorial below.
Securely erase a mechanical hard drive with DBAN. Download DBAN—a time-tested option for erasing HDDs that's loved by geeks around the world despite the fact that it hasn't been updated in years. Highlight the drive you want to erase and press space. This will insert the word “wipe” in the selection box. This will insert the word “wipe” in the selection box. If you have more than one listed, I would suggest turning the computer off, then removing any external hard drives or flash drives you have attached.
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Brief Introduction of Data Wiping and Deleting
Deleting all the data on your hard drive doesn’t mean the data is no longer existed. They are still located on the hard drive. Adobe pdf reader for java phone. It just deletes the reference of the data in the allocation table and you can’t find it.
By using some data recovery software, you can recover the deleted data and files. Even if you overwrite some new data to the hard drive, some data may still be able to be recovered if the new data doesn’t occupy the entire cluster space of the old data. Some data may be retrievable from slack space.
If you want to completely wipe hard drive and make the data gone forever and unrecoverable, you can use the hard drive wipe software to remove the data on hard disk permanently.
There are some circumstances you may seek for a piece of free hard drive wipe software. For instance, if you’d like to change a new computer and sell the old one, you may think of completely wiping the whole hard drive of the old computer in case your personal data are wrongly used by other people. Still, before you dispose your old external hard drives or USB flash drives, you may also recur to free hard drive eraser software to erase data on them.
This post lists top 10 hard drive data wiping software for Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP to let you wipe PC hard disk drive, SSD, external hard drive, USB, etc. Therefore, you can keep your privacy safe.
Top 10 Hard Drive/Disk Data Wipe/Erase Software for Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP
#1 MiniTool Partition Wizard
MiniTool Partition Wizard is an all-in-one disk partition manager. It combines many powerful functions into one tool, e.g. wipe disk/partition/volume, create/resize/extend/format drive partition, recover data/partition, clone disk, migrate OS to SSD/HD, convert disk, and more.
It allows you to manage your computer hard disk (basic or dynamic), SSD, external hard drive, USB flash drive, thumb drive, SD card, hardware RAID, etc. from every aspect.
You can utilize this free hard drive wipe software for Windows 10/8/7 to completely erase all data on PC hard drive, external hard drive, USB, etc. just in a few clicks. Check the 4 simple steps below.
How to completely wipe hard drive/disk data in Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP PC
Firstly, download and install this 100% clean and free disk wipe software – MiniTool Partition Wizard – on Windows 10/8/7, etc.
Step 1. Launch the free disk wipe software
You can double click MiniTool Partition Wizard icon on computer screen to run this program. Adobe premiere movie editor free download. And this software will auto load all drives in your computer.
Step 2. Choose Wipe Disk option
Click the target disk which needs data wiping, and click Clean Disk – Wipe Disk from the left action panel. Or you can right-click the target disk and choose Wipe Disk.
How To Erase A Hard Drive Magnet
Step 3. Select hard drive wiping method
In the popup window, this free hard drive wipe software offers 5 kinds of disk erasing methods. You can choose one based on your own need. The longer time it takes, the hard drive data will be cleaned more thoroughly.
Step 4. Start wiping all data from PC drive
You can now preview this disk, it becomes all unallocated now. At last, you should hit Apply button on the top-left of this program to carry out the pending operations.
This hard drive data eraser software will start to wipe all data from Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP hard drive now. And the wiped data cannot be recovered by any data recovery programs any more. Your private data is safe.
Tip: If you want to wipe the computer internal hard disk which contains operating system, it’s suggested that you take out the hard disk and encase it into an external hard drive enclosure, then connect it to another computer and use MiniTool Partition Wizard Free to wipe the PC drive.
How to wipe external hard drive, USB drive permanently in Windows (10)
Step 1. Connect the external hard drive, USB flash drive or SD card to your Windows (10) computer. And launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.
If you don’t find the target external drive you want to erase data from, you can click General > Reload Disk to check again. (Related: External Hard Drive Not Showing Up Fixed)
Step 2. Select the connected external drive and click Wipe Disk option.
Then follow the same 3, 4 step above to completely erase external hard drives in Windows 10/8/7.
