How do I Erase a Hard Drive in Windows?

Generally speaking, erasing your hard drive is relatively straight forward and only takes about an hour to accomplish. There are several ways to erase your hard drive and each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Three methods include reformatting, using disk sanitizing software, or specifically deleting files. Here are some tips on how to accomplish each method:


Erase Your Hard Drive by Reformatting It
The simplest way to erase your hard drive in Windows is to reformat it. This method is extremely popular, especially for those users that have had significant problems with their operating system or computer in general. Generally reformatting will rid your computer of practically all malware and viruses. If you have Windows XP or Vista, this can be accomplished using your Windows Restore Disk. Your Windows Restore Disk will all personal files and applications, then reinstall your Windows operating system - restoring the factory settings.

While this method is simple to complete, for those that are giving away their hard drive or computer - or even throwing them away - your personal files can often still be accessed.

Erase Your Hard Drive by Using Disk Sanitizer Software
If the reason you would like to erase your hard drive is because you are selling your computer or hard drive to another person or throwing it away, you should seriously consider erasing your hard using Disk Sanitizer software. Disk Sanitizer software doesn't just erase your hard drive - it writes over it many times. It is important to understand that files on hard drives, although deleted, can still be accessed with certain tools. This is why a person that buys your computer can hack the hard drive and remove personal data from it including credit card info, emails, etc.. When you write over data, you usually make it much more difficult for others to access old data. The Federal Government requires that old hard drives should be written over with Disk Sanitizer software at least 7 times, but you can feasibly use disk sanitizer software to write over data more than 100 times.

Disk Sanitizer Software is relatively affordable and in many cases can be downloaded for free.

Erasing Your Hard Drive Deleting Each File and Folder Individually
While this method will not erase the entire contents of your hard drive, if you are looking for a method to selectively erase files and folders this is the best way to achieve your goal. Many times computer users actually erase their entire hard drive when they only initially wanted to erase certain folders. While much more laborious and time consuming, for those that know how to use Windows Explorer and find files in their registry, this method could be the most practical and efficient. There are also many free software tools that can help you find registry entries safely and easily.