There is a lot of difference between deleting contents from a computer hard drive and wiping a PC hard drive clean. Even formatting is not same as wiping out hard drive. Formatting can not always clean the hard disk completely and wiping it clean means removing all the residue files that can be used to retrieve information later on. When we delete files, or format the file systems are deleted but the residue files remain which can be hazardous if the drive goes to wrong hands. So it’s better to be safe with some extra effort. One perspective can be destroying it physically and in fact the most effective one. But in case you want some other ways out, read the article. The following article will help you to learn how to wipe a computer hard drive clean.
You can erase the hard drive with the help of a degausser
If you don’t know what is degaussing, then let me tell you. It is not possible to destroy the magnetic field completely or reduce it to zero owing to magnetic hysteresis phenomenon. We can reduce the remnant magnetic field to some extent. This process is known as degaussing. The term degaussing is derived from Gauss, a unit in magnetism. This method is used to destroy storage media which implements magnetic storage. There are a number of
methods to degauss a storage media and if you have no motive to use the device any further, degaussing is the best option. There are numerous NSA approved degaussing wands costs about $500 USD. It takes around 1 hour to degauss a hard drive. Destroying the magnetic field means the device becomes totally unusable and there is no way to recover erased data.
free data destruction software, an effective way to wipe the hard drive clean
You can also use data destruction software to wipe out the data. This software is the best possible way to clean the hard drive and it overwrites the drive over and over again. The process is simple but it involves variety of methods and a considerable amount of bugs. Hence, many stringent hard drive erasing standards questions the use of data destruction software. This method is best when you want to use the drive again in future.