Tip: If you only want it to wipe hard drive, then the free version is enough. The free version also provides some other feasible features. If you have many other demands to manage the drives, then you may try the Pro, Pro Ultimate, Server, Enterprise or Technician versions or MiniTool Partition Wizard (Compare Editions). The Pro version will cost you US$39, and Pro Ultimate version costs US$99, and you will have a lifetime upgrade license and enjoy all powerful functions of this program.
Key features of MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate:
- Wipe computer/external drive: Support advanced data wiping algorithms. You can use it to wipe whole disk, or wipe separate partitions. It supports all popular file systems.
- Data recovery: Recover selected data or files from local drive, externa hard drive, USB, SD card, lost partition, unallocated space, etc.
- Manage basic disk: Migrate OS to new HD or SSD, recover lost partition, delete all partitions, copy/clone disk drives, rebuild MBR, disk surface test, etc.
- Manage dynamic disk: Wipe/format/create/delete/resize/move/copy volume, change volume cluster size, letter, label, etc.
- Convert hard disk: Convert GPT disk to MBR disk, convert FAT to NTFS or in reverse, convert dynamic disk to basic disk, initialize to MBR/GPT disk, etc.
- Manage hard drive partition: Wipe/format/resize/extend/create/delete/merge/split/move partition, change drive letter, partition label, cluster size, serial number, type ID, etc.
- Bootable media builder: You can create bootable media with it and use the bootable version to wipe hard drive data without losing operating system. And fix computer unbootable issue.
- Space analyzer: Scan and analyze hard disk space and freely delete space-consuming files or folders.
- Disk benchmark:Test hard drive read and write speed and its performance.
#2 DBAN
Another popular free and open source hard drive data wipe software is DBAN. Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) is designed for completely wiping the entire drive permanently. You can choose different wiping ways to erase data from various kinds of drives in Window 10/8/7. It also supports several advanced algorithms like DoD 5220.22-M, random data.
However, you need to burn the ISO image of this software to a USB or DVD/CD with a DVD burning software, and then run it from external hard drive when restarting Windows.
#3 Disk Wipe
How to install macos high sierra. Disk Wipe is also a top data removal tool. Unlike MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate or DBAN which allows you to create a bootable CD/DVD, so that you can use them to wipe personal hard drive data without operating system.
How To Erase A Hard Drive Pc
Disk Wipe is a windows app, so you can only run this tool in the existing Windows operating system. You cannot use it to wipe hard drive which runs the current operating system. But you can use it to erase internal drive or SSD, external hard drives.
#4 KillDisk
It is also a top free hard drive wipe tool for Window 10/8/7. It has free version and advanced version. Its free version only has one type of hard drive erasing solution, namely, erase hard drive with one pass zeros. If you want to try other ways to wipe hard drive, you need to pay for the professional version.
#5 CCleaner
This cool Windows (10) PC wipe tool also allows you to wipe computer or external drives. You can use it to wipe data from free space on hard drive or wipe the entire drive. Advanced version also needs to pay.
#6 PCDiskEraser
This free disk wiping software enables you to permanently erase all data in the hard drive. It also uses some professional data erasing standards like U.S. Department of Defense 5220.22. The downside of this tool is that it is also downloaded as an ISO file, and you need to burn it to a disk or USB before you can use it.
#7 CBL Data Shredder
You can either use this hard drive wipe freeware in Windows 10/8/7 to wipe external hard drive clean, or boot from it via USB or CD/DVD to erase computer hard drive with OS.
Aside from the provided data sanitization methods, you are also allowed to create custom erasure method.
#8 Eraser
This free hard drive data destruction software provides 10 popular data erasure solutions for your choice.
This handy tool also only runs within Windows, so you can’t use it to wipe computer hard drive which runs the OS. It is compatible with Windows XP-10.
#9 Super File Shredder
This free disk wipe software enables you to drag and drop the hard drive into the program, and then choose one data wiping way to completely destruct the data. This file shredding tool supports traditional hard drives, solid state drives, and can work on Windows 10/8/7.
#10 WipeDisk
This hard drive erasure software offers you several data wipe solutions: DoD 5220.22-M, Gutmann, Random Data, Write Zero, etc. You can freely choose to wipe data from free space or all files in the hard drive with this top file eraser. Windows 10 is supported.
Other Free Ways to Wipe Windows 10/8/7 PC Hard Drive
Some of you may think of using Windows own free disk manager Diskpart Utility, Disk Manager to try to erase the entire hard drive.
