Wipe hard drive keep programs

by Jane / Fri Feb 09 2018 / UPDATED in Wipe Hard Drive

Want to wipe the entire hard drive but keep all the installed programs? No problem, in fact, Windows 10 has it’s method of clean up data and keep personal information, like the screenshot below, but if we’re using other operating systems, like Windows 7, Windows Vista, or even Windows Server system, how can we keep programs and wipe hard drive?

Windows 10 wipe options

Well, Data Wiper is the program designed for this purpose, and it also works on Windows 10/11 and Windows Server 2016/2019/2022, it runs and performs faster and easier than the default method and it has government-standard overwriting algorithms.

OK, let’s cut the crap and starts to wipe hard drive

DOWNLOAD DATA WIPER

When the program is downloading, we can open the drive we’re about to deal with, find out unwanted files and programs, delete or uninstall them, only keep what we need, then Run Data Wiper from the portable package (Yes, the program is portable, so we don’t have to install it), then we click on the drive we need to operate, and choose Free Space Only option in Section 1, then a wiping method from Section 2 (the default method is good), then we click on the Wipe Now button, confirm, and Data Wipe will start to wipe the drive

Data Wiper Main Interface

Wait, is the guide over? is that all I need to do? I mean, to wipe the hard drive and keep programs?

Yes, this guide is over, and yes, it’s that simple, but we do have some info for you:

In section 2, there’re 5 kinds of overwriting methods(wiping plans) available, they perform either 1-pass, 3-pass, or 5-pass overwriting on the sectors of the selected hard drive, for situations like this page, 1-pass methods are enough (Fill sectors will one and Fill sectors with zero). The more pass it overwrites, the longer time it takes. If wiping this hard drive is for yourself reuse, other wiping plans will just waste your time.

TOP