Windows 7 Wipe Hard Drive < Safe · CHECKLIST >

Boot from the disc (press F12, ESC, or Del during startup to change boot order).

Deleting files or formatting the drive isn’t enough. Anyone with basic recovery software can restore your photos, tax documents, and browser history. windows 7 wipe hard drive

A standard format does the same thing. It erases the file system but leaves the underlying data intact. Boot from the disc (press F12, ESC, or

Back up anything you need (documents, photos, etc.). A standard format does the same thing

When finished, the drive is completely blank – no OS, no partitions, no recoverable data. The PC will show “Operating system not found.” ⚠️ Warning: This destroys everything . You cannot undo it. After a DBAN wipe, the drive is empty forever. What About SSDs? (Important!) If your Windows 7 PC has a Solid State Drive (SSD) instead of an old mechanical hard drive, do not use DBAN .

When you see “Where do you want to install Windows?” – don’t click Next yet.

You’ll see a blue screen with DBAN’s menu. For most users, simply type: