| This guide contains the basics on how to wipe a hard drive, using the multiple tools available |
See also
Internal Hard Drive
Wipe Before Windows OSD
- Follow the directions here to get into the OSD
- Before entering the password to load the OSD, hit F8
- This will load a DOS prompt, allowing use of disk partition
- diskpart → list disk → (Choose the drive you want to wipe, ex: disk 0 is the internal hdd) select disk 0 → clean
- Exit the DOS prompt once it has said the disk has been successfully cleaned, and continue on with OSD
External Hard Drive (Toaster Method)
Obtain a “toaster” and the hard drive to be wiped. Setup the toaster and hard drive
Wipe Using Windows File Explorer
- Open up windows explorer → This PC. Two new drives should show up by the computer’s internal hard drive
- Right click "Local Disk" (F:) → Format → Keep all options the same. Do the same for "System Reserved" (E:)
Wipe Using Windows Disk Management
Windows 7
- Access Disk management by typing partition into the start menu, or by opening the control panel and selecting create and format disk partitions under administrative tools
- Select Disk partitions to be formatted or deleted. Right click on selected partition and select delete volume. Repeat for all partitions
Windows 10
- Access Disk Management by going to the control panel -> administrative tools -> Disk Management. Make sure to run the program as an administrator.
- select disk partitions to be formatted or deleted. Right click on selected partition and select delete volume. Repeat for all partitions.
Either Internal or External HDD
Using the Multiboot USB tool
- Boot the computer using the USB by hitting f12 immediately after start up and selecting USB device.
- once Main Menu appears, select system tools -> Ultimate Boot CD -> HDD-> Disk wiping -> HDShredder V4.0.1
- press Y to begin the wiping program, Continue to press yes when prompted. Program will wipe the disk clean. May take a while depending on the amount of files on the disk.
Alternative to the Ultimate Boot CD method
- Boot the computer using the Multiboot USB by hitting F12 on startup and selecting the USB drive.
- Once in the Main Menu, Select system tools -> Parted Magic. (Note: In case of need Parted Magic is also available through Hiren's Boot CD as Linux based rescue environment).
- Once parted magic boots up, open Disk Eraser.
- Use the shred or dd methods for a quick wipe or nwipe for a more secure wipe (similar to DBAN but takes MUCH longer).
- Choose the hard drive to be wiped (The USB can be disconnected once at this stage so as to not accidentally wipe it).