How to Wipe Everything Off a Hard Drive Except the OS

Microsoft Windows Ai

Sometimes it is easier to wipe everything off a hard drive than to take the time to clean everything up. This is an easy task if you have recovery disks or a copy of the computer's operating system. If you do not have these items, formatting the hard drive can cause more problems than it solves. If this sounds like your situation, the best way to clean up the computer is to manually remove everything except the operating system.

Instructions

Remove All Software Programs

1. 

   Go to the Control Panel for your Windows operating system. In most current versions of Windows, simply click on the "Start" button, then "Control Panel."

2. 

   Open the menu for adding and removing software. This button is labeled "Add or Remove Programs." It is usually shown in the main body of the Control Panel window. It may also appear in a list of links on the left side of the Control Panel.

3. 

   Remove the software programs from your computer. Click the "Change/Remove" button for each program in your list of software programs. Delete each program from your computer one at a time. When you have finished, close the empty programs list and the Control Panel.

Wipe Out Your Internet History

1. 

   Open the "Internet Options" section of your IE web browser. You can get to the "Internet Options" by clicking the "Tools" navigation menu, then looking for the link to the options. Note that, in some newer versions of the web browser, you may need to push the "Alt" key before you can see the navigation menu.

2. 

   Clear your Internet history. Click the "Clear History" button, then click "OK" (or "Yes" in some versions of Windows). Next, click the "Delete Cookies" button, then click "OK." Finally, click the "Delete Files" button, then click "OK." Note that, in Windows XP, there is a single "Delete" button that will automatically wipe out all of these items.

3. 

   Remove all of the objects from your web browser. While you are still in "Internet Options," click the "Settings" button; then, on the Settings screen, click on "View Objects." Select all of the objects and click "Delete." Your objects have now been removed from the browser.

4. 

   Close "Internet Options." Returning to the "Internet Options" screen, click "Apply," then click "OK." The Options screen will close. Close the web browser.

Wipe Out the Temporary Files in Your Operating System

1. 

   Navigate to the search feature in your operating system by clicking the "Start" button, then "Search." A box will appear that allows you to do a keyword search on all of the files and folders that are present on your computer.

2. 

   Find the "Temp" folder. Simply type the word "temp" into the search box and wait for the results to be returned. Look for a folder named "Temp." Click on that folder. Once inside, hit Ctrl+A on your keyboard to highlight all items, then push the Delete button. It may take a few minutes for all items to be deleted.

3. 

   Close the "Temp" folder, which should now be empty. Open the recycle bin and clear all contents. This will mark the hard-drive space that the temp files used as being ready to overwrite. Close the Recycle Bin when finished.

Wipe Out My Documents

1. 

   Open "My Documents" by clicking the "Start" button, then the folder icon marked "My Documents."

2. 

   Delete everything in "My Documents." Once the "My Documents" screen is open, press Ctrl+A on your keyboard to select all. Once the files and folders are highlighted, press the Delete key to send everything to the Recycle Bin.

3. 

   Empty the Recycle Bin. Close the empty "My Documents" folder and open the recycle bin. Click the link to empty the Recycle Bin to permanently delete everything. The space is now available to write over with new information.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are not comfortable wiping out everything by hand, you can purchase a software program from White Canyon titled "WipeDrive." Just remember to uncheck the box for wiping the operating system, and let the program do its work cleaning everything away. It can even overwrite the space on the hard drive so there is no way to trace what used to be there.

Resources

• WipeDrive by White Canyon Software