- Disk Diet Clean Your Drive 5 4 2010
- Disk Diet Clean Your Drive 5 4 2017
- Disk Diet Clean Your Drive 5 4 20
The second step to clean out hard drive space on a Mac is to clear system, user and also browser cache. Cache are temporary files and can accumulate very quickly, that's why one should delete them from the hard disk. Make a habit to delete cache on Mac and browsing history to prevent slowdowns of your favorite browser. CleanMyDrive 2 can be configured to automatically purge removable drives, with the exception of startup, network, or Time Machine volumes. CleanMyDrive 2 is a small (6.8MB), lightweight.
- Whether you're upgrading to the Windows 10 Insider Preview or the official build of the operating system, you'll notice a significant hit on hard drive space—up to 20 GB taken away from you. For those with older or even solid-state hard drives (SSDs), this can be a substantial hit. Luckily, there's a super easy way to reclaim some, or possibly all, of this space back, and it's done with.
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July 13, 2020
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You want to donate or recycle your old computer gear, but there's something you have to do first — wipe your hard drive. That means clearing out all your personal information.
You may think that's not a lot of stuff, but your old devices probably hold a ton of information. Your medical records, browser history, login info for your bank account, past emails — all that information about you that accumulates on a device.
It's not enough to simply delete old files. Why? The delete button doesn't actually delete.
Your personal information will be retrievable on a computer's hard drive unless you take steps to wipe the hard drive clean. If you don't, the files are there for the taking. Anyone with recovery software and bad intentions could access them and put your privacy and the security of your personal information at risk.
How to completely wipe a hard drive
Follow these steps to ensure you're truly wiping your hard drive clean. They'll help keep you from passing on or losing your documents, photos, passwords, financial information, and personal data when you say goodbye to your old device.
Step 1: Back up your hard-drive data
Before you wipe your computer's hard drive or do a factory reset, make sure to back up all of your information to your new computer, an external hard drive, or a web service.
Backing up your data regularly is a smart way to keep your data safe. Hard drives can crash, get lost, stolen, or encrypted by ransomware software. The best defense is to make sure all the data is backed up safely and frequently.
You can back up your data on thumb drives or USB flash drives. But keep in mind these are small storage devices and may not accommodate all the data from your PC. External hard drives can offer more storage. You can also transfer your data to another laptop or PC.
'Cloud backs' are another option. They're safe and one of the most convenient ways to store data. Here's how it works.
First, you create an account and complete the initial setup. Next, you enable the storage of your data to the cloud — a network of remote servers. There's no physical location for the backed-up data. So the risk of it getting stolen or destroyed by things like floods or fires is mitigated. Plus, the files are encrypted. That makes it difficult for cybercriminals to access or steal your information.
The importance of data backup
It's a good idea to make backing up data a part of your cyber hygiene. If you happen to lose your data due to a hardware defect or ransomware attack, having a backup could be the respite you're looking for.
Step 2: Don't just delete files from your computer
You might think moving your documents to the trash or recycle bin and emptying it will do the trick. Maybe not. This action appears to delete the files, but often leaves them where they were, hidden from view. Most data recovery programs can actually recover these hidden files.
Here's why. When you empty files from the trash or recycle bin, the file name or the reference to the deleted file is erased. The computer can no longer see the file.
This means the space the file took up on the laptop or PC is no longer reserved for that file. But the file is still in the hard drive. It will stay in the hard drive until its location is given up for a new file to be stored in that exact location.
Data recovery software is capable of rebuilding the file header. This makes it possible for the computer to see the file again.
Here's the risk. When your files are not deleted completely from the hard drive, cybercriminals can run data recovery software to access your deleted files.
Law enforcement agencies use data recovery software to access deleted files from confiscated computers. Cybercriminals can use the same tools and techniques to commit identity theft.
Step 3: Use a program to wipe your drive
Special software programs can permanently erase your hard drive. There's little chance you can get any data back. Similarly, no one else will be able to use data recovery software to recover your files.
