To wipe a hard drive means to completely erase the drive of all its information. Deleting everything does not wipe a hard drive and formatting does not usually either. You'll need to take an extra step so the data can't be easily reconstructed later. Getting rid of your old laptop or desktop? How to play piano in laptop. Whether you're selling it, donating it to charity, or gifting it to a friend or family member, you should wipe the.
Need to know how to wipe a hard drive without deleting Windows? Have you been Googling 'how to wipe everything off a hard drive except the OS' or 'how do I wipe a hard drive without removing operating system?' Look no further, because you've found the solution to the above queries, and even how to delete data off SSD without erasing Windows. Read on!
There are a few ways of how to wipe a hard drive without deleting Windows. However, these are obviously delicate methods as you want to preserve the operating system.
When you wipe a hard drive, the main intent is to ensure no one can recover the erased files in any format. Sometimes you want to preserve Windows, especially if you're giving away the computer. But using the typical hard drive data wiping methods and keeping Windows intact is a difficult feat for most average computer users.
How To Wipe A Hard Drive Before Recycling
The good news is that there are proven ways to securely wipe a hard drive while preserving the operating system. Keep in mind that wiping a hard drive isn't just about deleting files on it. The files have to be removed securely to ensure they're unrecoverable.
Why Wipe a Hard Drive Securely
How To Wipe A Hard Drive Linux
You could reinstall Windows or reinstate a recovery partition but this does not guarantee that someone cannot retrieve the data on the hard drive.
As you probably know, the built-in delete function in Windows does not remove the 'deleted' file instantly. Instead, Windows simply removes that file's entry from its index (Windows maintains an index of all files on the system for faster file access). The actual file (or its contents) remains intact on the hard drive. You just won't be able to access the file directly via Windows Explorer.
With this background, it's clear to see why securely wiping a hard drive before disposing of it is a must. It is the only way to guarantee that no trace of your confidential data can be found on the hard drive.
How To Wipe A Hard Drive Without Deleting Windows
Supposing you're retiring an old PC but don't want to physically destroy it. You want to end up with a machine with all your personal data wiped off but with Windows fully operational. In other words, you need to know how to wipe a hard drive without deleting Windows. There are several ways to achieve this, including the following.
Refresh, Reset, or Restore
Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 offers built-in utilities (in slightly tweaked flavors depending on version) for refreshing, resetting, or restoring the operating system. Each of these methods best suits a specific scenario and, thus, each method affects your files differently.
Refreshing reinstalls Windows but preserves all your files and settings, so this method does not apply to our current need of wiping the hard drive.
Restoring the PC simply reverses recent system changes, so this method too is far off from what we want.
Resetting deletes all files and reinstalls Windows, so this method is closest to what we want. Resetting is basically the fastest way to delete files from the hard drive while preserving Windows.
Manual Deletion
This is both bizarre and tedious but it somewhat works. You can manually delete all files from a hard drive as the operating system will remain unaffected in any way.
That said, this is probably the least secure and most risky to find out how to wipe a hard drive without deleting Windows and should be avoided.
Format the Hard Drive
Formatting a hard drive to remove everything is best done from a secondary bootable device, such as a system repair disc. This is particularly the case when you want to format the C partition that holds Windows.
Use DBAN and Reinstall Windows
A utility such as DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) offers an acceptable level of hard drive wiping – albeit not 100 percent secure. However, this method is not how to wipe a hard drive without deleting Windows, as it also deletes your Windows installation plus any recovery partitions. You'd need to reinstall Windows again after wiping the hard drive.
When all is said and done, it's worth noting that you cannot wipe everything off a hard drive except the OS in a single operation. How to send imovie project file. The methods highlighted here offer the next best thing to preserving the OS while removing everything on the hard drive or wiping the drive completely and starting again with a fresh install of Windows. They are not secure ways of wiping a hard drive while leaving the OS intact.
This process is definitely best handled by qualified and experienced professionals. Data Destruction Corporation has a team of qualified computer professionals to help you. Contact us today to find out more.
References
How to refresh, reset, or restore your PC
How to Wipe Everything Off a Hard Drive Except the OS
