What to Do Before Selling Old Hard Disk? – Detailed Explanation

Many people wish to trade their older hard disks, either as part of their computer/laptop or individually, for numerous reasons. They check online stores and offline resellers for selling their hard disks. But selling an older hard disk isn’t that much easier. This blog explores the solutions to follow before selling old hard disk and the reasons for trading it.

Reasons for Trading Old Hard Disk

There are numerous reasons behind people selling their older hard disk(s), and we will mention some of them here:

• Data Protection: The first and foremost reason relates to data security. Since your hard disk holds sensitive data like financial information, professional documents, and other critical files, protecting it becomes paramount. Many people forget one serious thing: the data stored on the hard disk is vulnerable to theft. Hence, backing the hard disk data before selling it becomes imperative.
• Hard Disk Upgradation: Your older hard disk may need to be fixed due to its age, slow read/write speed, and other factors. In that case, you may look to replace it with a newer hard disk with enhanced features, including higher read/write speeds. However, it doesn’t render your older disk useless.
• Monetary Earnings: Another reason for selling old hard disk is financial profitability. Selling the older hard disk helps you generate money for the newer one or keep it handy for other uses.
• Computer/Laptop Sale: Many people look to sell their older computer or laptop, which includes the hard disk they have been using. You must backup the hard disk data beforehand to avoid any potential data breaches after the sale.
• Environment Sustentation: Since the hard disks are made of materials like glass, platinum, ruthenium, and magnets, they pose environmental pollution problems. Thus, selling the older hard disk prevents harm to nature and gives the hard disk another lifecycle for functioning.

These reasons necessitate the sale of the older hard disk, and the following section explores the solutions to follow before the sale.

Read More: Is Formatting a Hard Drive Enough? – Answered Here!

Solutions to Implement Before Selling Old Hard Disk

Now that we have read the reasons for trading the hard disk, this section explores the solutions to follow before the sale.

Hard Disk Data Deletion

As mentioned in the previous section’s first point, the data stored on the hard disk is vulnerable to theft. The new hard disk holder can use data recovery software to retrieve the data for unlawful purposes. Hence, it becomes necessary to delete the hard disk data permanently to prevent illicit data access. Here, we will explore the data deletion methods for Windows and macOS platforms.

#1: Hard Disk Data Deletion in Windows
If you are a Windows computer or laptop user, you can permanently delete the hard disk using a very easy keyboard shortcut. We will mention the data deletion steps in the following points:

• Open the system hard disk on the computer/laptop, or plug in an external hard disk.
• Select the files using the Ctrl + A keys.
• Use the Shift + Delete keyboard shortcut to permanently delete the hard disk data.

#2: macOS Hard Disk Data Deletion
macOS users who have a MacBook or iMac can permanently delete the data before selling old hard disk using these steps:

• Open the Finder on your system and go to Settings.
• Click the General tab and check the Hard Disks option under the “Show these items on the desktop” section.
• The icons for the hard disks in the macOS system will appear on the desktop.
• Open a hard disk and use the Command + A shortcut to select all files.
• Use the Option + Command + Delete shortcut to permanently delete the hard disk data.

Hard Disk Formatting

The previous section mentioned the steps for permanently deleting the hard disk data. You can format the hard disk, aka permanent data deletion, before selling old hard disk. Again, we will mention the process for Windows and macOS computer/laptop users.

#1: Diskpart Command for Windows
The Diskpart command helps Windows system users delete, resize, format, and create partitions in their drives, including hard disks. Follow these steps to permanently delete the hard disk data using this command:

• Use the Window + R shortcut to open the Run command box.
• Type “cmd” (short for Command) to open the Command Prompt.
• Now, type “diskpart” to open Diskpart as an Administrator.
• Then, write “list disk” to get the list of the computer hard disks.
• Now, enter the “select disk n” command. (n represents the hard disk)
• Finally, type “clean” and hit the Enter button to wipe out the hard disk data.

You must be careful while using this command since a single mistake can wipe out the data from another hard disk.

#2: Disk Utility for macOS
macOS computer or laptop users can use the Disk Utility feature to permanently wipe out the data before selling old hard disk. The following steps mention the data destruction process:

• Start your macOS computer or laptop.
• Open the Finder, click the Go menu, and select the Utilities option.
• Then, open the Applications folder and double-click Disk Utility.
• Select the Hard Disk you have to sell from the left-side panel.
• Click the Erase option from the menu panel to select the Format (file system format).
• Finally, click the Erase button to begin the data-wiping process.
• Click the Done button after the data deletion process gets over.

These manual methods to remove the hard disk data before the sale look easy. However, they have certain limitations, and the following section mentions them.

Drawbacks of the Manual Solutions

• There is a high possibility of data recovery using data recovery tools.
• The new hard disk holder can use the recovered data for unlawful purposes, like identity theft, cybercrime, etc.
• The hard disk formatting methods are technical, and many people may struggle with permanent data deletion using them.

Now, a more serious question arises: if these methods can’t delete the hard disk data completely, which method will? The next section mentions the best solution for complete hard disk data deletion.

Professional Method to Delete Hard Disk Data Before Selling

Since you can’t use permanent deletion or the formatting method to delete the data before selling old hard disk, automated software becomes the excellent solution for deleting the hard disk data with no recovery possibility. The SysTools Data Wipe Software helps you completely wipe out the hard disk without any remanence. It uses advanced algorithms that overwrite the existing data in binary form with new data, assuring you of no recoverability. It follows international data compliance standards like HIPAA and GDPR, certifying itself as a reliable and secure data destruction solution.

Moreover, the software follows sixteen data deletion methods, some of which are Peter Gutmann, US Dod, British HMG IS5, and Russian – GOST-R-50739-95. Moreover, you can use this automated tool to delete data from old SATA, USB, SAS, flash drives, and mobiles.

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Conclusion

This blog explored the solutions to follow before selling old hard disk. We also discussed the reasons to trade the older hard disk. The permanent data deletion and hard disk formatting methods look simple but are not reliable enough to completely wipe out the data. Hence, the automated software mentioned here is the perfect method for comprehensive data destruction from the old hard disk.