Only in this way will photos and files be permanently erased from memory cards

Only in this way will photos and files be permanently erased from memory cards

Only in this way will photos and files be permanently erased from memory cards and flash memory and no one will be able to retrieve them.

If you insecurely format a hard drive or USB device that you are going to leave with someone, it can pose a small issue to your privacy depending on the content you have saved on it.

If you don't plan to reuse the hard drives or USB drives you want to format, the best way to avoid exposing your data is to destroy them in some way. But in case you want to reuse them, today we will teach you how to securely erase the contents of hard drives and USB drives using one of the tools available to do so.

Disk Wipe is a very easy-to-use tool on Windows, which is why we chose it. The first thing you need to do is go to the Disk Wipe download page. Once you get there, click on the link that appears in red with the text Click here to download Disk Wipe, and the program will start downloading automatically.

You don't have to install anything, just run the downloaded DiskWipe.exe file. You will see that its icon looks like a shield, which means that when you double-click on the program it will ask you for administrator permissions. Don't be afraid of the big window it asks you for, say yes to grant it permission.

Once you open the app, in the left column, you need to choose the storage device you want to delete and which you have linked to your computer. When you choose one, its information will appear in the central pane to make sure it is the one you want. When you are sure you have selected the right option, click Wipe Disk in the upper left to initiate the wiping process.

The scanning process setup consists of three parts or options. First, you will have to choose the file system you want to format the drive with. You can choose between NTFS, FAT and FAT32. Select the option you want to use and press the Next button to continue.

Now comes the most important part of the process, where you have to choose the wipe mode. You can choose between a simple single wipe or a 35-pass wipe. The higher the number, the more certain you are that all data will be wiped, although the process will be longer.

Anyway, since what you want here is to permanently erase your data, choose the last mode, Peter Gutmann's 35 Passes, and then click "Next" to continue. Of course, make sure to do this when you can leave your computer running alone, because depending on the size of your USB, SD, or external hard drive, the process may take a few hours.

That's it, the process will have started and the progress will be displayed in the application window. Be patient and wait until it is completely finished if you don't want your storage drive to get damaged.

- Link: Disk Wipe