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2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
Imagine that you sold or donated to someone a clean, in your opinion, SSD or laptop with SSD, and the new owner took and restored all your personal information from it. This can easily happen. Therefore, you must permanently delete all data from the solid state drive.
Solid state drives (SSDs) work differently from more conventional hard disk drives (HDDs). Therefore, standard methods of permanently deleting data, such as filling with zeros and ones, are not suitable for SSDs.
Method 1. Disk encryption
One of the most convenient ways to permanently delete data from an SSD without affecting the further performance of the drive is encryption. If a stranger without a decryption key gains access to an encrypted disk, he will see there only a meaningless set of ones and zeros.
Disk encryption in Windows
The standard BitLocker encryption tool is not available on all versions of Windows, but you can use an alternative called VeraCrypt.
is a free and open source encryption tool for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Download, install and run VeraCrypt. Select System → Encrypt System Partition / Drive → Normal encryption → Next → Encrypt the whole drive → Single-boot → Next.
- Encryption Options do not need to be changed. The reliability of the standard settings (AES and SHA-256) is more than satisfactory.
- Create and write down a password somewhere. You will need it during the encryption process.
- Wait for the end of the encryption process and click Next. Agree with the suggestion to create a Rescue Disk, this is a required option.
- Select the 1-pass option for Wipe Mode and click Next. Then click Test to check if the encryption was successful.
- After restarting your computer, enter the created password and follow the further instructions to complete the encryption process.
Disk encryption in macOS
Lifehacker has a separate article on how to encrypt a disk on an "apple" computer.
How to encrypt a disk in macOS →
What to do with SSD after encryption
Format, and nothing else. Particularly anxious people perform the procedure twice, that is, they encrypt the SSD, then format it, and then encrypt it again and format it again. Just to be sure.
Method 2. Physical destruction
Are you afraid to throw away a failed disk because some expert will find it, fix it and take possession of all your data? In this case, the SSD must be properly destroyed before it is sent to landfill.
The peculiarity of SSDs is that data in them is stored not on large disks, but in rather compact memory modules. Take a look at the photo of the insides of the solid state drive.
See these rectangular things? The information is in them. Accordingly, in order to guarantee the destruction of data, you need:
- Open the SSD.
- Carefully crush each rectangle on the microcircuit with a heavy blunt object.
The task itself is not trivial. There are even special shredders for SSD disposal, but the average person does not have access to such equipment.
You will need a tool (small screwdrivers) to open the case, a hammer, and be sure to wear protective goggles so that sharp small fragments do not get into your eyes.
This method will help suspicious individuals and secret agents to irrevocably destroy data of special importance in the event of an SSD failure. The most notorious paranoids can additionally spray in the wind the crumb, which turned into memory modules after working with a hammer.
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