ouge.over-blog.com/
12 Janvier 2021
The instructions below are for Windows 10, but other versions of Windows from Windows 7 and up can also format an external drive as exFAT for use with Mac as well. Connect the drive to your. Method 1: Reformat hard drive using Windows 10 Disk Management. Step 1 Open Disk Management on your computer. There can be a number of ways to open Disk Management depending on the Windows version. One easy way to launch Disk Management from Windows 10 computer is right-clicking Start button and choosing Disk Management. After Disk Management.
Position: How Tos - How to completely wipe hard drive in Windows 10/8/7?
It's common to most users to sell or give away computer or hard drive when they want to dispose of old device or upgrade to new ones. You may have already formatted the hard drive or deleted files on it in order to erase sensitive personal data and avoid becoming the victim of identity theft.
However, the fact is that wiping out a hard drive is not as easy as deleting data or formatting hard disk. Simply deleting files by Shift + Delete or emptying the Recycle Bin does not permanently clear data, as deleted files can easily be recovered by recovery software. Formatting a hard drive does not completely erase data either. Though operating system cannot see deleted or formatted data and the drive looks empty, average users are able to get back lost data easily with the help of hard drive recovery software.
If you view tech forums or comminutes online, you can see lots of users looking for an easy way to clean storage devices, and here is one of them:
'What is the best way to clean the hard drive of my laptop? I'm going to selling it to someone but want to ensure all personal files are securely erased. What I want to do is cleaning hard drive completely and reinstalling Windows 7 (its configurations does not suitable for Windows 10). Everything on the hard disk has been backed up to my external hard drive, I'm hoping one of you here can tell me how to clearing PC step by step? I know how to install Windows from CD but have no idea how to safely wipe hard disk. Many thanks!'
Why deleting and formatting is not the same as erasing hard drive
Are you one of those who hold the view that deleting a file is similar to erase it? If yes, you should take a fresh look at this issue. We'll explain reasons in an easier manner.
Hard drive is a kind of storage devices which is used to store digital data. Files are stored on the surface of magnetic and rotating platters in hard disk case. Hard disk changes the magnetic property of platter surface to 1 or 0 when reading or writing data. Thus all data on hard drive will be finally stored in the form of basic binary data, for example, when system saves data like photos, music, etc. on hard drive, rows of zeros and ones are recorded on platters.
When a file is deleted, those ones and zeros of that files stays unaffected, for only a pointer indicating the file is being deleted. Therefore, the recovering deleted files is available before file data gets overwritten or damaged. What about disk formatting? Formatting works in a similar way, as it does not actually wipe data. Formatting disk or partition looks like tearing the contents of a book without disturbing actual chapters of the book. Recovery software is also able to retrieve lost files from formatted disk.
How does hard disk wiping works?
You may wonder how disk wiping works since deletion and formatting does not work on permanently clean hard drive. Apart from physical damage to hard drive, we can completely remove data with disk wiping technology.
As we've mentioned above, to completely erase disk, we should remove those binary data, which means overwriting those zeros and ones with new data. Once binary data of a file is replaced and overwritten by new data, it cannot be recovered any more. Some professional disk eraser software is able to filling up disk with zeros or random information sector by sector, ensuring no data can be recovered from a wiped disk.
Some preparatory work should be done before wiping computer hard drive in order to make sure the disk wiping can be completed without interruption or causing extra issues.
Once everything gets ready, you can start erasing computer hard drive or external disks. The rest part of this instruction will show you how to erase storage device in different ways.
This method wipes computer by using the reset feature in Windows 8.1 or 10 during reinstalling operating system, which has an option to remove everything on hard drive. This section takes Windows 10 as example to explain how to wipe computer completely. If your computer is running an older version of Windows, you can try steps in Method 2 to erase hard disk.
Step 1 Click 'Start' menu and select 'Settings' option. On Windows Settings pane click 'Update & Security' option.
Step 2 Click 'Recovery' option on the left navigation options and then click Get 'Started' button under 'Reset this PC' section.
Step 3 Select 'Remove everything' option which removes all of your personal files, apps, and settings and start over.
Step 4 Select 'Remove files and clean the drive' when you are asked to whether to clean the drives too. The cleaning process may take longer time but it makes sure no one can recover erased files.
Step 5 Click 'Next' and 'Reset' button on following steps to complete the task.
