Best Hard Drive Sanitization Software: Securely Erase Disk
What is the best hard drive sanitization software? How do I completely wipe my hard drive for recycling? Read this post to get the best data wipe software free downloaded and learn how to wipe a disk completely.
User Case: How Do You Sanitize a Hard Drive?
I have a lot of idle hard drives, and I would like to securely erase them before selling them. Two of them have financials or other important things like that. I just want them to be erased so that the average person cannot recover them. How do you guys wipe a hard drive for recycling? Do you have any hard drive sanitization software commendations?
Why Do You Need Hard Drive Sanitization Software?
If you are planning to sell or donate your computer or hard drives, simply deleting files or formatting hard drive isn't sufficient. This is because they do not actually remove the data - it merely marks the space as available for overwriting. This means that with the right recovery software, your sensitive information can still be retrieved. This is where hard drive eraser software comes in.
Hard drive eraser utility ensures that your data is completely wiped, preventing unauthorized access. It can help you prevent sensitive information, such as financial records or personal files, from falling into the wrong hands. In this article, we'll explore why you need hard disk sanitization software, the best available tool, and step-by-step instructions to securely erase a hard drive.
Best Hard Drive Sanitization Software
Choosing the right hard drive eraser utility is crucial for effective and secure data removal. While there are multiple options available, AOMEI Backupper Professional is one of the best software to wipe hard drives due to its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, and high-security standards.
-
Ease of use: It comes with a simple and clear navigation for all users to wipe the entire drive, or wipe partitions or unallocated space on the drive.
-
Multiple wiping methods: It offers basic zero-filling and random-data methods for data erasure, as well as much safer wiping methods like DoD 5220.22-M or Gutmann for sensitive information erasure.
-
Supports all drive types: It works perfectly for erasing SSDs, HDDs, external drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, and various storage devices.
-
Wide Compatibility: It is compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, and XP, and offers a Server version for server users.
How to Securely Wipe Hard Drive using AOMEI Backupper
To securely erase your hard drive using AOMEI Backupper, get the best hard disk eraser software free download on your computer, and follow these steps below:
1. Run the best hard drive erasing software, navigate to the Tools section, and select Disk Wipe.
2. Under Wiping Type, choose to wipe selected partitions or unallocated space, or wipe the entire disk. Here we take Wipe disk as an example.
3. Select the hard drive that you want to erase, then click Next.
- Note: If you choose to wipe a system drive, you can't enter Windows after the disk wiping process.
4. On the Wiping Method screen, choose your target one, and click on Start to perform hard drive wipe easily.
- Notes:✎...
- Safer wiping methods usually include more wipes and lower wiping speeds.
- This software allows you to create bootable USB drives or CDs/DVDs to wipe hard drive without booting into Windows.
- This tool is also embedded with backup and restore functions for systems, disks, partitions, and personal files and folders.
FAQs about Hard Drive Sanitization
#1. What is the most secure way to wipe a hard drive?
The most secure method involves using specialized software that employs advanced wiping algorithms, such as the DoD 5220.22-M and Gutmann standards, which overwrite data multiple times to ensure complete eradication.
#2. How do I completely wipe my hard drive?
To completely wipe a hard drive, it is better to utilize reliable and dedicated hard drive sanitization software like AOMEI Backupper to perform a full disk wipe. It could help you overwrite all sectors, making data recovery impossible.
#3. How do I clean up my hard drive of unwanted files?
For routine cleanup, consider using disk cleanup tools to remove temporary files, caches, and other unnecessary data. For sensitive information, a targeted wipe of specific partitions or files is recommended.
#4. Is DBAN still used?
DBAN, Darik's Boot and Nuke, has ended in development, but it is still used to erase data. However, it should be noted that it is mostly available and effective for traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), and its usage has declined, particularly concerning solid-state drives (SSDs).
#5. What is the best software to wipe a hard drive?
Considering the security as well as the ease of use of hard disk erase, AOMEI Backupper can be called the best hard disk erase software. It not only supports erasing various internal or external storage devices but also provides a variety of erasing methods for users to choose from.
Summary
When it comes to erasing a hard drive, you have multiple options, but using professional hard drive sanitization software like AOMEI Backupper is the most effective method, which works on all storage devices, provides multiple wiping methods, and ensures irreversible data removal.
Besides, this tool offers various backup, restore, sync, and clone features for you to create system, disk, or file backup for disaster recovery, transfer files from one computer to another, clone hard drive to SSD, and so forth.