How To Wipe My Hard Drive Clean And Start Over

The enquiry

• If you have a solid-state drive, beginning with encryption
• Wipe and reset your computer
• Smartphones and tablets

If you accept a solid-state drive, showtime with encryption

If yous purchased your computer in the by few years, it probably has a solid-state bulldoze. SSDs are faster than older, mechanical hard drives and use flash memory instead of magnetic platters. Only the downside of the technology is that securely deleting files from an SSD is very difficult. SSDs use a technique chosen wear leveling to prolong life, but a side effect of this process is that data can remain on a drive even subsequently you've erased it. Instead of using special software to erase an SSD's contents, you lot're better off encrypting the drive, which employs a mathematical process to muddle up the data using a passkey that only yous have. Without the central, files on the bulldoze look like gibberish—even if someone succeeds in recovering files, that person still won't exist able to open up them.

The good news: Encrypting your storage drive is simple. This is something nosotros recommend doing for every computer with an SSD, even if you're non selling information technology. You can also encrypt mechanical hard drives for the aforementioned reason, but the procedure takes a particularly long time, and it's easier to do a good-enough job of removing data on mechanical drives.

Chromebooks usually use solid-state storage, but Google enables encryption by default, then if y'all're resetting a Chromebook, y'all can skip this section.

Windows

If you have a Windows computer, encrypting your storage drive can be a lilliputian tricky and depends on which version of Windows your figurer has and what components you have installed.

1. Open Settings > Update & Security. Await for Device Encryption on the left sidebar. If Device encryption isn't an option on this screen, it'southward not available. If information technology's not showing upward, besides attempt searching for "device encryption" in the search bar, equally in our feel it may show up there.
2. If Device encryption is turned off, turn it on.

1. Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Device Encryption.
2. If Device encryption is turned off, plow it on (BitLocker may be an choice hither, in which example y'all can enable information technology and skip the steps).

If device encryption isn't an option, BitLocker may be, provided you have a copy of Windows 10 (or 11) Pro, Education, or Enterprise. In Windows xi, the BitLocker toggle is on the in a higher place page in Settings, merely in Windows 10 y'all'll need to wait elsewhere:

1. In the search box in the taskbar, type "Manage BitLocker" then select it from the consequence.
2. Click Turn on BitLocker and follow the instructions.

If you're having trouble finding device encryption for your device, the Windows back up articles may provide more than information. BitLocker tin also encrypt external drives, including SD cards and flash drives, which is a more secure way to delete files on such drives before formatting.

If BitLocker isn't an option, you'll demand to turn to third-party software. Nosotros like VeraCrypt, but keep in mind that its encryption process is more than complicated than BitLocker's. Some SSD manufacturers may also provide software for deeply erasing their SSDs, though nosotros oasis't tested whatsoever of those utilities.

Mac

Macs have had the same costless encryption tool—called FileVault 2—since 2022, and the process is the same in every version of macOS:

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click Security & Privacy.
3. Select the FireVault tab.
4. Click Plough on FileVault.
5. In Bone X Yosemite and later, y'all're prompted to apply either your iCloud password or a recovery key (since y'all're wiping the drive, either choice is fine).

Wipe and reset your computer

This is your last run a risk to retrieve any files, so cheque one more time earlier you proceed.

In one case you enable encryption on the SSD, or if your computer has a mechanical hard drive, all that's left is to format the storage drive and reset the operating arrangement. When you do this, you accept ii options: to go on your files (which is useful if your computer is running boring or has other issues) or to remove everything, which deletes all your files stored on the computer and reinstalls the operating system. If your figurer has an SSD and it'south encrypted, this footstep isn't necessary if you're recycling the calculator, but it is a good practice.

Windows

1. Open Settings and select Update & Security.
2. Click the Recovery tab, then Go Started.
3. Select Remove everything.

1. Open Settings and select Windows Update.
2. Click Advanced Options, so coil downward to Recovery.
3. Click Reset PC then Remove everything.

Follow the on-screen prompts, and your computer will restart; depending on the size of your storage bulldoze, this can accept a few hours. Eventually it'll land on the setup screen, and you can power information technology off.

Mac

For a Mac, you need to boot your calculator into a special menu:

1. Turn on your computer (or restart it).
2. Immediately press and hold the Command and R keys on the keyboard until the Apple logo appears. Once it does, release the keys.
3. Your Mac will kick into a special recovery menu. Select the Disk Utility option from the carte du jour.
4. Cull your storage bulldoze so click the Erase button. Information technology's okay to keep the default settings for the format and the scheme.
5. Click Security Options. If you encrypted the storage drive, yous can leave this at the default option, but if you lot're formatting a mechanical hard drive, you lot should move it upwards to at least the 2nd most secure tier, "3-pass secure erase."

Once Disk Utility finishes erasing everything, yous can plough off the computer. Or you can head back to the Utilities carte and select Install macOS if you lot want to first the process for the next owner, but that isn't required.

ChromeOS

Google enables encryption in ChromeOS by default, and the reset procedure is straightforward:

1. Open Settings.
2. Type Powerwash into the search bar.
3. Click Reset.
4. Click Restart.
5. Click Powerwash and then Proceed.

Notation that Chromebooks connect to a Google account, which withal stores well-nigh, if non all, of your data. When you run Powerwash, it automatically logs you out of your Google account.

Smartphones and tablets

As with a calculator, you lot should take the steps to securely wipe and reset your phone or tablet before selling it. The process is much easier on mobile devices than on computers.

iOS and iPadOS

iPhones and iPads have device encryption enabled past default, and so yous need only to reset yours. Beginning, make sure you have a recent fill-in, and then disable Find My. One time that'due south washed, you can reset the phone or tablet:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Full general.
3. Tap Transfer or Reset.
4. Tap Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your passcode when prompted and then tap Erase.

When the procedure is complete, the iPhone or iPad will restart, later which yous can power it off.

Android

Contempo Android devices have encryption enabled by default, but double-check to make sure it'southward enabled under Settings > Personal > Security (information technology may be in a different identify on some Android phones). Also, make sure your phone is backed up. From there, you tin can reset the device. This process will vary depending on the phone model, only here's how to exercise then on a phone running stock Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap System.
3. Tap Reset options.
4. Tap Erase all information and follow the on-screen directions.

Whether y'all're passing a reckoner on to someone else or sending information technology off to a recycling heart, wiping your personal data is an integral showtime pace, and then take the time to do it properly.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/how-to-securely-wipe-your-computer-devices/

Posted by: castillohologe.blogspot.com

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