Before you start SSD data wiping, you may want to have a brief understanding about Secure Erase. Secure Erase is the name given to a set of commands available from the firmware on PATA and SATA based on hard drives. Paragon Disk Wiper for Mac supports all Intel-based Macs, providing the possibility to quickly and efficiently sanitize the hard disks in order to protect valuable business information and also because there is, in the most countries, a legal obligation to do so.
Solid state drives are frequently referred to as the best upgrade you can make to your PC. Trading off disk space for speed is an increasingly popular option, but just like USB sticks and SD memory cards, SSDs can only be written to a limited number of times101 Guide To Solid State Drives101 Guide To Solid State DrivesSolid State Drives (SSDs) have really taken the mid-range to high end computing world by storm. But what are they?Read More.
This presents some interesting problems, particularly when it comes to erasing data (and doing so securely). Tools like Darik’s Boot and NukeHow to Wipe Your Hard Disk Drive Leaving the OS IntactHow to Wipe Your Hard Disk Drive Leaving the OS IntactSo you want to get rid of your computer. To keep your data secure you will want to securely wipe the drive. This ensures that no one can recover the deleted files. However, you might..Read More are not only ineffective, their write-intensive nature can vastly reduce performance and shorten SSD drive life.
Don’t get it wrong, securely erase your SSD the right way (if you even need to at all).
Only Do This If You Have To
Generally speaking, you should never have to perform any maintenance on your solid state drive. Such storage media has been designed with self-sufficiency in mind, using a series of algorithms and failsafes put in place to both maximise drive life and ensure data is properly discarded. The first protection comes in the form of wear levelling, designed to evenly distribute stored data between SSD blocks to ensure even wear.
As a reminder, traditional hard drives store files in physical locations on a magnetic platter, which is then indexed in the file systemWhat A File System Is & How You Can Find Out What Runs On Your DrivesWhat A File System Is & How You Can Find Out What Runs On Your DrivesWhat is a file system and why do they matter? Learn the differences between FAT32, NTFS, HPS+, EXT, and more.Read More and accessed using a mechanical arm – a very linear way of doing things. While SSDs also use file systems to communicate data storage locations to the host system, they independently re-shuffle data for wear levelling. Those changes are recorded on a separate map. In other words, SSDs do not use any physically indexable locations, and software cannot specifically target sectors on the disk. Basically, your computer has no way of telling “where” that information was just copied to.
External Hard Drive For Mac
To comply with wear levelling, the SSD must constantly move data around the drive to ensure all blocks are worn at an equal rate. Using a secure “file shredder” to overwrite a specific file or folder many numbers of times is not going to work, because the drive writes all new incoming data to various different blocks, depending on its needs. Only the drive knows where this data is written, so secure deletion tools actually harm SSDs by performing an unnecessary number of additional writes.
You’re probably wondering how data is ever deleted from an SSD, particularly if data is constantly moved. Thankfully the TRIM command is designed to solve such a conundrum by marking blocks of data the drive no longer considers in use to be wiped internally. Simply put, your discarded data will eventually vanish into thin nothing and be irretrievable, but only your drive really knows when that will be.
For a much more detailed look at TRIM and garbage collection, you should read our article on the usefulness of TRIM on modern SSDsWhy TRIM is Important to Solid State Hard Drives? [Technology Explained]Why TRIM is Important to Solid State Hard Drives? [Technology Explained]Read More.
It’s also worth remembering that these drives often use a small amount of unallocated space as a buffer for moving data around, which you’re very unlikely to be able to access. This would technically mean data remains on a drive even after it has been securely erased.
Securely Erasing an SSD
Fortunately, it is possible to erase most SSDs, though this is closer to a “reset” than a wipe. The “ATA Secure Erase” command instructs the drive to flush all stored electrons, forcing the drive to “forget” all stored data. This command essentially resets all available blocks to the “erase” state, which is what TRIM uses for garbage collection purposes.
This command does not actually write anything to the drive. Instead it causes the SSD to apply a voltage spike to all available NAND in unison, resetting every available block of space in one operation. By doing this, you will use one whole program-erase cycle for your drive – a small dent in drive life, but still unnecessary unless you’re troubleshooting.
Secure Erase Using Manufacturer Software
Most manufacturers supply software for their solid state drives in order to update firmware and perform tasks like secure erase. While it’s impossible for us to check every manufacturer, we’ve made a list of available downloads for major brands below.
