![]() ![]() Windows 11 comes with an option called ‘Reset this PC’ which resets Windows to its factory settings. After that, you should be able to create partitions of any size that suits you best. Simply run the tool and initialize the disk. Your next task should be to create partitions using the Disk Management tool we used earlier. Your disk should now be completely empty and turned into unallocated space. Our laptop has two hard drives, and for this guide, we’ll be proceeding with Disk 1, so we entered ‘select disk 1’ and hit enter. To proceed with the disk wipe, type in ‘select disk ’. This should list all the disks connected to your PC. You should now be in the diskpart utility. The default path from an elevated Command Prompt should look like this. This will open an elevated Command Prompt. Type in ‘cmd’ and press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys instead of just the enter key. Let’s take a look at how you can wipe your hard drive with diskpart. You can do everything from listing the disks, creating and deleting partitions, and so much more with diskpart. Method #3: Using Diskpart in CMD (command prompt)ĭiskpart is a command-line utility that can be used to manage all the drives connected to your PC. Tip: For a thorough wipe that should remove all traces of your data from your drive, untick the ‘Perform a quick format’ option.Ĭlick on the ‘OK’ button to start wiping your drive.Ĭlick on the ‘OK’ button to confirm the data wipe and your drive should be clean within minutes. On the next popup, you should have a handful of options like changing the name of the volume, the file systems, and more.Īgain, just like the previous method, you should keep the ‘Perform a quick format’ option ticked if you don’t want to wait for a long time to wipe your drive. Right-click on the volume you want to wipe, and click on Format. Here’s how the Disk Management tool looks like. Click on the search result or the open button. Open the Start menu and type in ‘Disk Management’. Your drive is now fully clean and ready to be used again. Once the wipe is complete, you should see a message confirming the same. Keep in mind, a thorough wipe will take a lot longer than a quick format. Tip: For a more secure data wipe, untick the ‘Quick Format’ option and then click on ‘Start’. ![]() If you want to do a quick data wipe, without messing with other options, click on the ‘Start’ button. You should see a small ‘Format’ popup open with a bunch of options. Ours has three drives, out of which, we’ll be using the ‘Data’ drive for this guide.Īll you need to do is right-click the drive that you want to wipe and click on ‘Format’. You should now see all the drives connected to your PC. You’ll see a window titled ‘File Explorer’ open up. Note: This method will only work for secondary drives on your system and not your boot drive. The process merely takes a couple of seconds and is perfect for when you want to make room for new files on your hard drive. This is undoubtedly one of the simplest and quickest ways to wipe a hard drive. Method #1: Using the right-click context menu Use one of the guides below that best suits your current situation and requirements. You can format a drive in multiple ways depending on the type of access you have to your system. Related: How to Map a Drive in Windows 11 How to format a drive on Windows 11 or 10 Let’s take a look at the methods to wipe a hard drive in Windows 11. Close any applications or files that may be running from the hard drive that you’re trying to wipe.If you’re using a laptop to wipe the drive, we recommend connecting your laptop to power as some methods may take a long time to complete.Make sure you’ve copied all the contents of the drive to another location, preventing any data loss.What to do before wiping a hard drive?īefore you wipe your drive, there are a couple of things that you need to take care of. Whatever the reason, let’s take a look at the prerequisites to wiping your hard drive. Or maybe you just want to set up your PC from scratch with a clean installation of Windows and fresh partitions for your hard drive. Another reason for wiping the drive could be to simply gain more storage space for your new files. The more obvious reason behind wiping a hard drive is to flush all of your personal files and applications from the drive, making sure they can’t be recovered by data recovery tools - after a factory reset or not. How to create new volumes and partitionsīefore we jump to the methods, let’s take a minute to understand why you should wipe your hard drives.How to completely format a drive on Windows 11 or 10.Method #3: Using Diskpart in CMD (command prompt).Method #1: Using the right-click context menu.How to format a drive on Windows 11 or 10. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |