Disk Content Wipe
| | Recommended method | |-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | Reuse the drive yourself | Secure erase (built into drive firmware) or blkdiscard (SSD) | | Sell or donate the computer | Full disk encryption + reset, or ATA Secure Erase | | Destroy data on a failing drive | Physical destruction (drill, shredder) | | Wipe only free space (keep OS) | cipher /w (Windows) or srm (Linux/macOS) | | One-file/folder secure deletion | shred (Linux), sdelete (Windows), rm -P (macOS) |
When using advanced tools, you may see these options: disk content wipe