You can open Windows Disk Manager by pressing Windows and R keys on the keyboard at the same time, and then input diskmgmt.msc. In the Disk Manager window, right-click the disk you’d like to wipe clean and click Format. You can also use Windows Diskpart tool to clean all data on selected hard drive.
However, formatting or cleaning up disk doesn’t mean wiping data for good. You can check below the differences between formatting and wiping a hard drive.
What’s the Difference between Formatting and Wiping a Hard Drive?
The first and most importance difference of formatting and wiping a hard drive is: the data in the formatted hard drive can be recovered with some file recovery software, while data in the erased hard drive can’t be restored.
Disk formatting:
Formatting a hard drive is the process of initializing the hard drive, SSD, USB drive. The formatting process often include: low-level formatting (basic medium preparation), partitioning (make the storage device visible to OS), and high-level formatting (generate a new file system). Formatting a drive generally leaves all data on the disk, and you can use some data recovery tools to get the data back if the drive is not overwritten. If you want to avoid the recovery of your private sensitive data, you can use one of top 10 free hard drive data wipe software to permanently erase the data.
Disk wipe:
Also known as data erasure or data sanitization technique. It is the real permanent data removal process and it’s impossible to retrieve data from a wiped disk. Data wiping aims to completely destroy all data from the hard drive or other storage devices. It uses zeros and ones to overwrite data to fill into all hard disk sectors. Through this overwriting, the old data on the hard drive is unrecoverable any more. Most of the hard drive wiping software listed above allows you to select a specific wiping standard based on your own needs, and lets you remove all data from the device.
How to Destroy a Hard Drive
If you think the completely hard drive data wiping is not enough, and you still worry about your privacy, then you may turn to the last draw: destroy the old hard drive permanently with professional hard drive destruction tools before disposing it.
You may try these hard drive destroy solutions: destroy the magnetic platter inside, use screwdriver to remove and destroy most parts of the hard disk, or use a hammer to totally destroy the hard drive.
How to Clean Hard Drive with Best Free Hard Drive Cleaner
If your hard drive is running out of space, and you only want to free up some space, then wiping the hard drive is not your choice.
A professional hard drive space analyzer and cleaner would help. MiniTool Partition Wizard new function – Space Analyzer – helps you easily scan the disk or specific partition to figure out which files occupy most space and allows you to directly delete unneeded large files. You can also use it to easily extend the C drive.
Check the related guides:
How to Recover Data from Hard Disk, External Hard Drive, USB, etc.
Once you wipe the hard drive with professional hard drive data eraser, the hard drive will leave no traces of the old data.
However, if you mistakenly delete some files and empty the Recycle Bin or format the drive, you can easily recover the deleted or lost data with MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate.
This program equips two hard drive data recovery functions: data recovery, partition recovery. Here we’ll introduce how to recover deleted or lost data from computer hard drive, SSD, external hard drive, USB stick, etc.
Get MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate below and install it on your Windows 10/8/7 computer. If you’d like to recover files from external drives, you need to connect it with your computer first.
Step 1. Launch this best data recovery software, and click Data Recovery function in the toolbar.
Step 2. Choose which device you’d like to recover files from. And click Scan. Optionally you can click Settings to choose to scan specific types of files.
Step 3. This software will begin scanning the chosen hard drive or partition, and display the recovered files in the plate.
Step 4. Find the files you need and click Save icon to store them to a new drive.
Conclusion
How To Erase A Hard Drive Mac
By browsing the top 10 free hard drive data wipe software, hope you find your desired way to completely erase the entire Windows (10) computer hard drive, SSD, external hard drive, USB/thumb drive, SD card, etc.
Need to mention that the all-in-one disk wipe software for Windows 10/8/7 – MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate – is also an easy-to-use data recovery program. You can also use it recover deleted/lost data or partitions with ease.
If you still have questions about how to completely destroy data in hard drive for protecting privacy, or have other suggestions about MiniTool software, please visit Help or FAQ page or contact [email protected].
Your hard drive is a treasure trove of personal information. You don’t want it getting into the wrong hands if you ever get rid of your computer. An interesting study was done, in which hundreds of computers were bought secondhand and scoured for personal data. They found a lot. Some drives even had enough data to completely steal the previous owner’s identity.
