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Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 offers built-in utilities (in slightly tweaked flavors depending on version) for refreshing, resetting, or restoring the operating system. There are several ways to achieve this, including the following.
How to wipe a computer windows 8.1 how to#
In other words, you need to know how to wipe a hard drive without deleting Windows. You want to end up with a machine with all your personal data wiped off but with Windows fully operational.
How to wipe a computer windows 8.1 Pc#
Supposing you’re retiring an old PC but don’t want to physically destroy it.
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How To Wipe A Hard Drive Without Deleting Windows
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It is the only way to guarantee that no trace of your confidential data can be found on the hard drive. With this background, it’s clear to see why securely wiping a hard drive before disposing of it is a must. You just won’t be able to access the file directly via Windows Explorer. The actual file (or its contents) remains intact on the hard drive. Instead, Windows simply removes that file’s entry from its index (Windows maintains an index of all files on the system for faster file access). You could reinstall Windows or reinstate a recovery partition but this does not guarantee that someone cannot retrieve the data on the hard drive.Īs you probably know, the built-in delete function in Windows does not remove the “deleted” file instantly. The files have to be removed securely to ensure they’re unrecoverable. Keep in mind that wiping a hard drive isn’t just about deleting files on it. The good news is that there are proven ways to securely wipe a hard drive while preserving the operating system. But using the typical hard drive data wiping methods and keeping Windows intact is a difficult feat for most average computer users. Sometimes you want to preserve Windows, especially if you’re giving away the computer. When you wipe a hard drive, the main intent is to ensure no one can recover the erased files in any format. However, these are obviously delicate methods as you want to preserve the operating system. There are a few ways of how to wipe a hard drive without deleting Windows. Need to know how to wipe a hard drive without deleting Windows? Have you been Googling “how to wipe everything off a hard drive except the OS” or “how do I wipe a hard drive without removing operating system?” Look no further, because you’ve found the solution to the above queries, and even how to delete data off SSD without erasing Windows.