Does Degaussing Work on SSDs? Data Erasure Tips
Overview: Firstly, let me give the answer of this question that arises from users. Does degaussing work on SSD? The answer is No, degaussing doesn’t work for SSD.
Talking about degaussing, it is a common method for erasing data from traditional hard drives (HDDs).This article will explain about degaussing, how it works, its limitations, characteristics of SSD, and the reasons why it fails for SSDs. Also, explore secure manual alternatives for data erasure. To learn more and want to know in depth, then you can explore our guide on degaussing.
How Does Degaussing Work?
Degaussing is a term which refers to reducing residual magnetism in an object and particularly referring to the act of using degaussers which are some devices to create a powerful reverse magnetic field. Magnetic orientation of the storage medium is disrupted by this field making data unable to read and recover. The effectiveness depends on the degausser’s magnetic strength compared to the media’s. It works as if the degausser’s strength is 2–3 times the media’s coercivity.
What Do You Mean By SSD? (Solid State Drive)
It is a storage device that uses flash memory rather than old-fashioned moving parts in HDDs. This makes it faster, durable, and energy-efficient. Moving forward I wanted to give the answer of this question which users usually ask: can you degauss an SSD? No, you cannot degauss an SSD because it uses flash memory and not the magnetic storage like HDDs which is mentioned in the above heading. So, It’s become more important to give accurate information so clients can use the right data destruction methods for their needs.
Key Features of SSDs:
- It stores data electronically and not magnetically that is why you cannot degauss an SSD.
- It offers faster read/write speeds than HDDs to make it more effective.
- Having resists shocks and vibrations.
- It is built lightweight and portable which makes it easy for the users to carry and can install on various devices when they want.
- It is designed in such a way to last longer with an efficient data management system.
Does Degaussing Work on SSD?
To make it clear for users who regularly deal or want to have an idea about this question. Without having magnetic domains degaussing cannot erase the data. As it uses electronic storage media that is why magnetic interference doesn’t work on them. However, since SSDs store data using electrical charges in NAND flash cells instead of magnetic fields. That is why degaussing does not work on SSD.
Limitations of Using Degaussing
Here are some limitations of using degaussing to destroy your data. Now, you have got the answer of does degaussing work on SSD. You know that degaussing only works on magnetic storage. As, SSD are non magnetic storage then it would have other limitations too. Go through these points given below:
- After degaussing, HDDs become unusable because their magnetic structure is destroyed.
- Using high-quality degaussers are expensive which makes them impractical for individuals or small businesses.
- Some modern HDDs with stronger magnetic platters or shielding may resist degaussing method which leads to incomplete erasure.
- Strong magnetic fields from degaussers can interfere with electronics and require careful handling.
- It’s hard to confirm complete data erasure after degaussing without destroying the device.
- For encrypted drives, degaussing may not fully erase encryption keys which covers data recovery.
- Professional degaussers are bulky and not portable.
Safe Alternatives to Destroy SSD Data – Professional Way to Do it
Using Physical Destruction
By destroying your SSD physically, it ensures no data can be retrieved. So that it can meet the required data protection standards of organizations. Though if you are drilling holes, there are chances that some data may still remain. Therefore, a complete wipe of your SSD is necessary by targeting the memory chips. Physical destruction can still be achieved through methods such as shredding.
On the other hand, physical destruction guarantees data removal. This can be done with a hammer which is cost-free. However, there are downsides to this. The hard drive would then become waste in the sense that it is now unusable. Hence it can affect the environment. Besides, which organizations have to sustain the replacement costs for the damaged devices.
Firstly, you should know that following methods like degaussing or physical destruction comes with certain drawbacks. As, it doesn’t always work for securely wiping your SSD because of how SSDs store their data. Then, you can opt for a more reliable option like SysTools Data Destruction tool which can provide an effective solution to securely erase your SSD data.
Conclusion
In this article we have covered important topics related to degaussing, SSDs, how it works and does degaussing work on SSD, limitations, and methods. Traditional methods cannot securely wipe your SSD because they use a different data storage system. We have given you an alternative that can be used to securely wipe your SSDs. By using this you can do thorough data deletion of your sensitive information stored.