How to Wipe a Hard Drive for Reuse in Windows 10, 8, 7?
Geeks - Wiping a hard drive is a process that involves erasing all of the data on the drive and preparing it for reuse. This is often done when you want to sell or dispose of an old computer or hard drive, or when you want to completely erase a drive before installing a new operating system. Here's how to wipe a hard drive for reuse in Windows 10, 8, and 7:
Back up any important data that you want to keep. It's important to note that wiping a hard drive will permanently delete all of the data on the drive, so make sure to back up any important files or documents before proceeding.
Connect the hard drive to your computer. You will need to physically connect the hard drive to your computer in order to wipe it. This can typically be done by using a SATA or IDE cable, or by using a USB hard drive adapter.
Open the Disk Management tool. In Windows 10, 8, and 7, you can access the Disk Management tool by going to the Start menu and searching for "disk management." Alternatively, you can press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type "diskmgmt.msc" into the field, and press Enter.
Select the hard drive that you want to wipe. In the Disk Management tool, you should see a list of all of the hard drives and partitions that are connected to your computer. Select the hard drive that you want to wipe by right-clicking on it and selecting "Delete Volume."
Confirm the deletion. A warning message will appear asking you to confirm that you want to delete the volume. Click "Yes" to proceed.
Format the hard drive. After you have deleted the volume, the hard drive will be unallocated space. To prepare the drive for reuse, you will need to create a new volume and format it. Right-click on the unallocated space and select "New Simple Volume." Follow the prompts to create and format the new volume.
Verify that the hard drive has been wiped. To verify that the hard drive has been wiped and is ready for reuse, you can use a tool such as Disk Wipe (https://diskwipe.org/) to securely erase all of the data on the drive.
By following these steps, you can effectively wipe a hard drive and prepare it for reuse in Windows 10, 8, and 7. It's important to note that wiping a hard drive is a permanent process, so make sure to back up any important data before proceeding.
