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5 Best External Drive Cleaner Tools To Use [2024 Guide]
6 min. read
Updated onJanuary 8, 2024
updated onJanuary 8, 2024
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If you’ve been using your PC for the longest time by now, chances are that you may have been disposing of yourexternaldrivewith recoverabledata. The problem is that users might have insufficient knowledge about the methods or tools to wipe their storage devices clean.
It is easy to understand the situation especially given the complexity of cleaning storage tools. Thankfully, we have listed down some of the best externaldrivecleaner tools for you to use before you dispose of your storage device.
What is the best external drive cleaner for Windows 10?
CCleaner
CCleaneris a helpful file shredder designed to clean areas of your storage device where data can be hard to find. The tool cleans up unused files and settings to help your computer run faster. It also ensures safer browsing for you as advertisers and websites track your behavior online with cookies that stay on your PC.
CCleaner erases your browser search history and cookies in order to keep your internet browsing confidential and your identity anonymous.
CCleaner’s patented registry cleaner clears out the clutter that comes from registry errors and broken settings to make your PC more stable. Also, CCleaner helps you boot up your PC more quickly by letting you disable unnecessary programs that run in the startup.
CCleaner
Avast Free Antivirus
Avast is a great antivirus when it comes to remote control management that will ensure the smooth running of your PC.
The remote administration feature will allow you to remotely connect any PC or install new software and even switch users.
You’ll get regular system information update to see vital info about your PC’s hardware and software status.
This versatile software will make sure that your data remains secure and there will be no leaks or attacks on your PC.
Avast Free Antivirus
Blancco
Blancco helps organizations erase data on storage devices regardless of the underlying technology. The tool guarantees that yourdatahas been permanently erased from your IT assets. However, it does not come free of charge: it sets you back a decent price for its services.
Key features of Blancco Drive Eraser include:
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DBAN (Darik’s Boot and Nuk
DBANis a free tool that lets you deletedatastored on hard disk drives in laptops, desktops or servers. The tool also allows you to remove viruses and spyware from Microsoft Windows installations.
DBAN works by writing an ISO to a CD or USB. It provides support for six sanitization standards including DoD 5220.2M, Gutmann and NIST 800-88. It is better known for sanitizing ATA, SATA and SCSI harddrives.
However, it does not support SSDs and the company does not release updates. DBAN is unable to detect or erase SSDs and does not provide a certificate ofdataremoval for auditing purposes or regulatory compliance. Also, there is no hardware support, customer support and software updates available for users.
⇒Get it now
Disk Wipe
Disk Wipeis a portable externaldrivecleaner that works within Windows. That means you can’t use the tool to clean the primary harddrive.DiskWipe is best for sanitizingdrivesincluding USB sticks, external hard drives, and memory cards.
DiskWipe allows you to erase alldiskdataand prevent recovery of thosedata. The tool uses a powerful algorithms to help organizations and users dump their old harddrivesthe easy way. The algorithms fill the volume with useless rubbish binarydatamultiple times.
Features
Secure Erase
It is usually hard to erase SSDs compared to harddrivesdue to the various ways they work at a low level. No worries, Secure Erase has your back. It is developed by the Center for Memory and Recording Research, which executed the Secure Erase function built into Serial ATA and Parallel ATA harddrives.
Secure Erase or HDDErase runs as a boot utility from media or a USB stick.
Secure Erase lets you run thedriveinternal secure erase command and security erase unit based on the ATA specification by the T13 technical committee.
To run the utility make a floppy, recordable CD-R, or USB DOS bootabledisk; then copy HDDerase.exe to the bootable media. Reboot the computer with the floppy, CD-R, or USB inserted, and type “hdderase” in the system DOS prompt.
Set the correct priority boot order in the system BIOS, such as first boot floppy, CD-R, or USB depending on which media is used to run HDDerase.exe.
Keep in mind to run HDDerase.exe from an actual DOS environment and not aWindows-basedDOS command prompt environment.
There are other external drive cleaner tools available out there. If you think we’ve missed some of the best, let us know by dropping a comment below.
Radu Tyrsina
Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).
For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.
Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.
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