How to Completely Delete Data from HDD?

I want to ensure complete destruction of data from my hard drive, which option suits best, degaussing or a drive wiping software.

The option which suits best to ensure complete destruction of data from your hard drive is to use a drive wiping software as degaussing may make the media inoperable. In the process of degaussing the storage media is subjected to an influential magnetic field to eliminate the data on the media. Therefore, this is suitable if the media is not required for reuse. Whereas in case of drive wiping utility, it follows certain patterns or standards to effectively remove magnetic remnants from the hard drive ensuring permanent removal of data from your hard drive. When this utility is applied each of the queries like how to ensure complete destruction of data from hard drive are resolved in much authenticated and reliable way.

One such utility is Wipe My Drive, an advanced disk erasing tool (for Windows), which allows you to completely remove sensitive files from your hard drive or logical drives or from other data storage devices by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns and various international disk sanitization standards. Wipe My Drive eliminates data file(s) in different directories with a stroke of a key shredding sensitive data beyond recovery level. This application helps to tackle one of the most dreadful data theft scenarios, i.e. most of the people are unaware that even after deleting or formatting any of the drive, data can be restored back. This is possible because when any of the file is deleted or lost under any circumstances then only pointer detail is wiped from the file system. Hence, by making use of any data recovery application each of the files can be reclaimed.

With this application, you can also wipe flash drive data in couple of seconds and henceforth find an easy way for question like how to ensure complete destruction of data from hard drive. Because of its intuitive design and a simple user interface which helps amateur users to perform drive wiping operation in a hassle free way.

This data sanitizer helps you to safely and easily erase private files from a complete hard disk and even a logical drive. It's also possible to wipe hard drive booting Windows XP, Windows Vista, Widows 8 and Windows 7. Besides helping users to find answer to question like how to ensure complete destruction of data from hard drive, it can also be used to erase USB drive data completely, if you want to know detailed information about this, visit the link: https://www.wipemydrive.net/usb-drive.html. Some of the drives upon which you can use this application to find an easy are pen drive, SSD drive, external hard drives, memory cards (SD card, memory stick, xD card, SDHC, etc.) and different others.

The utility provides nine sanitizing methods and they are classified into different levels for erasing the data which are based on the security levels.

Below mentioned sanitizing methods offer "Low" security levels:

  • Fast Zero Overwrite
  • Random Overwrite
  • US Department of Defense (DoD 5220.22-M)

Below mentioned sanitizing methods offer "Medium" security levels:

  • US Navy, NAVSO P-5239-26-RLL
  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization � NATO standard
  • German: VSITR

Below mentioned sanitizing methods offers "High" security levels:

  • DOD Standard 5220.28 STD
  • Peter Gutmann Secure Deletion
  • US Department of Defense (DoD 5220.22-M) + Gutmann method

Steps to Ensure Complete Data Destruction from hard drive:

Step 1: After download, install is completed on the system, you can launch the software to open its "Welcome Screen", as shown in Figure 1.

how to ensure complete destruction of data from hard drive - Welcome Screen

Figure 1: Welcome Screen

Step 2: On the Welcome Screen select hard drive and click on Next button. On next window select wiping method as shown in Figure 2.

how to ensure complete destruction of data from hard drive - Select Hard Drive

Figure 2: Select Hard Drive

Step 3: At last when you select sanitization method and press proceed as shown in Figure 3, wiping of data starts on hard drive.

how to ensure complete destruction of data from hard drive - Wiping Process

Figure 3: Wiping Process