Dell BIOS Data Wipe Missing – Try Secure Alternative Here!
Why will Dell BIOS data wipe option missing? What to do if you can’t find the option but still want to wipe your disks? This article will offer you the best way to clean all data permanently.
User case: No Dell data wipe in BIOS
I have a Dell Latitude E7240 laptop with I presume an SSD. I can't get into Windows and I want to do a secure erase of everything on the internal drive. According to this support page, there's an option in the BIOS to do a data wipe. But when I enter the BIOS, the option isn't there.
- Question from Dell Community
Dell BIOS data wipe can also regarded as Dell BIOS factory reset, which is a new feature that has been added to recent generations of Dell business systems. This allows effective erasure for reuse or redeployment using industry standard data erasure features already supported by Dell storage devices, and erased data will not be recoverable.
But when some users try to use it to wipe all data on the current disks, they find no option there in BIOS. According to this issue, the following part will explain the possible reasons and offers the best way of disk wipe. Read on if you have interest.
Why is Dell BIOS reset tool missing?
Here, I’ve listed some of the possible reasons why there is no Dell data wipe option in BIOS:
- Only certain Dell computer models are supported. Dell Business models such as the OptiPlex, Latitude and Precision series that are manufactured in 2016 or later and have a UEFI BIOS that it SMBIOS Version 2.9 or later have the ability to use Dell Data Wipe which securely wipes all internal hard drives.
- Limited device support. If you want to wipe an SSD, that might only be available for SSDs that have native support for secure erase, which isn't all SSDs.
Except the two reasons, Dell data wipe failed to find may result in other possible reasons such as outdated BIOS firmware, limited hardware support, configuration issues, and so on. Thus, if you still want to wipe data on your Dell internal disks, you can try the recommended method in the following part.
Wipe disks with best alternative to Dell BIOS data wipe (recommend)
When it comes to the best disk wipe tool to wipe all the data on a disk and make the erased data unrecoverable, the most popular one AOMEI Backupper Professional can give you a shot. Its Disk Wipe feature can help you wipe the entire disk or specific partitions or unallocated space. You can learn a lot of its remarkable features listed as follows.
✪ Support various devices. It allows you to wipe internal/external hard drives on Dell computer or others, USB drives, SD cards without brand restrictions or you can also wipe free space on Windows 11.
✪ Various wipe methods. It gives you multiple disk wiping methods such as Fill sectors with Zero, Fill sectors with random data, DoD 52220.22-M (with 7 passes) and Gutmann (with 35 passes).
✪ High compatibility. It is a comprehensive data protection software with powerful functions as backup and restore, sync, clone that works on Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.
Stepwise guide to wipe data on a disk with a few clicks:
Note: Owing to that data on the erased disk cannot be recovered after the wiping process, thus it is recommended for you to backup files if they are still important for you.
Step 1. Download this best disk wipe tool on your computer, install and launch it to have a try.
Step 2. When you enter the main interface, click Tools in the left tab, and then select the Disk Wipe.
Step 3. Select a wiping type to delete the data, select Wipe disk here and click Next to proceed.
Step 4. Select the target disk that you want to erase, then click Next.
Step 5. Choose Fill sectors with Zero (Safe, Quick), and tap Start to wipe the disk on Dell computer.
Step 6. Then you will enter the wiping process page. You can click "Cancel" to stop the process in the right corner.
✍ Tips:
✎ If you want to use this tool on different devices, you can create portable disk wipe version to wipe disks securely and conveniently on any computer without having to install it every time. (Available in AOMEI Backupper Technician version).
✎ This wiping process can also be applied to trim SSD on Windows 11, reset SSD to factory settings, and upgrade the hard drive to SSD on any brand of computers.
Summary
If you find that Dell BIOS data wipe missing on your computer, however, you still in need to wipe the disks for reuse or other purposes. You are capable of mastering a more secure way to wipe Dell disks here, which is called AOMEI Backupper. It offers you multiple secure erase options to help you easily remove all data and make it unrecoverable.
AOMEI Backupper is not only a disk wipe tool, it is also the best way to copy VHD to physical disk without data loss. And it can help you get rid of secure boot enabled but not active in Windows 11. You can also try to explore more features such as backup and restore, sync, create portable version, etc. of this all-in-one data protection tool.