How to Delete a Hard Drive
The hard drive is essential for any type of computer, acting as the central storage location for its OS or operating system. There comes a time though, when the all the information stored in the hard drive must be deleted, such as when you have to replace the drive or reinstall the current OS. If you’re new to this, here’s how to deleting a primary hard drive and a secondary hard drive.
What You’ll Need:
PC
Backup storage media
Windows, OS X or Linux CD
Deleting The Secondary Hard Drive
Gather all the important files from the hard drive, and transfer or copy them to a backup external device, such as a USB thumb drive, USB hard drive, DVDs or CDs.
formatting
Go to the “Start” button in Windows, then click “My Computer”.
Right-click on the drive you’re going to delete, then when the drop down menu appears, click “Format”.
Pick “NTFS” in the file system box, then click “OK”. Wait for a few minutes, until a status report appears and says that the drive has been deleted and emptied, and is ready to hold new data.
For an OS X, run the “Disk Utility” program to format the hard drive. Pick the right file system for the OS. This is usually the same one as the drive’s current file system.
If you have a Linux system, format the secondary drive using the partition editor in the system. You can find this in the settings menu or the administrator system.
Deleting The Primary Hard Drive
Backup all the files you need, with an external media. The primary hard drive can’t be formatted when the operating system it holds is running, so you’ll need an external CD-ROM-based tool. If you’re a Windows user, use the Windows installation CD, but if you’re a Mac user, use the Mac OS X disc. For Linux, the Linux Live CD will be the best choice.
Put the CD in the disc drive, then reboot the PC. It should then boot from the CD you used. If it doesn’t your BIOS settings will have to be changed to boot from the CD first, or depending on the instructions stated in the computer owner’s manual.
Pick “R” from the Start menu. This will begin the “Recovery Console” (for the Windows CD. For the Mac CD, wait until the “Disk Utility” starts, which occurs before the installation process. For Linux, answer configuration questions, then wait for the desktop to show, before starting the disk partitioner.
When you get into the Windows recovery console, type “format c: /fs:ntfs” in the command prompt. Afterwards, press “Enter”, then type “Y”. This will confirm the operation. Press “Enter” once more. For the Mac or Linux, pick the drive, then determine the format option. Choose the right file system for the OS. This is the same as the one on the current file system on the disk.
Type “Exit”, then press “Enter”, leaving the recovery console. For the Mac disc, cancel the installation after you’ve formatted the drive. For the Linux, select “Shutdown”.
Reboot the PC.
These steps are very direct, and will delete your hard drive effectively, If you’re not very good with computers, and you still find these confusing, maybe you can ask a professional to help you out, to avoid problems.