How to securely wipe an old hard drive

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Wipe it clean. Image: DepositPhotos

Even when an old computer won’t start up anymore, the hard drive is still in there. From financial data to private photos, that drive could hold all sorts of private information.

It makes sense, given that context, that you might be nervous about just dropping it off at the recyclers. We’ve talked about how to recover files from a dead computer , after all, and the advice there shows that the information can just as easily be grabbed by anyone else. Yes, most recyclers are generally pretty strict about not allowing that sort of thing, but it’s understandable if you’d rather wipe the drive yourself.

With that in mind, here’s how to completely wipe any old hard drive you might have lying around.

Connect the Hard Drive to Your Computer

The first thing you need to do is connect your old hard drive to your new computer. The easiest way to do this is using an external hard drive reader. These devices plug into the hard drive on one end and into your computer via USB on the other, while also powering the drive. Hard drive readers can be found in most computer repair shops or at online retailers like Amazon. They generally cost between $20 and $30.

Make sure that the adapter you buy can connect to the hard drive you want to use. Most hard drives made in the last two decades use SATA connectors while some older drives use PATA . You can tell the difference at a glance—SATA drives have two L-shaped connectors while PATA ones have a bunch of smaller spikes. Many hard drive connectors support both, so just pay attention while purchasing.

Image: Justin Pot / Popular Science

Once you have the connector, things are easy—you just need to plug the drive into the adapter and the adapter into your computer. What to do next depends on what kind of computer you’re using.

Securely Wipe a Hard Drive on Windows

Connect your hard drive to a Windows computer and it should show up in File Explorer, in the left-hand sidebar. Right-click the drive and click Format.

Screenshot: Microsoft

This will open the format window. Make sure to uncheck the Quick Format … Read More