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Erase a drive securely

Before a computer is sold, returned or disposed of, its drives must be erased so that no data can be recovered. O&O SafeErase overwrites complete drives and partitions. In O&O BlueCon, even the Windows drive can be erased, because Windows is not running.

Prerequisites:

  • Your license includes O&O SafeErase (see Feature overview).
  • All data you still need is saved on another drive.

Erase a drive​

  1. Click Start > Programs > FileSafety > O&O SafeErase.
  2. Choose to erase a complete drive or partition.
  3. Select the drives. Check the selection carefully by size and name.
  4. Choose the erase method.
  5. Start the erase and confirm the warning.
  6. Wait until O&O SafeErase reports that the erase is complete.
Erased data cannot be recovered

Erasing cannot be undone, not even with data recovery software. Disconnect all external drives you want to keep before you start.

Result​

The drives contain no recoverable data. After erasing the Windows drive, the computer no longer starts until Windows is installed again or an image is restored.

In O&O BlueCon, O&O SafeErase only erases drives and partitions. Functions for the running Windows, such as erasing internet traces or the Recycle Bin, are not available.

Next steps​

Show system information to document the erased computer