The secure way to erase data for good is overwriting data and refill hard disk using zeros or random data, so that nobody can recover wiped data with disk recovery software. Sounds complex? Actually, nowadays cleaning hard disk is not a complicated work, and you can easily and securely erase disk using disk wipe software.
Free hard drive wipe software
DiskGenius is free software for permanently data wiping. With this hard disk eraser, you can wipe all data on by filling disk sector by sector, making files unrecoverable. Besides, it is a free partition manager program which is able to resize, format, clone or backup partition, check &repair bad sectors, backup data, etc. Here are features of disk wiping function:
The following content introduces how to erase data in difference situations, and you can choose which to use in line with actual demands, for instance, you want to clear an SD card or other removable devices, Case 1 is the proper solution; if you want to wipe computer, then go to Case 2.
Case 1: Safely erase external hard drive / SD card / USB flash drive
Step 1 Connect the removable device to your computer and make sure it can be recognized by Windows.
Step 2 Install and run DiskGenius from your PC and you can see all local disks and portable devices on the main interface.
Step 3 Select the external hard drive or SD card you want to erase data, and select 'Erase Sectors' option under Tools menu.
Step 4 Select items to fill disk sectors and click Erase button on the popped-up window.
There are four options to fill disk sectors in the drop-down list, i.e. Random Data, 00, FF and User Specify. You can either choose one from '00, FF and Random Data', or specify item to fill disk.
Step 5 DiskGenius asks confirmation for the action, click Erase button to continue.
Since the process wipes data permanently, you should make sure you are erasing correcting disk and important files have been backed up.
Step 6 The disk eraser starts wiping data on selected drive and the process may take long time if the disk has very large capacity.
Case 2: How to wipe computer system hard drive
In this example, you can learn how to wipe a computer's main hard drive where Windows is installed. Operating system does not allow to erase system while it is running, and we can only wipe non-system partitions. In this situation, we can erase the hard disk in Pre-OS environment, for example Windows PE.
DiskGenius is able to reboot to its WinPE version directly from Windows as well as creating bootable USB disk with which you can boot computer and run the WinPE version. If you want to create a bootable WinPE USB stick, you can insert your USB flash drive and click Tools menu and select 'Create WinPE bootable USB drive of DiskGenius'. The following steps show how to reboot computer to WinPE version directly and then erase system disk.
Step 1 Launch the free disk wipe tool DiskGenius from your Windows computer.
Step 2 Click menu 'File' and choose 'Reboot to DiskGenius WinPE version' option.
Step 3 It takes about two minutes to create booting information for Windows PE, please wait it to complete with patience.
Step 4 Once the application is ready to reboot, it prompts to restart and backup data. Click 'OK' button and computer reboots.
Then the DiskGenius WinPE version is launched, which contains same features with the Windows version.
Step 5 Select computer's system hard drive where Windows is installed and click 'Erase Sectors' option which can be found under Tools menu.
Step 6 Click Erase button and the software starts wiping the disk.
Note: Once the process finishes, the computer cannot boot to system, as system partition have been erased. You need to make a clean system installation on the hard disk.
Case 3: Wipe a single file or folder on hard drive
Erasing an entire hard drive takes too much time, and you don't have to do that if you just want to erase certain existing files on the disk. On account that deleting files by emptying Recycle Bin does not wipe data complete, we should do extra operation to make files unrecoverable. Files deleted in this way cannot be recovered by any recovery software or professionals. Let's have a close look at how to wipe files and folders:
Step 1 Launch DiskGenius again, and locate files you want to permanently delete. Select those files and right-click them to choose 'Delete Files Permanently'.
Step 2 Click 'Permanently Delete' button on the popped-up window.
In order to completely delete the file, the application will refill hard drive sectors taken by the file during deletion. By default, it overwrites data by filling zeros which can be modified to random data as well. Besides, you should select 'Delete Directory Entry' option on FAT partition (and the option will be 'Delete File Record in $MFT' on NTFS partition).
Step 3 Click 'Delete' button to confirm the action to be done.
When selected files get deleted, you can continue to delete other data on your computer.
Case 4: Erase deleted files only without affecting existing data
Erasing free space on hard drive overwrites lost files, which does not disturb existing files on the disk. This solution applies to those who just want to overwrite lost files only in order to make lost data unrecoverable. For instance, you've formatted hard drive and reinstalled operating system, what you need to do is erasing all disk area except system; or you've deleted sensitive using Shift + Delete, and want to make sure they are no longer recoverable without affecting existing data.