Most programs run a low-level format that overwrites all the deleted files with zeros and other incomprehensible data. This makes it impossible for data recovery software to recover the files.
DBAN is a free data destruction program* that completely erases files on a hard drive. This includes all personal files, operating systems, and installed programs.
It's smart to use a program to wipe your device. Most products offer proof of erasure. Some even provide information about what was done to the drive and its data. This helps when wiping a company laptop or PC.
Step 4: Physically wipe your hard drive
If you want to double-ensure your hard drive is wiped, you can take additional measures. For instance, you can physically wipe the drive. Just remove your hard drive and take a rare earth magnet to it. Another option? Physically dismantle it with a screwdriver.
A rare earth magnet, like the neodymium magnet, can be used to deform the metal plates in the hard disk. This makes it unusable. One warning: The magnets are powerful and can cause physical harm if used incorrectly.
A safer method might be using a screwdriver to dismantle the pieces of the hard drive to make it useless.
Step 5: Do a fresh installation of the operating system
There's another way to completely rewrite over the whole hard drive. That's by completing a clean installation of the original operating system that came with the computer. This can be especially important if you're giving the device to someone like a friend or family member.
What are the risks of not wiping my hard drive?
As the line between the real world and digital world blurs, it's smart to understand how cybercriminals work. A security product like Norton Security Premium helps protect your personal PC files, financial information and your family's devices. But when you discard your device without properly wiping the hard drive, you run the risk of losing your data.
Cybercriminals value your personal data — such as your email address, passwords, Social Security number, driver's license details, and credit card information. They could sell the information on the dark web.
Cybercriminals can buy the information and launch cyberattacks to commit other kinds of crimes like identity theft and extortion. They could open bank accounts in your name, purchase items with your credit card information, or take out loans and default on them, leaving you with the consequences.
Thieves also look for private and confidential information. This may include non-disclosure agreements, personal photographs, private chat conversations, and other details you may not want to expose. If a hard drive wasn't wiped clean, cybercriminals could retrieve this information to blackmail the owner of the content.
Types of data deletion
No matter what kind of data you had on your computer before you decided to donate or recycle it, it pays to play it safe.
Remember, deleting your files from the recycle bin or trash doesn't mean the file is gone from your device. It only means its location is available. Data recovery software can easily find those files in your hard drive.
Here are a few ways to wipe your hard drive like the pros and avoid the risk of someone accessing your old data.
1. DBAN
Short for Darik's Boot and Nuke, DBAN* uses a random number generator that wipes and overwrites everything on the drive several times. Every file that has been deleted now has the new number assigned to it. This makes it impossible for data recovery tools to access it. This tool is useful if you plan to sell, donate, or recycle your computer or laptop.
Disk Diet Clean Your Drive 5 4 2010
2. Destroy the hard drive
A sure way to completely destroy the hard drive is to make it physically impossible to access the disks. This can be done by dismantling the pieces of the hard disk with a screwdriver and using a hammer to scratch and mangle the disk. The goal is to make sure the disk will not work when it is loaded into another hard drive. A powerful rare earth magnet can also be used to destroy the platter in the hard drive.
How Norton Utilities can help wipe your hard drive
Your PC is likely packed with personal files. It's wise to keep all that information secure and private. Norton Utilities is a handy tool that keeps your PC running like new. It fixes common issues that slow down or crash your PC. It also frees up space by finding duplicate files and unused applications.
It's commonplace to store personal files on your PC. Now it's easy to keep your digital life private. Safely dispose of personal documents, so no one can access them. Think of it as a digital shredder. Norton Utilities helps keep what you do on your computer private. It can permanently erase all record of your computer and web-based activities to help protect your privacy.
It also safely disposes of personal documents permanently and renders them inaccessible. Most of all, it maintains your digital privacy by erasing your recently opened files and website browsing history.
