How to Successfully Wipe Data from a Hard Drive with BitRaser File Eraser

‘I had been using this Sony 1TB slim external hard drive for the past few years. A few days back, I realized it was not performing very effectively. After being fed up of frequent crashes and the degrading file transfer speed, I decided to sell the hard drive to a reseller. But I was a bit worried about data privacy. Although I formatted the drive before selling it, I knew that the deleted files could be easily recovered by data thieves or hackers. So I decided to use Bitraser File Eraser software from Stellar®.’

In this article, we will discuss how BitRaser File Eraser eased a user’s life and helped him sell an old hard drive without worrying about data theft.

When we format a hard drive or delete files from a storage device, we only lose access to the formatted or deleted files and folders. The data remains on the drive and any third-party data recovery software can easily recover this formatted or deleted data, exposing our sensitive and private information to malicious parties.

BitRaser File Eraser is a secure file erasure and privacy safeguarding software, which easily wipes data from your internal or external hard drive volumes beyond the scope of recovery.

The software deletes files & folders permanently from Windows PC and storage devices by overwriting them with a pattern of 0s and 1s. It has multiple international data sanitization algorithms including DoD 5220.22-M, NATO, etc. Using these algorithms, you can easily delete your personal data such as financial information, contacts, emails, documents, etc., which, if gets in the wrong hands, can spell a lot of trouble.

Follow these steps to permanently wipe files from a hard drive using BitRaser:

Step 1: First download and install Bitraser File Eraser software on your system, and then connect the external hard drive that you want to sanitize (secure erase).

Step 2: Launch the software on your system and go to the ‘Tools’ tab.

Step 3: Choose a data erasure algorithm and one of the three verification methods from the respective drop-downs. Click on the ‘Apply’ tab.

Note: You may choose from any algorithm based on your preference. We recommend using the DoD 5220.22-M (3 passes). Organizations can opt for the standard required as per their compliance policy.

Step 4: Go to the ‘Home’ tab and select the drive(s) or partition(s) from which you want to delete your sensitive files.

Step 5: Now click the ‘Erase Now’ button, which is located at the bottom right corner.

NOTE: You may select either a single drive or multiple drives at a time. You can also delete specific files and folders inside the drives.

Unallocated Files

Sometimes, even after permanently deleting files using BitRaser File Eraser software, your drive is not sanitized completely. This means that some of the previously formatted and deleted files are present on the drive, marked as ‘unallocated’. Unallocated files are not visible but may contain sensitive information.

To secure erase such files, use the ‘Erase Unused Space’ feature of the software. You can follow the below steps to remove unallocated data from your external/internal drive:

Step 7: Click on ‘Erase Unused Space’, which is located in the left pane.

Step 8: Select the drive from which you need to erase the unallocated data and click on ‘Erase Now’ again.

Step 9: Once the software completes the erasure, click ‘Yes’ to reboot your system.

Bitraser File Eraser not only helps secure-erase files and folders that are on your internal or external storage devices but also destroys sensitive information that is stored on your system in form of internet cache & cookies or app usage data. This may include information such as saved passwords, credit/debit card details, browsing history, social media activities, chats, system usage patterns, etc.

Conclusion

Wiping a hard drive with the help of a secure file eraser software such as BitRaser File Eraser is crucial to safeguard your personal information from theft and leakage. Old hard drives may contain previously deleted but recoverable data even after formatting. Such data can be recovered with the help of a basic data recovery software.

Stellar’s BitRaser File Erasure software features 17 international data erasure standards that you can use to wipe your hard drive and erase every bit of recoverable information from the drive beyond the scope of recovery. The erased data can’t be recovered through any software or services.

The software also locates and erases hidden sensitive information from a system such as internet activities, system traces, and application data. Thus, you can also use the software to protect your privacy as well as optimize your Windows or Mac machine.