{"id":16673,"date":"2022-09-09T08:06:25","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T02:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.co.in\/blog\/?p=16673"},"modified":"2025-04-15T10:38:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T05:08:20","slug":"best-practices-for-hard-drive-cleaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.co.in\/blog\/how-to-clean-hard-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Practices for Hard Drive Cleaning"},"content":{"rendered":"

As stored data volume approaches full capacity, hard drives will start to slow down and protest against what you ask them to do. This is a good time to consider cleaning your hard drive.\u00a0Cleaning your hard drive helps speed up your machine and improve its performance. It is also a good idea to clean the drive before you sell your machine.<\/p>\n

When you clean your hard drive<\/a>, you lose the ability to recover your data. So always clean your hard drive space only after taking necessary backups.<\/p>\n

Want to know how to clean your hard drive? Read on.<\/p>\n

3 Ways to Clean Your Hard Drive<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Clean Hard Drive in Windows 10<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. On your Windows 10 device, go to the \u201cSettings\u201d menu. Here, click the \u201cUpdate & Security\u201d button.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \"Windows<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Next, click the \u201cGet Started\u201d button. This will prompt another dialogue box that will ask you what to erase. Choose the \u201cErase everything\u201d option.<\/li>\n
      2. Then, select the \u201cLocal Reinstall\u201d button to reinstall Windows from your PC.<\/li>\n
      3. Select the \u201cChange Settings\u201d option, then turn on the button next to \u201cWipe the drive\u201d. In the next dialogue box, click \u201cConfirm\u201d, then \u201cNext\u201d. Then click \u201cReset\u201d to clean your hard drive.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \"Reset<\/p>\n

        This is one of the best ways to clean hard drive space. Your PC will reboot and show you the Windows startup screen. If you\u2019re going to use your computer, then you can set up Windows again.<\/p>\n

        When you clean your hard drive, remember to back up your data. The process is largely similar in other versions of Windows as well.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Wipe data using BitRaser<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          BitRaser drive eraser software<\/a> guarantees permanent erasure of your data. And once the drive is cleaned, you will also get a temper-proof report to authenticate the erasure.<\/p>\n

          Read to know how to clean hard drives with BitRaser.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Download, Install, and Launch BitRaser<\/a> on your computer.<\/li>\n
          2. Log in to the Cloud then click on the \u201cUser Profile\u201d icon. Next, press the \u201cdownload the BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO\u201d button.<\/li>\n
          3. Next, Download and install Rufus. This will allow you to create a bootable USB drive.<\/li>\n
          4. Next, connect the bootable hard drive to your computer.<\/li>\n
          5. Power on your system and press the boot function to boot your laptop. Next, select your bootable USB drive.<\/li>\n
          6. Now, select \u201cBitRaser\u201d and then select \u201cEnter\u201d to initialize the drive eraser.<\/li>\n
          7. Next, connect your machine to the internet and log in to your BitRaser cloud account.<\/li>\n
          8. There will be a settings icon on the right side, click on that.<\/li>\n
          9. Ensure that you\u2019re connected to the correct network on the network tab.<\/li>\n
          10. Next, click on the \u201cBitRaser Server\u201d tab. Log in to your BitRaser cloud account.<\/li>\n
          11. Click the checkbox next to your drive\u2019s name. Double-check that it\u2019s the correct one if there are multiple. Then, click \u201cErase\u201d to clean your hard drive.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
              \n
            1. Cleaning Hard Drive Partitions\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              If you don\u2019t want to clean the disk completely, you can consider cleaning disk partitions. This will limit the extent of the data erasure. So it becomes easier to preserve your data.<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Click on the \u201cMy PC\u201d icon. You will see the drive partitions. Right-click on the drive you wish to clean.<\/li>\n
              2. You will see a list of options, select \u201cFormat\u201d from this list.<\/li>\n
              3. Next, select the file system. If the drive you want to clean is in the Windows system, select NTFS. If it\u2019s an external disk, select either FAT32 or exFAT.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                \"Format<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Next, choose the \u201cQuick Format\u201d option. It will take just a few seconds to format your hard drive.<\/li>\n
                2. Then, click \u201cStart\u201d and click \u201cOK\u201d to start cleaning your hard drive partition.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  Note: <\/b>Though it will be hard, you can still recover data when you clean your hard disk this way. For cleaning data permanently beyond the scope of recovery, you can follow the steps mentioned in the post “Erase Files and Folders from your Computer<\/a>”<\/p>\n

                  When do you need to clean your drive?<\/h2>\n

                  Here are some scenarios where you may be forced to clean your drive.<\/p>\n