So for the sake of your privacy and security, you absolutely need to “sanitize” your data before handing your drive over to someone else. Darik’s Boot And Nuke (DBAN) can help you with that. For a more in-depth look at data destruction, check out my article How Does Digital File Shredding Work?
Expand Table of Contents
What is DBAN?
DBAN is a program that wipes your entire hard drive so that it’s no longer readable. There are several tools that do this, but DBAN is one of the most popular.
Originally, I had planned on doing a tutorial on Secure Erase. But after more testing I found that compatibility for that tool is in decline as it hasn’t been updated in years. I like the erasure method that Secure Erase uses more, but for the sake of getting this to work with the majority of readers, I’ve opted to use DBAN instead.
How To Use DBAN
Using DBAN requires creating a boot CD. That means you’ll need a blank CD and a computer with a CD burner to get started. It’s possible to create a bootable USB drive as well, if you prefer that option.
Wiping your hard drive with a tool like DBAN takes some advanced computer know-how. If any of these steps is confusing to you, try enlisting a friend who might be able to help you out. If you can’t find someone, you can always take the computer to your local computer shop and they might do it for a fee. Of course, the other option is to securely wipe your hard drive using a sledge hammer.
1. Back up your data
I have to say it. Before you scrub your hard drive, make triply sure that you have everything off of it you need. You cannot get it back.
2. Download DBAN
Download DBAN from the official site. The version number you see might be different than what’s in this image. DBAN comes as an ISO file which is meant to be burned to a CD. So don’t try to open it or it won’t work. You can download the file on any computer. It does not need to be the one you’re trying to wipe.
3. Burn DBAN to a CD
To use DBAN, you’ll have to burn the ISO file to a CD. But you can’t do it in the normal way that you burn files to a disc. You’ll have to use a special program that will unpack the ISO and burn it properly. I recommend Free ISO Burner because it’s extremely small and easy to use. Here’s a tutorial for using it if you need some help. When you’re done burning the CD, label the top with a felt-tip pen so you don’t forget what it is.
![Hard Hard](https://www.wikihow.com/images/f/f6/Delete-All-Existing-Data-on-a-Hard-Drive-Using-HP-Disk-Sanitizer-Step-18.jpg)
You can also create a bootable USB flash drive from the ISO file as well, instead of using a CD. But keep in mind that it will erase everything on the flash drive. If you’d prefer that method, you won’t be able to use Free ISO Burner. Instead, try ISO to USB.
4. Remove all the devices you don’t want to erase
Remove all external hard drives, USB flash drives, secondary internal hard drives and floppies that you don’t want to get erased. DBAN lets you select which drives you want to scrub but this will eliminate any accidents that might happen. Murphy’s law is always applicable when dealing with computers.
5. Boot from the CD
This is where it can get tricky. First, put the CD in and restart the computer. If it works, you should see the blue DBAN screen.
If it just boots up normally and you never see the DBAN screen, try it again but watch closely as it starts to boot up. Look for something in the corner like “F12 = Boot Menu“. It could also be [F11] or something else entirely, depending on the manufacturer of your computer. If you don’t press the key in time, you’ll have to reboot and try again. Once you get it, select the CD Drive from the menu that comes up.
If neither of these work for you, it probably means you’ll have to change the boot order in the BIOS. Reboot your computer again and watch for another key to press that will get you into the BIOS setup menu. Mostly likely it will be either DEL, F1, F2, or ESC. Once you get into the BIOS, you’ll have to find the boot order and change it to read from the CD before the hard drive. This can be tricky. If at all in doubt, try to get some help from a geek you know.
How To Erase A Hard Drive
6. Start DBAN in Interactive Mode
Once you are able to boot to the DBAN screen, press [Enter]. I would not recommend using the “autonuke” option. This will automatically erase every drive on the computer. It’s best to press Enter instead so you can manually select the drives you want to erase, just in case you left something connected that you didn’t mean to.
7. Select the drive for erasure
Highlight the drive you want to erase and press [space]. This will insert the word “wipe” in the selection box. If you have more than one listed, I would suggest turning the computer off, then removing any external hard drives or flash drives you have attached. Then start it up again and make sure you only have one drive listed. That way you know for sure that you’re erasing the right one. Otherwise, if you’re sure that you know which one to select, just use the arrow keys to highlight and select it with the space bar.