There's a lot you can do to help protect your personal information if you take the right steps before disposing of your old computer.
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* The inclusion of websites, links, or programs here does not imply endorsement or support of any companies, materials, products and/or providers listed herein.
Editorial note: Our articles provide educational information for you. NortonLifeLock offerings may not cover or protect against every type of crime, fraud, or threat we write about. Our goal is to increase awareness about cyber safety. Please review complete Terms during enrollment or setup. Remember that no one can prevent all identity theft or cybercrime, and that LifeLock does not monitor all transactions at all businesses.
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Summary
Don't worry if DiskPart clean command deleted data and partition on Windows 10/8/7. First, you need to stop using the hard drive or external device. Next, you need a reliable DiskPart clean recovery method for help. Here, EaseUS diskpart recovery software with the other 2 methods will bring your lost data and partition back instantly.
Many people complain that their data and partition got deleted mistakenly as they run the DiskPart clean command on a wrong drive but don't know how to undo DiskPart clean.
If you are with the same issue, check out the content navigation. You'll find three practical methods to recover data and partition deleted by DiskPart clean command on Windows 10/8/7 with ease:
- DiskPart Clean Overview
- Can You Undo Diskpart Clean and Recover Files
- How to Undo Diskpart Clean in Windows 10/8/7 - 3 Ways
Note: Stop using your hard drive and don't save any new data once you've cleaned the disk using diskpart.
DiskPart Clean Overview
In this part, you'll learn: 1. What is Diskpart clean command; 2. When to use it.
DiskPart.exe is a disk utility in Windows that helps Administrators manage a computer's disk partitions with some commands.
DiskPart clean is a command that overwrites the partitioning information, including hidden sector information or the Protective MBR, on an MBR or GPT Disk. As a result, the command removes all partitions or volumes formatting from the disk. That's why you see data and partition lost after executing this command.
- Notice:
- Unlike DiskPart clean, the clean all command is set to write zero to each and every sector on the disk, which completely deletes all data on the disk. It's a way to erase a drive, making data and partition unrecoverable.
As explained, both Diskpart clean and clean all commands will cause serious data loss. It is not suggested to execute frequently as it's a 'dangerous' command. So when should you use the DiskPart clean command?
- DiskPart clean -Use it when you want to clean a whole drive, it has some errors, or you want to free up disk space for other purposes.
- DiskPart clean all - Use it when you want to erase the drive or sell the drive, etc.
IMPORTANT: Be more careful while cleaning the drive with this command, your data will be removed. And it can happen at times.
Can You Undo Diskpart Clean and Recover Files
Can you recover files after Diskpart clean? The answer to this and other similar questions is YES. It's possible to undo the DiskPart command.
Sometimes, users may execute a wrong command in their storage devices or Windows hard drive partition, accidentally deleted data or deleted the partition by mistake.
As explained, the DiskPart clean command only deleted data and partition. Therefore, you can still recover files and partitions after DiskPart clean. However, if you executed 'clean all' command, undoing diskpart clean in that situation is impossible.
You may come up with the next question of 'How do I restore a partition using diskpart' or 'How do I undo a clean command in Diskpart', right?
Follow the methods in the next part, you can undo the operation and bring your data and partition back immediately.
How to Undo Diskpart Clean in Windows 10/8/7 ( 3 Ways)
Now you know the files and partitions are recoverable if you use the diskpart clean command without the 'all' parameter. Here, we collected 3 practical methods that can help you recover files and partition on your drive with ease:
- #1. Use Partition Recovery Tool - Easiest
- #2. Run EaseUS DiskPart Recovery Software - Safe & Sound
Solution 1. Use Partition Recovery Tool
Applies to: Recover partition and data together from a DiskPart cleaned drive.
If you want to recover both data and the partitions on the disk which was cleaned by DiskPart, you can use EaseUS Partition Recovery to get things done. It is exclusively designed for partition and data recovery.
