Your drive is wiped, your PC is reset, and Windows is reinstalled. After your PC reboots, you are placed at the Windows setup screen where you can go through the setup process again if you plan to keep the PC. Click Next and then choose Fully clean the drive to ensure everything is deleted.Ĭlick the Reset button. Click Get Started under the Remove everything and reinstall Windows section. If Windows 8.1 is on the drive you want to wipe, go to Settings > Change PC Settings > Update and recovery > Recovery. But if you plan to get rid of the PC, just shut it down at this point.

If you plan to keep the computer, you can go through the Windows setup process again. Click Reset to start the process.Īfter the drive is wiped, Windows is reinstalled. You should then choose the Local reinstall option to reinstall Windows from your computer.Īt the Additional settings window, click the Change Settings link and turn on the switch next to Clean data. When prompted, choose the option for Remove everything. To wipe your drive in Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery, and then click the Get Started button.

You can set up Windows again if you plan to keep the computer, otherwise shut it down now. Your computer goes through the reset process whereby your drive is wiped and Windows is reinstalled. From the Additional settings window, click the Change settings link, enable the switch for Clean data, and then click Confirm.Ĭlick Next to start the process, then hit the Reset button. If that doesn’t work, select the Cloud download. When asked what you want to erase, select Remove everything.Ĭhoose Local reinstall to reinstall Windows from this device, since it will run faster than the cloud download. Go to Settings > System > Recovery and click Reset PC. Wiping your drive in Windows 11 is largely the same as in Windows 10, with a few tweaks. To be certain your data can't fall into the wrong hands, a good hard drive eraser utility is still your best bet if you want a stronger and more secure method of wiping your drive. However, most computers now come with solid-state drives (SSDs), which are faster than their mechanical counterparts but can be trickier to wipe. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.

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