Securely erase before selling. Deleting does not prevent recovery.
10 steps across 1 sections
1. Steps Guide
- Back up everything first
- Deauthorize software — iTunes, Adobe, M365
- Disable security — Windows Hello, TPM, BIOS
- Determine drive type — HDD or SSD
- HDD: DBAN — Bootable USB, overwrite zeros
- SSD: ATA Secure Erase — Manufacturer tool
- Mac: Disk Utility — Security Options or Erase All Content
- Windows: Settings > Recovery > Reset > Clean Drive
- Verify erasure — Attempt recovery
- Physical destruction — For sensitive data
Common Mistakes
- Delete/format is not erase
- Standard format vs secure
- HDD methods on SSD
- Not deauthorizing
- Not clearing TPM/BIOS
Pro Tips
- One pass zeros sufficient (NIST)
- SSD Secure Erase takes seconds
- Samsung Magician, Crucial SE free
- Encrypt then erase for max security
- Keep drive if donating