How to Completely Clean Data from the Boot SSD

Unable to complete the process for cleaning the drive completely.

Cleaning the boot drive from Windows* is difficult to do because it contains the boot files for the system to start up; some tools or applications will not allow this process since it could affect the boot process.

There are some options that can be done in order to clean the data from a boot drive:

• Reinstalling the operating system and format the drive during the process:
  1. Reboot your computer with the OS installation disc inserted into a USB slot or DVD drive.
  2. Click Next on the Installation screen after selecting the appropriate localization options.
  3. Select a Custom install from the next screen and click Next.
  4. Select Drive Options on the Custom Install screen and click Next.
  5. Select the Partition you wish to format and click Next.
  6. Select either a full or quick format. A quick format marks all data as cleared, but does not eliminate the data. A full format overwrites existing data on the drive with blank "data."
• This option is from the Windows* graphical interface, and it will clean the data and restore it like day 1 without compromising the operating system:
  1. Click Windows menu and go to Settings.
  2. Click Update & Security.
  3. Click Reset this PC.
  4. Click Get started.
  5. Click Remove everything.
  6. Click Remove Files and Clean the Drive, and then follow the wizard to finish the process.
• To ensure that the all data will be erased, it is recommended to remove the SSD and use it as secondary drive:
  1. Remove the SSD from the system, while the computer is off.
  2. Connect the SSD as secondary drive on a different system with an operating system installed.
  3. Use the following tools to erase the drive: When to Run a Low-Level Format or Secure Erase on Intel® Solid State Drives and Tools to Use.