Step 1 Start Eassos DiskGenius, click 'Tools' menu and select 'Erase Free Space' item.
This function permanently erases unused free disk space, preventing data from being recovered.
Step 2 Select partition / disk for which you want to erase free space and click 'OK' button.
Step 3 Select characters to overwrite disk space and click 'Erase' button.
Step 4 The application starts cleaning unused disk space, which takes long time if free space is very larger.
Physically destroying a hard drive is also a solution to ensure data is forever unrecoverable. If you are not going to reuse or recycle your hard drive, you can try this solution to clean data.
Step 1 Use a screwdriver to remove all screws on the hard drive case. Then you'll be able to remove enclosure and the main circuit board.
Step 2 Remove platters and heads out of hard drive enclosure, and use a hammer to hit platters. Then repeatedly strike other components.
Step 3 Box up all components and throw them to garbage can.
This article talks about three methods to wipe a computer, hard drive or removable disk, helping to make sure sensitive data can be erased safely and completely. Files erased by these methods is no longer available for data recovery, thus please make sure important files have been backed up before erasing any storage media. If you feel this article useful, please share it to help more people. If you have better solutions or any questions about this topic, please feel free to contact us.
Chances are that you are trying to format hard drive from BIOS for certain reasons. But can you really format hard drive from boot? If you can, how to do? Don't worry, and you can get answers from this post. MiniTool Partition Wizard is one of the best boot managers to help format hard drive from BIOS in Windows 10.
It is a common operation to format hard disk for installing Windows or other purposes. Also, many users ask on the forum about formatting hard drive from BIOS. Here is a typical case of formatting hard drive from BIOS raised by Windows user:
My computer is in a boot loop and it doesn't even get to the Windows logo. I need a way to format the from bios because I have no other way to format the drive. Am I able to format a hard drive from a bios? Thank you for any kind help! www.reddit.com
If you have the same problem and want to make this operation as well, you need to figure out firstly whether you can format your hard drive from BIOS in Windows 10 successfully.
Can we format hard drive from boot? The truth is we can't! Actually, we cannot format any drive or partition directly from BIOS setting.
BIOS is an integral part of your computer and is the program that is made accessible to the microprocessor on an erasable programmable read-only memory chip. BIOS determines whether all of the attachments are in place and operational when you boot up your computer. Also, it loads the operating system into your computer's random-access memory from the hard drive.
You should know that BIOS only supports detecting the hard drive and allows you to boot the computer from it. It is the operating system you boot up that allows you to format hard disk, except the current system drive.
Now that we cannot format hard drive from BIOS, why plenty of users still wonder if there is any method? The reasons are following:
Although you are not allowed to format hard drive from BIOS, you can boot your Windows 10 PC from bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive by changing BIOS settings and then perform formatting. Here are 2 effective ways for you.
You can use Windows installation media (a USB flash drive or DVD) to install a new copy of Windows, perform a clean installation or reinstall Windows 10. Of cause, you can format the system partition using Windows installation media.
To create the Windows installation media, you need the help of Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. If you have created installation media using this tool, either a bootable USB flash drive or the ISO file burned to a DVD, then just keep reading.
With the installation media in your hand, you can format hard drive from BIOS via Command Prompt or during Windows installation. Let's see the specific steps.
With Windows installation media, you can choose to format the system partition via Command Prompt. You can format it successfully with several simple commands, but things might be a little complicated when you try to find the system partition in Command Prompt. Here is the tutorial.
Step 1: Boot your computer from this installation media by setting it as the boot drive in BIOS.
Step 2: Once Windows Setup loads, you will be presented with a Windows Setup window like the following screenshot. In this interface, you need to set your preferred Language, Time and current format, and Keyboard, then click Next.
Step 3: Click Repair your computer.
Step 4: Choose Troubleshoot among these options.
Step 5: Then you will get advanced options in the following page, just click Command Prompt to open it.
Step 6: You need to find the system partition first because the system partition might be shown with another drive letter here instead of letter C. To do that, just type the following commands one by one and hit Enter key after typing each command:
Step 7: After finding the system partition, enter format F: /fs:ntfs (F should be the drive letter of the system partition you have found) and press Enter to format it to NTFS. Normally, we recommend to format the system partition to NTFS file system rather than FAT32 or exFAT for its better stability and higher security.
