How to Wipe a Hard Drive Without Deleting Windows

Updated by

Cici 

Written by

Tracy King 

Last updated on April 22, 2024

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Did you just get a new computer and want to sell or give away your old one? Are you thinking of recycling it with others at your company? Before doing any of these things, there's one important step you need to take: wipe the hard drive. This will protect your financial records, business information, payroll data, or any other sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

In some special cases – such as when recycling a computer from one employee to another – you may have the additional requirement of wiping the hard drive without removing Windows, so the new owner can use the computer immediately. How do you do that?

How to Wipe a Hard Drive Without Deleting Windows

Some users might opt to delete files manually or format the hard drive. But I must advise against it, as there are numerous third-party data-recovery tools that can retrieve information under these circumstances. To leave your computer truly bare – so that no information can be retrieved – you will need two key tools: [1] a hard-drive-wiping software, such as BitWiper; and [2] a Windows-recovery program. The third-party software takes a few minutes to download, while the Windows program can be found in your settings. I will walk you through the process on my own laptop.

As you can see on my computer, there are a total of six partitions. If I were to erase all data from these partitions without affecting the operating system, I would need to follow two steps.

• Firstly, I don't care about those five partitions at all, so I'll use a hard drive eraser tool to clean all partitions at once.
• Secondly, the system partition contains the Windows operating system as well as some personal data and programs. Hence, I need to perform a factory reset to delete everything except the Windows system.

Next, we'll show you how to wipe a hard drive without deleting Windows. This tutorial works for all versions of Windows, including Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista.

Part 1: Using Tools to Wipe Data Partition Partition Wiping Software

Step 1: Launch the BitWiper tool and click on “Wipe Partition”.

Step 2: Select the disk partition that you need to wipe or erase, and then click “Next” to continue.

Make sure you have selected the correct partition to erase.

Select the partition to wipe

Step 3. Choose the erasure method – “Safely Erase Tool” and click “Next” to proceed.

You can also choose other erasing methods provided in the Disk Utility window to wipe the target partition.

Select Wiping Method

Click “Wipe” to confirm and permanently delete all data from the selected partition.

Step 5: Wait patiently. When the erasing process is over, click “Finish” to end the task.

Note: Since you can only format one partition at a time, this process will take as long as you have partitions. In my case, I had to repeat the above three steps four more times.

If you like to use a disk partition tool to non-destructively delete the Windows system disk, please click the button below to share it with others.

Part 2: Wiping System Partition Data with Reset

Resetting Windows will return it to its factory default configuration, deleting all personal data and apps from the system partition.

To do so, navigate to Settings as you normally would, using the standard path:

Click the Start menu, go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Get started > Remove everything > Delete files and clean the drive, and then follow the wizard to complete the process.

After you've done all of this, you'll have a hard drive with a clean operating system and no other content that anyone can access.

Supplement - How to wipe a hard drive and reinstall Windows

By combining the use of BitWiper tool with the Windows Factory Reset option, you can certainly achieve the goal of retaining only the OS on your abandoned PC or laptop. While the more data partitions configured on the hard drive will take longer to complete the task, this is the most comprehensive solution to wipe out programs, settings, hidden items, downloads, and personal data files from the selected disk while keeping the Windows system and boot files intact.

If you want a more direct way to wipe your hard drive all at once, try one of the other two methods.

1. First, use the BitWiper tool to thoroughly wipe the entire hard drive.
2. Next, reinstall the Windows 7 or Windows 11/10 operating system from scratch.

Part 1: How to Wipe Your Whole Hard Drive

Since you plan on deleting everything on the hard drive, including the operating system, you can use the “Wipe Disk” feature from the BitWiper tool for assistance. To activate the software, simply select the entire target disk and initiate the wiping process:

Step 1. Run the BitWiper tool. Click on the “Wipe Disk” tab.

Step 2. Select the HDD or SSD to wipe.

Important: Make sure you select the correct HDD or SSD. Data will be irretrievably lost once the wipe begins.

Step 3: Choose an erasing mode and then click “Next”.

Choose the appropriate wiping method. Use a secure erase tool if possible!

4. Read the warning, then click “Clear” to confirm.

5. Wait for the process to finish, then click “Finish.”

Part 2: How to do a clean install of Windows

For example, by reinstalling Windows 11/10 using installation media.

Step 1: Go to the Microsoft software download website to download the Media Creation Tool, and then use that tool to create installation media on a DVD or USB drive.

Step 2: Follow the detailed guide to learn how to reinstall Windows 11/10 without a CD.