Wipe Hard Drive Clean

While upgrading the computer hardware or changing your desktop computer altogether, you may want to get rid of your old hard drive. But if you have stored any personal, business related or any other sensitive data to your hard drive, just deleting it will not ensure complete safety of your data. For that you will have to wipe your hard drive clean in such a way that the data cannot be retrieved at all.

The Problem with Just Deleting

There is an index or a record of addresses that tells your operating system where the data is stored on the hard drive. When you delete or shift delete any data, just the reference to the data is deleted and the operating system is told that the data no longer exists. Although the data is still there on the hard drive and can be retrieved with the help of simple software applications called data recovery software. Even formatting the hard drive does not destroy the data completely, it only makes recovering the data a little difficult. So if you ever format a drive by mistake, worry not, you can get all or most of the data back.

How to Wipe Your Hard Drive Clean

The best way would be to physically destroy the hard drive like pentagon does. If you can't do that, there are several other options too. Reformatting and installing the operating system again is one of the ways to ensure basic secure deletion of your sensitive data. If you are giving away your old computer to someone you know, this method is sufficient. But if you are selling the hard drive online or to anyone who pays, you should consider some other options. There are several software that you can use to clean your hard drive. Some free applications like shredders, can be used but are less or sometimes completely useless. Other more effective software clean your drive by overwriting garbage information to it. Norton's SystemWorks includes an application called Wipe Info, OnTrack's DataEraser offers a similar feature. There are more such applications on the Internet. Make sure that the utility or program you use, provides an option to erase free space that is temporary files. Other means of destroying data are degaussing and destruction. Degaussing is the process by which the storage media is subjected to a powerful magnetic field to remove the data on the media. Degaussing may render your disk disabled. Consequently, you should use this method if the disk is not going to be reused.

Make sure you have taken a backup of the data that you will be needing again before you wipe clean your hard drive. Free shredder utilities do not offer complete eradication of the data. So if the data is something related to your business, do not take any chances and opt for a paid version. Also, check if you have the hardware driver disks with you, as without them some of the computer peripherals will not work. If you do not have much technical knowledge about computers its best to take it to an expert who will do the job for you. Plus, the methods vary for different operating systems and different hard drive types, but most of the above-mentioned will work for almost all of them. If you are unsure of any of the methods it is suggested that you do not apply them.