If you want to make sure that your data is completely wiped, you will need to use a file shredder program or wipe the hard drive with a special program The data can still be recovered if you reformat your laptop. Reformatting a hard drive does not wipe the data. Look for an option called ‘Restore factory settings’ or something similar. This can usually be done by pressing a certain key at startup, such as F1, F2, or Delete. Reformatting the hard drive: To reformat the hard drive, you will need to go into the setup or BIOS of your laptop.This will erase all of the data on your laptop You can also use the formatting option on your laptop to wipe the hard drive clean. This will overwrite the deleted files with gibberish so that they can’t be recovered. Deleting files: To delete files, you can use a file shredder program such as Eraser.There are a number of ways of wiping data from a computer: Wiping your laptop will protect you from fraud and identity theft.

And if your data is not properly wiped, the thieves could gain access to it and use it for criminal purposes. So, why is wiping a laptop so important?Īs we mentioned before, laptops can be easily stolen. Wiping a computer will overwrite the entire hard drive, making it impossible to recover any of the data that was on there. This does not wipe the drive and the data can still be recovered. What’s the difference between formatting and wiping a laptop?įormatting a computer simply means deleting the files on the hard drive. Once you have a backup, you can proceed with wiping your laptop. This can be done by transferring files to an external hard drive or cloud storage. First, you need to back up all of your important data. If you’re looking to dispose of your laptop, there are a few things you need to do.

How to wipe laptop clean