Step 6: When you are prompted with a warning that you will lose all data on the selected volume, type Y and press Enter to confirm the formatting. Then you just need to wait until the process is completed.
Alternatively, you can format system partition when choosing to install Windows with installation media. Detailed tutorial is provided for you as well.
Step 1: When you get the following interface after finishing Step 1 and 2 mentioned above, select Install now instead of Repair your computer.
Step 2: Then, you will get pages that require you to Enter Your Windows Product Key and Accept the License Terms. Just do as the messages prompt.
Step 3: Select the Custom installation when you get the following page.
Step 4: Then you will get the following interface directly and all the partitions of installed drive(s) will be detected and displayed here. To format the system partition, you should select the partition first, then click Format among the listed options.
Step 5: You will get the following warning message after clicking Format, just click OK button to continue. After that, the system will be formatted successfully.
Apart from Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, you can also use MiniTool Boot ManagerPro Ultimate to create bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive to format your hard drive from BIOS.
As a professional partition manager, MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you back up files from one drive to another to secure data and upgrade your hard drive without Windows reinstallation.
Compared with Windows installation media, the bootable media created by MiniTool Partition Wizard enables you to enter MiniTool Recovery Environment, rather than Win-PE. Most importantly, you don't need to spend time finding the system partition because MiniTool Partition Wizard displays it directly and intuitively in the main interface.
To format the system partition with this convenient tool, just follow the instruction below.
At first, you need to create a bootable USB or CD/DVD. The creation of both media is almost the same, here I will create a bootable USB flash drive as example.
Step 1: Prepare a USB which is big enough to store the bootable media and connect it to a normally running computer. Run MiniTool Partition Wizard to get the main interface and click Bootable Media from the upper Tool Bar.
Step 2: Then, you will get a pop-up window like the following screenshot. Please click WinPE-based media with MiniTool plug-in.
Step 3: Next, you need to choose a destination for the bootable media. To create a bootable USB, please choose USB Flash Disk.
Step 4: In this interface you can see the process of creating bootable USB flash drive. When the operation has completed, please click Finish.
After you finish creating a bootable USB flash drive, please connect it to the computer where you want to format hard drive from BIOS. Then, set it as the first boot device in BIOS to boot from this bootable USB.
With the preparatory work done, it's time to format the hard drive. Just do as the following instruction to format hard drive with ease.
Step 1: MiniTool Partition Wizard will be launched automatically after successfully booting. If not, please click Partition Wizard of the list on the following page to launch the program in WinPE.
Step 2: In the main interface, select the partition you want to format and click Format Partition from the left panel. Alternatively, you can right-click it and select Format from the context menu.
Step 3: Set Partition Label, File System and Cluster Size for the formatted partition, then click OK.
Step 4: Click Apply button to confirm the pending operation.
The above is all the steps to format hard drive from BIOS with the help of Bootable MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Do you know how to format a hard drive? This post shows detail information about how to format a hard drive in Windows 10/8/7 and for Mac.
I have separately introduced how to format hard drive from BIOS with Windows Installation and MiniTool Boot Manager. You can choose either mentioned tool to format your system partition with the tutorials above.
If you have any problems carrying out the two mentioned methods, please feel free to let us know by sending an email to [email protected]or leaving your doubts in the Comment Zone.
If you want to completely move the data on your hard drive, performing format is not enough as others can restore the original data after formatting.
MiniTool Partition Wizard provides a feature of Wipe Partition to help you clean the data completely. After launching it, just select the target drive and choose Wipe Partition. Then, choose a wiping method, click OK and Apply to start wiping.
To format a hard drive, you can use Disk Management, a built-in tool in Windows 10.
To format hard drive from Command Prompt, you just need execute the following command one by one (* refers to disk or partition number):
After that, the selected drive should be formatted to NTFS file system.
/image%2F6308710%2F20210112%2Fob_55f232_xbox-360-touch-screen-controller.jpeg)
/image%2F6308710%2F20210112%2Fob_7c9a18_sketchup-technical-drawing-windows-10.jpeg)
/image%2F6308710%2F20210112%2Fob_6a1bd8_seagate-usb-external-drive.jpeg)
/image%2F6308710%2F20210112%2Fob_d4e84c_is-fnaf-on-xbox.jpeg)