- CLEAN DISK COMPUTER HOW TO
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Disk Wipe: Disk Wipe is another free utility that does multiple rewrites of binary data.You’ll need to download it to a USB drive and run it from there. It does multiple pass rewrites (binary ones and zeros) on the disk. DBAN: Short for Darik’s Boot and Nuke, DBAN has been around for years and is a well-known and trusted drive wipe utility for HDDs.
The process for erasing an HDD involves overwriting the data, and there are many utilities out there to do it yourself:
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If your PC is running an older version of Windows or if you just want to have more control over the erasure process, there are a number of open-source third-party tools to wipe your PC hard drive, depending on whether you have an HDD or an SSD.
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Go to Settings → Change PC Settings → Update and Recovery → Recovery.
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How to Wipe a Windows 8 and 8.1 Hard Drive This takes longer, but it’s the most secure option. In “Additional settings,” click “Change settings” and toggle “Clean data” to on.If you’re planning to recycle your PC, “Local reinstall” works just fine. You will be prompted to choose to reinstall Windows via “Cloud download” or “Local reinstall.” If you’re feeling generous and want to give your PC’s next owner a fresh version of Windows, choose “Cloud download.” This will use internet data.Choose “Remove everything.” (If you’re not getting rid of your PC, you can use “Keep my files” to give your computer a good cleaning to improve performance.).Under “Reset this PC” click “Reset.” (Click “Get Started” in Windows 10.).Go to Settings → System (Update & Security in Windows 10) → Recovery.
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These are different depending on whether you have an HDD or an SSD.įollow these instructions for different versions of Windows to reset your PC: How to Wipe a Windows 10 and 11 Hard Drive There are a number of good third-party tools you can use to securely erase your disk, which we’ll get into below.
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Now that you know what kind of drive you have, there are two options for wiping your PC:
Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11 all have basic utilities you can use to create a local backup on an external hard drive that you can use to move your files to a new computer or just to have a local backup for safekeeping. If you’re not backing up an off-site copy, now is a great time to get started. And the third copy should be kept in an off-site location like the cloud. Your second copy can be kept on an external hard drive or other external media. Your first copy is the one on your computer. First Things First: Back Upīefore you break out the Louisville Slugger (or follow our simple steps below), make sure your data is backed up as part of a 3-2-1 backup strategy where you keep three copies of your data on two types of media with one off-site.
But, there are much easier and more reliable, if less satisfying, ways to make sure your Windows PC is as clean as the day it left the factory. Truly, physical destruction is one way to go (more on that later). You always have the option of taking a baseball bat to the thing. Are you hanging on to an old PC because you don’t know how to scrub the hard drive clean of all your personal information? Worried there’s data lurking around in there even after you empty the recycle bin? (Yes, there is.)