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Here's how to split your Mac hard drive into multiple partitions or volumes so that you can run more than one OS on your Mac, or divide up your Mac so different users can have their own space. I have been told by a mac tech that i need to wipe my hard drive. After insterting the mac os x installation disc (number 1), the computer asks me to restart.which i do. But the process won't advance after this. It jams in the 'thinking/loading' screen. I have tried booting it from the disc.by pressing alt/option and also c while powering up.
- Free Hard Drive Wipe Software
- How To Wipe A Mac Hard Drive
- Erase Mac Os Hard Drive
- Wipe Hard Drive Mac But Keep Os Catalina
- Wipe Hard Drive Mac But Keep Os Versions
Jan 22, 2021 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions
Janet: Recently, I plan to wipe my hard drive completely to release the disk space. But I am afraid it will be not effective and efficient through easy deletion. Who can help?
Have you ever thought of how to erase your hard drive and what you can benefit from the format? According to a technician in Apple and Microsoft corporations, regular thorough clean-up is good for hard drive health. So you have to figure out efficient methods to completely erase the data without a mark. And you are in the right place, this article is going to address your doubt on how to wipe your hard drive on Mac or Windows OS completely.
How Can You Benefit from Thoroughly Wiping a Hard Drive?
Imagine that if we have an infinite storage device, then there is no need to clean up the hard drive. However, the reality is the opposite. We need to occasionally conduct a complete hard drive clean-up on Windows and Mac computers. According to some hard drive users, they think a thorough format will help them in the following aspects.
- Erase data to improve computer performance. Sometimes, you have accumulated lots of data on your computer, it gets sluggish. In this condition, cleanup is needed.
- Wipe the incursive virus out. Erasing hard drive data from the computer will wipe the virus out at the same time.
- Maintain hard disk health. Wiping or erasing the disk will solve a lot of fragmentation and many other issues.
- Merge or create a new partition. For that purpose, you are required to delete or format some partition on your computer.
- Erase the old OS to install new. Hence, you will have to wipe the old data from the hard drive, to make way for a fresh installation.
After know why some people choose to completely wipe out the hard drive data(The data cannot be recoverable in the situation). Let's turn to methods on Windows and Mac separately.
How to Wipe Hard Drive on Windows OS Entirely?
Windows gives good options when it comes to erasing data from your Windows computer. However, you must always back up your data before you erase hard drive data from your computer. You can always use third-party software but Windows gives you a more secure way of wiping data. You can use either the old installation disk or a new OS installation disk to erase the data from your computer.
You can use the following steps to wipe or erase hard drive data on your Windows computer. You will require a backup CD or your Windows CD to wipe the data.
Step 1 Insert the CD in the computer and restart your computer. Once the booting starts you will see a function button for entering into boot option. Press that button continuously when the computer starts and enter into the boot option and choose CD-ROM.
Step 2 It will start again and boot from the CD-Rom. On the next screen, you will see various setup options. And also there will a list of the disks on your computer. Select the disk you want to erase and then go to the option to Delete The Selected Partition. In case there is more than one partition, you can choose the other also to delete it.
Step 3 Now choose the NTFS option for a drive and choose the formatting option quick or normal.
It will automatically format your disk and it will restart again. Make sure there is an operating system on your computer and boots from that drive. Few options may change from OS to OS but the steps will remain the same while erasing the data. You reinstall the new OS or use the existing one to access your formatted computer.
What is the easiest way to wipe a hard disk completely in Windows 10?
There are multiple tools to erase your hard drive. Among all the tools, the Windows inbuilt program PowerShell is the most easiest and popular way to completely wipe a disk. You can read the following notice and take the steps to wipe out the drive.
Before performing the format task, do ensure that you know the Drive Letter which you want to erase. You can't wipe out 'C' Drive from the Windows.
Step 1 Click on the icon of start, now open Windows power shell (admin). This will open a new window. In this tool, you can input-text based instructions.
Step 2 Use this command line; Format volume /P: passes. In this command line volume is the drive letter and 'P' is the number of times you want to overwrite the drive.
Step 3 Press 'Enter' and your task is done.
What if you want to erase your C Drive thoroughly? there does have a way.
How to totally wipe a Windows C Drive with DBAN?
DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) is an astonishing third-party tool to wipe a hard drive. The fault of the Windows built-in command line is that it can't wipe out the C Drive. Fortunately, DBAN is capable of wiping the 'C' drive. Follow the instructions to completely clear your C Drive.
Step 1 Back up valuable data
Out of all the junk, there might be some valuable data on your hard drive. You have to make a backup of it before you proceed any further. You can only ignore this step if you have 100% data useless on your hard drive.
Step 2 Download and burn DBAN to disc
Downloading DBAN is no big deal. It is easily downloadable following these guidelines. You need to go to the DBAN download page on Sourceforge. The ISO file will be of 17 MB in size when downloaded. After downloading it must be written to a blank optical disk using Windows built-in tool. You must insert a blank disk into your computer. Lastly, right-click on the 'DBAN-2.3.0_i586.iso' file and select the option of the burn disc image. Wait for several minutes till the disk is created and label it.
Step 3 identify your hard drive
When the whole downloading and burning DBAN to disc process is completed. Make sure you have identified your hard drive first. You can use Windows Explorer to check the 'C' drive. Open Windows Explorer and see if the device is labeled OS C: or Windows C: then everything is going fine. You can further specify the drive by clicking on the properties and the hardware option of the drive. You can copy the hardware name of the device.
Step 4 Boot into DBAN
In this step, you need to insert the DBAN disc and restart your Pc. You need to reorder the boot device into the bios of your computer by taping the key 'DEL or f12' to prompt the boot section area. The keys are different from different laptops and Pcs.
Step 5 Wipe your hard drive with Darik's boot and nuke.
In this last step, you actually are going to wipe your hard drive with Darik's boot and nuke. These options will be available on your screen.
- F2 to learn about DBAN
- F3 for a list of commands
- F4 for troubleshooting
- Tap Enter to use DBAN in interactive mode
Okay, now use arrows to select the disk which you want to select, remember the name you copied in the third step. Select the device which matches the name. Tap space to change the flag to wipe. Press F-10, it will start the wipe process. To change the random number generator destroying your data use 'P'. you can enable the verification mode using 'V' but this action will take much more time. You will have a timer on the top corner which will tell you the time required for wiping. When the drive is wiped a new screen will pop up with 'pass' highlighted in green. If it shows 'fail' then your drive might be having physical issues.
How to Erase Hard Drive on Mac Thoroughly?
Erasing or wiping data on Mac is similar but options and steps are a little different as it is a different OS. However, Mac also gives you inbuilt options from erasing data from your Mac computer. Like in Windows, use the backup option first to save your important data. You do not want to lose this data because it might become impossible to recover data after it has been erased from the computer.
Here are the steps you can follow to wipe or erase hard drive data from Mac. You will require an installation disk of the OS to perform this wipe.
Step 1 Insert the disc into your Mac and restart it. When the computer restarts keep C pressed until the logo of Apple appears.
Step 2 When the new screens pop, select the appropriate selection. To erase select Macintosh HD volume and the go-to option button at the bottom. Choose to erase and install a clean OS of the operating system.
This is the best and easiest way to delete hard disk data on Mac. After the process, your computer will be restarted and it will be a fresh installation hence, you will have to restore your original data on your computer from the backup. However, you will require administrative permission before you make this change. Hence, enable the Root user to allow you to make this change.
Free Hard Drive Wipe Software
Both methods are simple and easy to follow. Make sure you have back up your data and use the original installation OS disks to make the process smooth. And I also attach a video teaching you how to format your hard drive thoroughly.
Video Tutorial on How to Format an External Hard Drive
Wondershare Recoverit - Powerful Data Recovery Software
If you forget a copy a backup, don't be panic! There is a Solution.
Using Wondershare Recoverit, you are able to restore your formated hard drive safely and efficiently. The application is compatible with both Windows and Mac systems. Except that, it supports to recover lost data from hard drive, flash drive, external hard drive, and any other storage devices. Click the following link to download and launch the software.
Here are the instructions you can follow: Guide.
Step 1 Connect your hard drive to the computer or just insert it.
Step 2 Select the hard drive. Open the Recoverit software, now select the storage device you want to recover data from. You can also recover the data lost during the partition. Once the location is selected press 'start'.
Step 3 Scan the hard drive. if you have pressed start, the software will deeply scan your hard drive. This process might take some time according to the size of your hard drive.
