Top 5 Best Free Data Wipe Software for Windows [Pros & Cons] | 2021 Recommendation
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- List of Top 5 Best Free Hard Drive Data Wipe Software | 2021 Recommendation
- #1. Qiling Partition Master Free
- How to Wipe Data:
- #2. Blancco Drive Eraser
- How to Wipe Data:
- #3. CCleaner
- How to Wipe Data:
- #4. DBAN
- How to Wipe Hard Drive Data:
- #5. Disk Wipe
- How to Wipe Data:
- Select the Easiest Data & Hard Drive Wipe Software, Go and Clean Up Your Data Now
To wipe your hard drive clean for free, you can use the built-in Diskpart command in Windows, which is a free and effective way to remove data. However, for a more secure and reliable data destruction method, you may want to consider using a third-party tool like DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) or a disk wiping software like CCleaner or EaseUS. These tools can provide a more thorough and secure data destruction process, especially for sensitive data.
Here are the top 5 best free data wipe software to completely wipe computer data in Windows 10/8/7: CCleaner, DBAN, Blancco, KillDisk, and Disk Wipe. These software can completely erase data and wipe hard drive, making it impossible to recover any data. You can select one and follow its tutorial to learn how to completely wipe computer data on your own now.
List of Top 5 Best Free Hard Drive Data Wipe Software | 2021 Recommendation
When it comes to wiping a hard drive, there are numerous software options available, making it difficult to choose the best one. A Google search for "hard disk eraser" or "data wipe software" yields a long list of results, requiring you to download and test each option individually to find the most suitable one.
After testing over 50 disk wipe tools, we've compiled a list of the top 5 best ones to help with the task, which took us days and nights to complete.
To access more advanced features and wipe your computer hard drive data for free, let's move forward to view the data wipe software.
#1. Qiling Partition Master Free
You can use software to wipe data in partitions, erase the whole disk, and even clean up computer data. This can be done using specialized tools that securely delete files and data, making it unrecoverable.
Qiling Partition Master offers more than just a simple data wipe feature, allowing users to manage partitions and improve computer performance with its advanced features, making it a useful tool for Windows users to reset their hard drive into a brand-new state.
Features:
- You can wipe your storage devices for free using built-in tools, such as Disk Cleanup on Windows and Disk Utility on macOS, or third-party software like DBAN or KillDisk. These tools can securely erase data from hard drives, solid-state drives, external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, and other storage devices, making them completely unusable and protecting your sensitive information.
- Wipe computer OS drive with bootable disk (not free).
- Create, extend, shrink, format, and split partitions.
- Migrate OS, clone, and upgrade OS to HDD/SSD/M.2/NVMe SSD.
- Convert Disk to MBR/GPT, Basic/Dynamic, etc.
Pros
- Wipe partition data.
- Wipe disk data on HDD/SSD, external USB, etc.
- Wipe computer including OS drive with bootable disk
- Wiped data are unrecoverable.
- Support managing partitions, such as creating, extending, shrinking, and formatting volumes, for free.
Cons
- Some advanced features like migrating an operating system to a hard drive or solid-state drive, and partition recovery, are not available for free.
How to Wipe Data:
1. Wipe all data on this device. 2.
Option 1. Wipe Partition
Choose "Wipe Data" option in the tools page.
In a new window, click the partition you wish to delete data from.
To wipe your partition, set the time for which you want to wipe it, then click "Proceed" to initiate the process.
Option 2. Wipe Disk
Choose "Wipe Data" option in the tools page.
To erase data from a disk's head, click the disk's head icon in the new window.
Set the time for which you want to wipe your partition, then click "Proceed" to initiate the partition wiping process.
#2. Blancco Drive Eraser
This tool can be used to wipe data on various types of devices, including personal computers, laptops, and servers, by completely erasing all data on the drives, making it impossible to recover.
Blancco Drive Eraser is a data eraser that claims to be certified, supporting the erasure of files on patented SSDs, multiple drives, and even BIOS data. If you're looking for a data wipe software with a certificate, this could be a suitable option.
Features:
- Wipe data on SSD, HDD volumes.
- Wipe data from BIOS.
- Identifies false positives while erasing data.
- Supports erasing data on Server machines.
Pros
- Erase data from multiple drives simultaneously
- Hard drive wipe software with certificate
Cons
- Not 100% free
Data Wipe Software Free Download: https://www.blancco.com/products/drive-eraser/
How to Wipe Data:
Step 1. Choose a specific data erase standard.
Step 2. Follow the software's directions to overwrite data from the device.
Step 3. The software will verify if the data has been successfully removed.
Step 4. Once done, the software will create a tamper-proof certificate providing that the erase process completes successfully.
#3. CCleaner
Wipe files and data on the computer, hard drive, and internet browsers.
CCleaner is an advanced data wipe software that has been around for a while. It allows users to wipe data from a hard drive and free up space from a specific location on their computer. While the free edition is still functional, it only offers standard-level data protection and cleaning capabilities.
