Is forgetting your password a universal phenomenon? Trying to remember passwords, especially the lengthy ones you had to create to meet a platform’s requirements, is not second nature. Step 1: Hold Onto Passwords and Login Credentials Follow these simple steps on how to thoroughly wipe your hard drive. You don’t have to see a tech-guru to have your hard drive wiped. That said, when it’s time to let go of or sell your device, it’s important to ensure you’re thoroughly wiping your hard drive to reduce the risk of cybertheft or exposing personal information.

Your personal life doesn’t need to be in the hands of anyone else except yourself.

Step 4: Manually Wipe Hard Drive Yourself.

Step 3: Use a Program to Wipe Hard Drive.

Step 2: Hold Onto Passwords and Login Credentials.

If you’re interested in protecting yourself from malware, identity theft and other risks, then read on to learn how to wipe a hard drive.

When selling, trading or recycling your device, it’s important to clear all data from the hard drive so that whoever gets hold of your former device can’t leak or steal any personal information. Typically those interested in erasing all traces of former files are getting ready to sell a computer, discarding damaged drives, upgrading or wanting a clean slate. Your hard drive may store financial documents, personal information and anything else that once called your computer home. Therefore, if you’re trying to learn how to wipe a hard drive, you must understand that you will need to erase all data of those once-existing files.

In reality, these files are simply redistributed throughout the hard drive. You may think that when you delete your files and move them into the trash, they’re gone forever.

Windows wipe hard drive