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How do I wipe my hard drive before recycling on Windows 11 computer?
I'm looking to recycle my old hard drive, but I want to make sure all of my personal data is completely wiped clean before doing so. I’m using a Windows 11 computer, and I want to make sure I handle ...
A simple delete or formatting is not enough to protect the data. You need a dedicated disk wiping app to permanently delete all files from the drive. Here is a good example for this case:
https://www.ammdiy.com/how-to-permanently-wipe-a-drive
Some folks think that formatting the drive is a solid way to erase everything, but that’s a misconception. It only removes the file pointers, which means data can still be recovered using recovery software. I had a friend who learned this the hard way when they found old files still lurking after a format. If you're looking for real security, use the Clean All command in DiskPart or a third-party tool to securely wipe hard drive before recycling on Windows 11.