While this is the first place we’d recommend you go, this won’t always work as you’ll often need to run the software in Windows (and you probably installed Windows to your SSD). You might also find that your manufacturer hasn’t implemented the “ATA Secure Erase” command into their software, yet. In this case, try the next step.
Download: Intel Solid State Toolbox / OCZ Toolbox / Corsair SSD Toolbox / Samsung Magician / SanDisk SSD Toolkit
Secure Erase Using Parted Magic
We’ve covered Parted Magic in the pastParted Magic: A Complete Hard Drive Toolbox On One Live CDParted Magic: A Complete Hard Drive Toolbox On One Live CDTake control of your hard drives. Whether you want to edit your partitions, clone an entire drive, check SMART data or otherwise manage the way your computer's data is organized, Parted Magic is the tool..Read More – it’s a veritable box of tricks. Before it was swallowed up by Symantec, Partition Magic made all kinds of functions that previously required long command lines easy. Parted Magic does the same, except it’s a whole Linux distribution and it now costs $4.99.
The project was free in the past, but users selling pre-loaded USB sticks on eBay and dwindling donations prompted the project’s leader to place the files behind a paywall. Still, $5 to restore your SSD to “factory fresh” levels of performance isn’t a huge ask:
Best Way To Wipe Mac Hard Drive
The erase process takes a matter of seconds, then you’re done.
A Word for Mac Users
According to forum chatter, Parted Magic works just fine on a Mac – provided you can get it to boot in the first place. While Macs can boot operating systems from USB drive, it’s notoriously difficult to get right. If your Mac SSD has a problem and it’s under warranty, it’s much easier to let Apple deal with it – even if it’s just a software problem.
You can check out our own guide to booting a USB stick on a MacHow to Create and Boot From a Linux USB Drive on MacHow to Create and Boot From a Linux USB Drive on MacThere are a few ways to get a create a live Linux USB drive that will boot on your Mac: you can do it with freeware, or get your hands dirty with the command line.Read More, but as you can see from the comments your mileage may vary. If you’re only after a fresh start, you can reinstall OS XHow to Install macOS From USBHow to Install macOS From USBWant to install macOS from a USB drive? We'll walk you through this alternative method for installing macOS.Read More like you would on any Mac, just don’t choose to securely erase by “shredding” when formatting.
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Image credits: Laineema Via Flickr, HDD vs. SSD Test (Simon Wüllhorst), Intel Branding (Brandon Daniel)
Explore more about: File Management, Solid State Drive.
Last updated: Jun. 9, 2017
You've just got a new SSD (solid-state drive), and wanted to sell or donate the old HDD (hard disk drive)? Or your current external drive just got over-cluttered, and you want to give it a complete wipe to regain all the space. ‘epson error code 0xf1 repair tool’ download for mac.
Either way, in this article we're going to show you three different ways to securely erase an external drive on a Mac computer (iMac, MacBook, etc.).
Note: the guide below works with all types of external disks, it doesn't matter whether you are using an HDD, SSD or a flash drive. Though SSDs can be a bit different when you use Apple's built-in tools. We'll explain later.
Warning: before you proceed, make sure you've already backed up all your important data. Once you use any of the methods below, the drive will be completely erased clean, and all data will be removed permanently. You've been warned.
1. Use Stellar Drive Wipe
Stellar Wipe Mac is a powerful third-party Mac app that's designed to securely erase a file/folder or the entire drive. To wipe an external drive, open the software and select 'Drive Wipe' option. Next, select your drive, choose a wiping algorithm that you want (read the description first) and start the erasing process. Compared to the other two options, this method is much easier and quicker.
2. Erase via Disk Utility
First off, connect your external hard drive to your Mac. Make sure the device can be detected by the machine. Then follow the step by step tutorial below:
Note: if your drive is an SSD, you won't be able to click 'Security Options' as this option will be grayed out. It's because SSDs don't have to go through this process due to the way it manages files.
Best Hard Drive Wiping Software
You can also watch this video tutorial:
3. Format in Terminal (Command Line)
If for any reason, Disk Utility fails to format your drive. You can also try using Terminal, though you'll have to be a bit geeky.
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This video also has more:
Final words
Erasing an external hard drive or flash card can be quite easy on a Mac. With one of the above three methods, you should be able to get the job done quickly. If you have any questions during the wiping process or towards a particular method, let us know.
Meanwhile, we want to remind you again to back up all your data before you get started.
Cover image courtesy to Flickr.
Influenced by the startup culture in the Silicon Valley, Jessica loves building things from zero to one and is keen on following news related to the Big Five tech giants and many SaaS startups.
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