How To Erase A Hard Drive Windows 7
8. Start the wipe process
Now hold your breath and say a prayer. When you’ve found inner peace and finally released the emotional ties you have with your old data, press [F10]. This will start the erasure process. How long it takes depends on how large the drive is. In the upper right corner of the screen you will see the estimated remaining time as well as some other statistics. In the lower pane, you’ll see a percentage of completion.
9. Let DBAN finish
![How How](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/ZK4R3i2Bq7lddxHQmAbV0I_PpA0=/2592x1944/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/hard-drive-platter-busted-jon-ross-flickr-56a6f9d45f9b58b7d0e5cc31.jpg)
When the process is finished you’ll see this screen. If all goes well you’ll see the word pass in green. You can then remove the DBAN CD and turn the computer off. And you’re done! If you see the word ERROR in red, it means there was a problem erasing the drive and not all the data got scrubbed. Try it again and if it still fails, you may not be able to use DBAN to wipe the drive. Try a hammer instead.
DBAN Advanced Features
DBAN’s default settings should be enough for most people. But if you’re the type that likes to tweak things, there are a few settings you can play with that could increase – or decrease – the effectiveness and speed of the wipe.
Random number generator
In order to erase the data, DBAN uses pseudo random number generation to overwrite everything on the drive. If you press [P] at the drive selection screen, you can select which random number generator you’d like to use. Only ultra geeks would even care about this selection. I would recommend leaving it default (the Mersenne Twister algorithm).
Erasure method
If you press [M] at the drive selection screen, you can select the type of method DBAN will use to erase your drive. By default, it uses the standard Department of Defense (DoD) Short method. This should be sufficient for just about everyone. But if you’d like to increase the security of the wipe, you can select either DoD 5220.22-M (my preferred method) or Gutmann Wipe. They use more passes, meaning they overwrite the drive several more times than the default, further ensuring that your data is destroyed. But it does take a lot longer.
Conversely, if you’d just like to get it over with quickly, you can select Quick Erase to do a one-pass quick wipe which is less secure, but takes significantly less time to perform. I would not recommend using this method.
Verification Mode
By default, DBAN checks the drive after the last overwrite pass to make sure the data is gone. You can change this by pressing [V] at the drive selection screen. You can turn [Verification Off] completely (not recommended), or select [Verify All Passes] to check the drive after every pass. By default this is three times. Checking after every pass will increase the time it takes to run, since it has to read the entire hard drive after each pass. I would recommend leaving it at the default.
Number of Rounds
If you press [R] at the drive selection screen, you can increase the number of times the wipe is performed. It is set at 1 by default. This number acts as a multiplier to the number of passes. For instance if you use the default DoD Short method which does three passes, and change the Rounds to 2, it will perform six passes altogether, doubling the time it takes to finish. Changing the rounds to three would make a total of nine passes, etc. One round should be enough if you’re using the DoD Short method or better. But I will not discourage you from increasing this number since it will only help to ensure your data is really gone.
Is My Data Recoverable After DBAN?
The easy answer is no, the data is not recoverable. You can’t use a regular program like Recuva or Puran File Recovery to bring back your shredded data. But there’s a longer, more accurate answer…
Yes, it could be possible to partially recover some of your data. This would not be easy, however. The FAQ on DBAN’s website says that it would be possible for “somebody with a lot of time, money, and brains” to recover some data. It would be a very expensive, complicated, tedious process to do. But it is technically possible if you have the motivation and the means. Very few people do. And the chances that one of those people are the ones who would end up with your drive and care enough to do it are extremely slim.
If for some reason this is not good enough for you, you can always take it to a proper facility to sanitize the drive and make 100% sure that it’s not recoverable. However, this is not feasible or necessary for most of us, as it will cost you a lot of money to do.
If you’re still concerned, however, and you don’t need the hard drive anymore, you can always play Thor and reign destruction down with your mighty hammer. Just be sure to destroy the platters inside the drive. Those are the aluminum or glass/ceramic disks that contain the magnetic data on their surfaces. There are usually a few of them in a drive and you might have to take it apart with a screwdriver beforehand, since it could be hard to get through the outer casing with a hammer.
Also, firearms have been known to do the trick if you have some at your disposal.
Is the Trouble Worth It?
Absolutely, positively, without a shred of doubt, yes. You may think you’d never be a target, but all it takes is once. Don’t let it be a hard lesson. Your privacy and security are worth the hassle.
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