Buzz
Today, Mytour will show you how to erase your hard drive data. To remove installed programs and wipe data from your computer, you can either reset it to factory settings or fully erase the hard drive if you want the data to be unrecoverable. If you're using a Mac with an SSD (Solid State Drive), simply resetting the computer won't be enough to fully erase the drive.
Steps
Resetting a Windows Computer
Click on Recovery (Restore). This tab is located on the left side of the window.
Click on Get Started (Begin). This option is near the top of the window, just below the "Reset this PC" header. A popup window will appear.
Click on the Remove Everything option in the popup window. This option ensures that no files, programs, or settings are left behind.
Click on Just Remove My Files option. This option is on the next page. Windows will remove all programs, files, and custom settings while keeping the operating system intact.
- If you want to perform a deeper reset, you can choose Remove My Files and Clean My Drive. Be cautious, as this process could take several hours to complete, and you'll need to reinstall Windows afterward.
Click the Reset button at the bottom of the window. Once you click Reset, the computer will begin wiping your data. When the hard drive is erased, the welcome setup screen will appear, and you can log in to Windows as a new user.
Erase Windows Computer Data
Make sure you have a blank DVD or USB drive. To completely erase the data on your hard drive, you first need to burn the "DBAN" program onto a DVD or USB drive.
- To check if your computer's drive is writable, look for the "DVD" icon near or above the disk tray.
- If your computer's disk drive cannot burn DVDs, you can use an external drive with this capability, such as a USB drive.
Download the DBAN ISO disk image. Visit https://dban.org/ and click on the Download DBAN link at the top-right corner of the page. The DBAN ISO file will begin downloading to your computer.
- Depending on your browser settings, you may need to confirm the download or choose a location to save the file before it starts downloading.
Burn DBAN to a DVD. After the download is complete, use your computer's "This PC" program to burn the DBAN ISO file to a DVD.
- Ensure the DBAN DVD is still in your computer after the burning process finishes.
- If you're using a USB, simply copy the DBAN ISO file and leave the flash drive connected to your computer.
Restart your computer.Start
Power
Restart
Access the BIOS settings. Immediately after clicking Restart, press the BIOS key repeatedly. This is typically the Del key or one of the "F" keys (for example, F2), but you should confirm which key to press by checking your computer's online manual.
- If you miss the BIOS entry, simply restart the computer and try again.
Find the "Boot Order" section. On most computers, use the arrow keys to navigate to the "Advanced" or "Boot" tab.
- Some BIOS versions display the Boot Order option on the main page when you first access the BIOS.
Select your computer's DVD drive. This might be listed as "CD Drive" or "Disk Drive" (or something similar). Again, use the arrow keys to navigate to the appropriate option.
Move the disk drive to the top of the boot order. After navigating to the "CD Drive" option (or similar), press the + key until this option is moved to the top of the boot list.
- If this doesn’t work, check the key legend on the side (or bottom) of the screen to find the correct key for moving the selected item.
Save and exit. On most BIOS screens, you will need to press a key to exit; refer to the key legend on the screen to know which key to use.
- On some computers, you may need to press a different key to confirm changes when prompted.
Select your hard drive. Once the DBAN interface appears, press the J or K key to move the selected item up or down, then press Space when your hard drive is selected.
- Check the key legend at the bottom of the DBAN screen to confirm the keys needed for navigation and selection.
- If you have multiple hard drives (or partitions) to erase, be sure to select all of them.
Erase the hard drive. Press F10 (or the key listed in the key legend) to start the erasure. The hard drive will begin to be erased. This process may take several hours, so make sure your computer is plugged into a reliable power source.
Remove the DBAN DVD when prompted. When the Blancco advertisement appears on the screen, you can remove the DBAN DVD. At this point, your hard drive has been permanently erased.
- If you wish to reinstall the operating system, replace the DBAN DVD with the OS installation DVD and follow the on-screen instructions. You may need to restart your computer for the installation process to begin.
Spike Baron
Network Engineer & Desktop Support
Network Engineer & Desktop Support
There are several methods to erase a computer. You can use the DoD erasure tool to overwrite the hard drive with ones and zeros. DoD is a military-standard erasure tool. KillDisk is another option, but it is often too powerful for personal home computers. If you're a home user, reinstalling the operating system is usually the best choice.
Resetting a Mac computer
- If the Mac has an SSD instead of a traditional hard drive, reinstalling the operating system is the safest method to completely erase the data.
Click on the Restart… option towards the bottom of the dropdown menu.
Click on the Restart when the option appears. The Mac will begin restarting.
Enter recovery mode. When your Mac starts to restart, press and hold both ⌘ Command and R together, then release when the "Utilities" window appears.
Select Disk Utility (Disk Utility). This option looks like a gray hard drive with a speaker above it.
Click on the Continue option at the bottom right corner of the window.
Select your Mac's drive. Click on the HDD or SSD that appears under the "Internal" section at the top left of the window.
Click on the Erase (Delete) button at the top of the window. A pop-up window will appear.
Click on the "Format" section located to the right of the page. A drop-down menu will show up.
Select Mac OS Extended from the dropdown menu.
Click the Erase option at the bottom right corner of the window. Your Mac will begin the data deletion process.
- This might take a significant amount of time, so avoid rebooting the system for the next few hours.
Click on Done (Finish) once the option appears. Your Mac's hard drive has been completely erased.
- If you wish to reinstall the operating system, exit Disk Utility, select Reinstall macOS, and click Continue. Your computer will need an internet connection to download macOS.
Erase Mac computer data
- If the Mac is using an SSD drive, you cannot erase the disk. Try reinstalling your Mac.
Click on the Restart… option located near the bottom of the drop-down menu.
Click on the Restart option once it appears. Your Mac will begin to restart.
Enter Recovery Mode. Once your Mac begins to restart, press and hold both ⌘ Command and R, then release them when the "Utilities" window appears.
Select Disk Utility. This option is represented by a grey hard drive icon with a headset above it.
Click the Continue button at the bottom right corner of the window.
Select your Mac's hard drive. Click on the HDD option located beneath the "Internal" heading on the left side of the page.
Click the Erase tab located at the top of the window. A new window will appear.
Click the Security Options… option. This is located at the bottom of the window.
Select the "Most Secure" option. Move the slider all the way to the right to choose the "Most Secure" level. This option will overwrite data on your Mac's hard drive seven times in a row.
Click OK at the bottom right corner of the window.
Click Erase at the bottom right of the window. The hard drive will begin the erasure process.
- The "Most Secure" option usually takes several hours to complete, so you may want to start this process before leaving or before going to bed.
Click Done when the option appears. Your Mac's hard drive is now completely erased, and data recovery is no longer possible.
- If you wish to reinstall the operating system that came with your Mac, exit Disk Utility, select Reinstall macOS, and click Continue to proceed. Make sure your Mac is connected to the internet to reinstall the OS.
Advice
- If you're planning to dispose of your computer and have no further use for it, the most secure method is to physically destroy the hard drive using a sledgehammer or similar tools. Physical destruction is the only surefire way to ensure that no one can recover your data.
Warning
- The process of completely wiping your computer is irreversible, so make sure all your data has been backed up before proceeding.
