{"id":991,"date":"2022-01-29T05:57:11","date_gmt":"2022-01-29T05:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vpnproxymaster.com\/w\/?p=991"},"modified":"2022-04-15T06:11:10","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T06:11:10","slug":"how-to-dispose-your-hard-drive-securely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vpnproxymaster.com\/w\/how-to-dispose-your-hard-drive-securely","title":{"rendered":"How to dispose your hard drive securely?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There comes a time when we have to sell, donate or recycle our computers. Most people barely invest any thought into how to safely and securely dispose of their hard drives. The hard drive serves as the backbone of our computer. It contains essential data that is personal and private and can be detrimental if it ends up in the wrong hands.<\/p>\n\n\n

What is hard drive? <\/h2>\n\n\n

The hard drives or Solid State Drives (SSDs) that we use in our Macs and computers to store and back up our data are sometimes damaged beyond repair. Other times, they run out of space and need to be replaced. There is also the option of restoring and repurposing them, but most often than not, a replacement with a better, more efficient option is necessary. Continuous advancements in technology also mean that acquiring the latest ones will boost our computer’s performance by leaps and bounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merely throwing away your hard drive or dropping it off at a recycling center can be dangerous. These drives contain personal data that we might not want anybody else to access. We need to take care of this most methodically, and strategically so unidentified persons can not access and recover that information. <\/p>\n\n\n

Tips to dispose of your hard drive securely<\/h2>\n\n\n

Most computers come with Solid-state drives<\/strong> (SSDs) and hard disk drives<\/strong> (HDDs). The HDDs are disks coated with magnetic material. They work in a fashion remarkably similar to a CD and are read by a sensor at the end of an arm. These hard drives are compassionate, and numerous ways exist to extricate sensitive data from them even after disposal. That is why it becomes essential that they are disposed of to make the data entirely inaccessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, there are several ways we can adapt to wipe HDDs. These consist of a combination of physical and digital tools. <\/p>\n\n\n

Wiping your SSD\/HDD before you donate or sell it<\/h4>\n\n\n

This is the most used technique to erase their data most safely and securely. Before starting the process, we must back up our data if there is something we would like to keep. It is always a good idea to make two or three copies of your data and store it internally and externally. It never hurts to have an extra layer of backup just in case. <\/p>\n\n\n

Wiping your PC<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n

We first need to figure out whether our Windows PC uses a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). Most laptops and desktops contain an SSD, but there is an easy way to find out. Go to your device’s settings and type “Defragment” in the search bar. Click on the option, “Defragment and Optimize your devices.” A window showcasing the “Media Type” of your device will open. Underneath this column is where the type of hard drive your computer uses will be listed. Knowing the kind of hard drive our computer uses, we proceed with two options at our disposal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Reset: In most cases, wiping our PC involves reformatting the drive and reinstalling the windows by resetting. In the case of recycling or selling, this function makes it almost impossible for other individuals to access our data, especially if it has also been encrypted<\/a>.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Erasing securely using third-party tools: If doubts about the safety and security of our data persist, there are several other tools we can use to erase our data from the hard drive safely. Some of these tools are the DBAN<\/a>, DiskWipe<\/a>, and Eraser<\/a>.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, reformatting the drive works for all operating systems. All of them contain built-in tools that can help clear your drive. They all have different names, such as Disk Management in Windows, Disk Utility in Mac OS, and Disks in Ubuntu<\/a>. Below is an example of wiping your hard drive in Windows for illustrative purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n

A step by step guide to wipe your HDD in windows 10 and 11<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n