Erasing is not one job. Wiping a whole disk, wiping one partition on a machine that has to keep running, wiping files in place, wiping the space where deleted files used to be, and wiping a bench full of drives at once are five different operations carrying five different risks.
What follows covers each one: what it erases, what it leaves alone, and what to check before you start. All five end in the same certificate.
The Process, Step by Step
Boot, or Run in Place
A drive holding the running operating system cannot be wiped from inside it. Boot the machine from the USB image or over the network with PXE and nothing has to be installed on the target. Any other drive can be erased with the software running normally.
Identify the Drive, Then Pick the Standard
Check the model, serial and capacity on screen against the asset you meant to erase, before anything is written. Then choose the standard — the software states what each one does, how many passes it runs, and whether verification is part of its procedure.
Run It, Then Read the Certificate
The run records the drive's own readings as it goes and hashes the drive before and after. When it finishes, the certificate names the asset, the method and the verification result.
The Five Erase Operations
Read the last column first. Choosing partition wipe when you meant disk wipe leaves data behind; choosing disk wipe when you meant partition wipe takes the operating system with it.
| Operation | Target | What it does | What it destroys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disk Wipe | One physical drive | Every part of the drive is overwritten, not only the parts a file system can see. The partition table, the operating system and anything hidden away go with it — the drive comes back blank. | Everything on the selected drive. |
| Partition Wipe | One or more volumes | Erases one or more partitions and leaves the rest of the drive intact. For a machine that must keep its operating system but lose a data volume. | Everything on the selected partitions. |
| File & Folder Wipe | Paths | Each file is overwritten with the chosen standard before its directory entry is removed. The file system stays usable. | The selected files and folders. |
| Free Space Wipe | One or more volumes | Overwrites the unallocated space on a volume, removing traces of files that were deleted normally. Existing files are left alone. | Previously deleted data only. |
| Multiple Drive Wipe | Several drives at once | Erases several drives concurrently in one case, each with the same standard. Every drive is tracked as its own job, so one failure does not hide the others. | Everything on every selected drive. |
Before You Start
- Check the serial number on screen against the asset, not the bay it is sitting in. Bays get relabelled; serials do not.
- On an SSD, NVMe or self-encrypting drive, use the drive's own sanitize or crypto-erase rather than overwrite passes alone — the controller can retire blocks that overwriting never reaches.
- File and free-space wipes cannot reach copies made by shadow copies, backups or SSD wear levelling. Where those exist, the whole drive is the right target.
- A machine with no operating system, or one whose OS drive is the target, needs the bootable image or PXE.
- For a batch, use multiple drive wipe rather than repeating a single job — each drive is tracked separately, so a failure is visible instead of buried.
- If a drive refuses the command or fails verification, do not pass it. It is flagged for physical destruction for a reason.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wipe the drive Windows is running from?
Not from inside Windows. Boot the machine from the USB image or over PXE; the drive is then no longer in use and can be erased whole.
How many drives can run at once?
Up to eight, set from the application's Concurrent Sanitization Limit. Each is tracked as its own job, so a failure on one is reported rather than hidden by the others finishing.
Does a free space wipe protect files I deleted last year?
It overwrites the unallocated space those files used to occupy, which is where they still are. It cannot reach a copy that a backup or a shadow copy took at the time.
Is overwriting enough on an SSD?
Not on its own. The controller decides where writes land and can retire blocks that overwriting never reaches. Issue the drive's sanitize or crypto-erase command, then verify it.
Do I need an internet connection?
No. The erase runs offline. A connection is only needed to activate a licence, and offline activation exists for machines that never get one.
Try It on One Drive
Thirty days, every feature, no card. The certificates the trial produces are the real ones.
Read the Standards