Follow the steps here to restore partitions and files from the disk on which you use the diskpart clean command:
Step 1: Run EaseUS Partition Recovery on your PC.
Select the disk or device where you lost partition(s), click 'Scan' to continue.
Step 2: Wait for the scanning process to complete.
Let the program scan the selected disk and find the lost partition(s).
Step 3: Preview and restore the lost partition(s).
Double-click on the partition which is marked as 'Lost' with 'Good' recoverability.
Preview the content of the lost partition. Click 'OK' and click 'Proceed' to start restoring the lost partition.
Step 4: Click 'Recover Now' to finish the partition recovery process.
Note: If the program warns you that there is a conflict, back up the listed partition with essential data to an external hard drive first. Then execute the final operation to restore your lost partition.
Solution 2. Run EaseUS DiskPart Recovery Software
Applies to: 3-step data recovery, recover lost partition with DiskPart command.
Sometimes, if the partition table gets corrupted, a normal partition recovery tool may not be able to detect nor find your lost disk partition. So it is to EaseUS Partition Recovery.
So the other practical way that you can try is to run a reliable DiskPart recovery software to restore lost data first. Then run the CMD command to create new volumes on the drive.
#1. Recover DiskPart Cleaned Data via EaseUS DiskPart Recovery Software
Professional hard drive recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is designed to scan and retrieve the files and folders from your disk from any data loss situations.
With it, you can undo diskpart clean in Windows 10/8/7 and even earlier versions with simple clicks.
Remember to save the found data to another secure location before making the drive usable again. Follow to recover your lost data in 3 steps:
Step 1. Run EaseUS DiskPart recovery software.
Select a location where you deleted or lost data by using DiskPart command and click 'Scan'.
Step 2. Scan the DiskPart deleted or removed Files.
As long as you click the 'Scan' option, the software starts to scan your Diskpart deleted and removed files. Be patient during the process.
Step 3. Recover the DiskPart Deleted or Removed Files.
Once the scanning process finishes, preview the desired files by double-clicking it. If you want to quickly find lost files or data, click 'Filter' to help you. Then, click the 'Recover' button to get them back.
#2. Partition Recovery - Create New Volumes via Diskpart
Disk Diet Clean Your Drive 5 4 2017
Now, you can perform partition recovery on your hard drive, USB, or external hard drive with DiskPart.
The command is not a recovery command. But you can use it to create new partitions on the drive, making the cleaned drive or USB, SD card usable again:
Step 1. Press Windows + R keys, type cmd in the Run dialog, and hit Enter.
Step 2. Type below commands, hit Enter each time to create a new partition:
- diskpart
- select disk * (Replace * with the disk number of your drive.)
- create primary partition size=* (Replace * with the partition size.)
- assign letter=* (Replace * with a new drive letter.)
- exit
If you want to create more than one partition on your hard drive, just repeat the above process. After this, you are good to use the drive or external storage devices and you may save the restored data back to the device again.
#3. Turn to Manual Partition and Data Recovery Service
Applies to: Manually undo DiskPart clean, restore data, and partition on a hard drive from third-party data recovery service.
Note that if the above two methods fail to help you undo the DiskPart clean command, there might be more problems on your disk. And you can turn to a manual partition and data recovery service for help.
- 1. Unformat the drive
- 2. Repair the RAID, RAW disk or operating system
- 3. Recover lost partition (the one that cannot be recovered by software)
The Bottom Line
On this page, we explained what is DiskPart clean command and the difference between 'clean' and 'clean all' commands. When you executed a solely clean command on your drive, you may still bring the lost data and partition back.
If you want to undo the DiskPart clean command. First, don't make any changes to your drive. Next, turn to a reliable method for help. If you only used 'diskpart clean', you can recover all your data and partitions using a partition recovery tool, EaseUS DiskPart recovery software, or data recovery service.
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Last, it's also recommended that you make a regular backup of all valuable files on your drive to another secure location.