Step 4 Preview and recover data. after the scanning is complete all the files scanned will be displayed on the screen. You can preview the data you want to recover. Lastly, select the location to save the recovered data.
What's Wrong with Drive
- Recover Your Drive
- Fix Your Drive
- Format/Wipe Drive
- Know Your Drive
How To Wipe A Mac Hard Drive
Yo just got a new external hard drive and want to use it on your Mac. However, the Mac OS does not allow you to write data to the drive. You may wonder how to reformat an external hard drive on Mac. Follow the tutorial below, you'll get everything covered.
- Bonus: How to Recover Data from Formatted External Hard Drive on Mac
Reformatting an external hard drive for use with Mac OSX is not as difficult as it might seem. In a few simple steps you are ready to go and can save your back-up files to the external drive, keeping your information safe and giving you peace of mind. Keep in mind that a MAC can generally read other file formats, but for the best performance and to create a bootable disk, formatting exclusively for MAC is required.
Part 1: Which File Format You Should Choose?
Before you begin formatting the drive, there are a few things to do. The most important, you should decide which format to use.
There are a few file formats you can use, but it depends on the purpose you want to use the drive for. Which one is right for your circumstance? We'll describe them here, you'll know your choice after reading the details.
APFS: This is the default file system in Macs with High Sierra. It is efficient and reliable. However, it won't be readable and usable on machines that are not running Mac High Sierra, and Windows or Linux PCs. What's more, it is compatible with SSD and flash storage devices only.
Mac OS Extended (Journaled/HFS+): If you didn't update your Mac OS to High Sierra, the default file system on your Mac shoule be Mac OS Extended. Mac OS Extended (encrypted) would be an ideal option if you probably carry your laptop or external drive here and there. You can encrypt it so that no one can access the contents on your drive.
MS-DOS FAT (aka FAT32): In addition to Mac, it can also be written and read by Linux and Windows. It enables you to regularly share files with your friends who own a PC. Nevertheless, this older file system is limited to no more than 4GB and there might be security issue and disk errors.
ExFAT: It is similar to ExFAT which can be read by both Windows and Mac, but it can store more than 4GB files.
NTFS: As the default file system in Windows, it can only read by Mac OS, writing to it is not available. Luckily, there are third-party tools to help you do so.
Part 2: Format External Hard Drive for Mac with Disk Utility
Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. Hence, you must backup your important files before reformatting the drive if you want to save them. The easiest way is to drag it from one drive to another.
All is set, then you can go ahead to format the drive on your Mac. Disk utility - the MacOS utility application can help you with this. Just follow these steps below:
Step 1. Connect the external drive or the USB drive to the MAC.
Step 2. Start the Disk Utility, located under Applications > Utilities.
Step 3. Find the name of the drive in the left side of the Utilities window and select it. And click Erase button.
Step 4. Follow on-screen prompts to choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) file system and allow the disk to format.
Bonus: How to Recover Data from Formatted External Hard Drive on Mac
In case you forgot to backup files before formatting the external drive. Here comes the cure - iMyFone AnyRecover - a one-stop solution to recover deleted, lost or formatted files from Mac.
Follow these simple steps using AnyRecover to get your files back!
Get Ready!
First, download and install AnyRecover, following on-screen prompts to accomplish the task.
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Get Set!
- 1. After loading AnyRecover, plug your external hard drive into your Mac directly or via USB.
- 2. Next select the drive under 'External Removable Devices' tab, click 'Start' to begin scanning lost files on the drive.
Go!
Erase Mac Os Hard Drive
- 1. AnyRecover takes a moment to scan your drive. Once done, it will list out all scanning results by file type.
- 2. Double click a single file to preview it before recovery.
- 3. Select the files and press Recover to get them back.
What If?
Wipe Hard Drive Mac But Keep Os Catalina
What if my files were not found? Fear not. We can take this a step further. Enable 'Deep Scan' to try one more time, follow the steps above just as before to locate and recover your files.
Wipe Hard Drive Mac But Keep Os Versions
It is plain to see that AnyRecover for Mac is a tool worthy of top shelf treatment in your arsenal of items that are used to defend, recover and keep your system up and running. Don't get caught without the file you need for that meeting or stumbling looking for baby photos that were stored on disk and suddenly 'hid' from your view. Allow AnyRecover to find and recover your lost files. AnyRecover is easy to use but provides sophisticated results that mean you know what you're doing!