Geek Squad How to Wipe a Hard Drive
If you are not comfortable wiping a hard drive yourself, you can let a Geek Squad handle this process for you. The Geek Squad agents can run secure erase software to wipe the hard drive.
Have you decided to give out your computer to someone? If yes, you need to ensure that you first wipe the hard drive before giving it away. This can prevent you from passing your personal data to someone else. Here is more!
Table of Contents
The process of wiping a hard drive
Doing simple things such as formatting a hard drive or deleting files on a laptop cannot completely erase all the data in the computer. This is because someone can get access to your data if they use data recovery software.
It only takes a hacker who knows how to retrieve data from a hard drive to access data from a computer. You can only ensure that you have erased all the data in the device by wiping the hard drive. Follow this procedure to wipe the hard drive.
Backup data
This is a crucial step that you should not skip before you wipe the hard drive. Ensure that you back up data then come up with a recovery disk. Doing this can prevent you from losing data. Once you begin the wipe process, the data in your computer will disappear.
Download DBAN
Darik’s Boot and Nuke is a useful tool that can help you erase data from your hard drive securely. This is what Geek Squad recommends. Visit the DBAN official website so that you can download DBAN. Since the downloaded software comes as an ISO file, you should not try to unzip it. You have to burn it to a DVD, CD, or USB storage for it to function correctly. Doing this also ensures that it will not boot up your operating system.
Burn DBAN from a DVD or CD
To run DBAN from a DVD or CD, you have to burn the iso file into a disk. In the DVD/CD writing software, you should choose the write image or burn image option. Wait for the DVD/CD burning process to complete before putting the disk into the DVD/CD drive of the machine you would like to wipe. Once you do this, you should reboot the machine. Entering into BIOS can help you set it to boot from DVD or CD.
Booting from the USB device
We mentioned that you could either use a DVD, CD, or USB device. If you prefer using a USB device, you have to download ISO-to-USB software. Rather than simply copy and pasting the file to a USB device, you should download this software.
Pay attention to the instructions that follow to complete the process. The instructions sometimes vary based on the specific software that you use. Ensure that you use the iso file to convert the USB device into a bootable disk. After doing this, you should change the boot device order in BIOS. Before you try rebooting the machine, you should insert the disk into the USB port.
Wipe the hard drive
As soon as the boot screen has loaded up, you should press Enter then pick M so that you can obtain the method screen. You can now select the type of wipe to perform. To begin the process, press F10. If you choose a strong method to wipe the hard drive, you have to wait for a long time for the software to finish the wipe. Do not turn off the machine before the process is complete. This can take between hours and a few days, based on the method you choose.
Here is a summary of how to wipe a hard drive
Download DBAN | This is one of the secure tools that you can use to wipe the hard drive You can download it from the DBAN website |
Burn it to a CD | Since DBAN is an iso file, you should not unzip it after downloading it. It has to be burnt to a DVD or CD for it to function. |
Put the disk into the DVD or CD drive of your machine | Do this after the burning process is complete. Once you do this, you should reboot the machine. |
Use a USB device | If you choose this option, you should download the ISO-to-USB software. |
Create a boot disk | Change the order of the boot device in BIOS, then insert the boot disk into the machine’s USB boot. |
Wipe the hard drive | Press enter then M. You can now pick the type of wipe you would like to perform. Press F10 to begin wiping the hard drive. |
Can Geek Squad help in wiping a hard drive?
Yes. Geek Squad is a great service provider that helps with computer-related issues. It not only offers protection plans for such devices but also helps repair or replace them. If you cannot wipe the hard drive on your own, you can get help from Geek Squad. This service provider has highly skilled tech experts that can wipe the hard drive on your behalf.
They can run secure erase software to wipe the hard drive. You should make an appointment with Geek Squad so that it can help. If you have time, bring the computer to one of the Best Buy stores near you. Do not visit the Best Buy store without making a reservation since you may experience delays due to a high number of customers with different needs.
Conclusion
Wiping a hard drive before giving out a computer to someone else is crucial. This can ensure that you delete all the data on your personal computer. You can achieve this on your own or get help from Geek Squad.
FAQs
Which other tools can I use to wipe the hard drive?
You can also use an active@kill disk hard drive eraser or Shredit for Windows.
How can Geek Squad help?
Since Geek squad has skilled agents who know how to handle such tasks, it can help you wipe the hard drive successfully using a secure method.