Features:
- Support health check of your computer
- For a thorough computer cleaning, consider customizing your cleaning process to target specific areas, such as the File Explorer, internet browsing cookies, and download locations. This can help remove unnecessary files and data that may be cluttering your system, freeing up space and improving overall performance.
- Write registry changes.
- To clean up your computer, you can uninstall unnecessary applications, wipe your disk to remove unwanted files, find and restore your system to a previous state using System Restore, identify and remove duplicated files, and disable programs that launch automatically at startup.
Pros
- Standard cleaning drive
- Standard privacy protection
Cons
- Complete cleaning is not free.
- AVG antivirus is bundled to install with this software.
Data Wipe Software Free Download: https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner
How to Wipe Data:
Step 1. Click Custom Clean in CCleaner.
Step 2. Scroll to the Advanced category and click Wipe Free Space.
Step 3. Click OK at the warning window, and run Ccleaner to clean the drive.
#4. DBAN
The process of deleting information stored on hard drives in desktop, laptops, and server machines involves securely erasing data to prevent unauthorized access. This can be achieved through various methods, including physical destruction of the hard drive, using specialized software to overwrite data, or using specific commands in operating systems to delete files and folders. The goal is to ensure that deleted information cannot be recovered, providing a level of security and confidentiality.
DBAN is a free data erasing solution that can erase hard drive data, but it may not completely sanitize the entire drive and has limitations when it comes to SSDs, despite being a comprehensive solution for many companies.
Features:
- Support health check of your computer
- You can use a computer cleaning tool to remove temporary files, cookies, and other data that can slow down your computer. This can include deleting temporary files in File Explorer, clearing browser cookies and cache, and removing files from download locations.
- Write registry changes.
- To manage your computer's performance and space, you can uninstall unnecessary applications, wipe your disk to free up storage, and find a system restore image to revert back to a previous state. Additionally, you can use tools to identify and remove duplicated files, and disable programs from running at startup to improve boot times and overall system efficiency.
Pros
- Free and Open-source
Cons
- No guarantee for data is completely erased.
- Can't detect nor erase SSD.
Data Wipe Software Free Download: https://dban.org/
How to Wipe Hard Drive Data:
Step 1. Download DBAN and save its ISO file to your computer.
Step 2. Burn DBAN to a USB flash drive.
Step 3. Restart PC and boot into DBAN USB.
Step 4. Choose an option from DBAN main menu: Enter
Step 5. Type Command to wipe hard drive data:
- dod - DoD 5220.22-M
- dodshort - The modified algorithm runs three passes instead of seven, with the same goal of finding the maximum subarray sum. In each pass, it calculates the cumulative sum of the array and keeps track of the maximum sum seen so far.
- ops2 - RCMP TSSIT OPS-II
- gutmann - Gutmann
- prng - Random Data
- quick - Write Zero (completely erase hard drive)
Step 6. Choose a hard drive to wipe and wait for the erasing process completes.
Verify that DBAN has successfully erased your hard drive by checking if it finishes the wipe process and displays a successful message.
#5. Disk Wipe
Wipe volume data for free to completely erase all disk data and prevent recovery of those data. This process is useful for securely deleting sensitive information and freeing up storage space.
Disk Wipe is released as freeware under EULA Licence, making it free for personal users to destroy data on their hard drives. The software not only erases data but also offers a formatting option, allowing users to format a hard drive and potentially recover data, depending on the level of formatting chosen.
Features:
- Wipe data on partitions and disk volumes.
- Doesn't need installation.
- Use quick format prior to clean drive for faster performance.
- Support NTFS, FAT, FAT32 disk formats.
Pros
- All data on a device can be completely erased, making it impossible to recover the data, using a process called a "secure wipe" or "secure deletion". This is typically done using specialized software or hardware that overwrites the data multiple times with random characters, making it unrecoverable.
Cons
- Outdated interface, not user-friendly.
Data Wipe Software Free Download: https://www.diskwipe.org/
How to Wipe Data:
Step 1. Run DiskWipe.exe from PC.
Step 2. Select the drive or partition you want to erase and click Wipe Disk.
Step 3. The program will ask if you want to format the drive as NTFS, FAT, or FAT32, select one format.
Step 4. To erase data, you can choose from various erase patterns and number of passes, including One Pass Zero, One Pass Random, and the US Department of Defense's Dod pattern.
Wait for the process to complete.
Select the Easiest Data & Hard Drive Wipe Software, Go and Clean Up Your Data Now
The 5 best free data wipe software that permanently erase data on your computer hard drive are listed on this page, providing a means to clean up and securely erase data from your hard drive.
After comparing the pros, cons, and key features of these software options, you can make an informed decision. If you're still undecided, our editor's pick can serve as a guide, allowing you to try the recommended tool first.
- For internet data wipe software, CCleaner is a good option to try.
- Blancco Drive Eraser can help a Server data cleaner with its certified data erasing feature.
- For the easiest and most efficient data wipe software, Qiling Partition Master is the way to go.
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