cant secure erase nvme drive

[WINTERLORD]

so far iv tried everything the built in secure erase, parted magic off usb and samsungs magician secure erase. now i reinstalled everything anyways and used samsung magician to make secure erase usb. i think at one time i had bit locker on samsung magician software shows the drive as encrypted but bitlocker is now off. how can i secure erase this thing samsung 960 evo have tried everything

 

[photonboy]

One possibility is to use HDD LLF (low level format) free:
http://hddguru.com/

I have used this for a couple USB sticks and internal HDD's over the years including yesterday.

1. install that
2. run the free version
3. select the drive to write to
4. format the entire drive

That should overwrite every location.

If you need to BOOT first (no Windows) there are some options that may help you in ULTIMATEBOOTCD (USB too) such as Active kill Disk that also overwrites:
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

(Secure Erase is internal to the SSD in that it triggers its own commands to overwrite locations whereas "write zeros" like LLF is commands send TO the drive but the end results is the same)

 

[WINTERLORD]

so is it a secure erase to then to activate garbage collection?

 

[photonboy]

so is it a secure erase to then to activate garbage collection?

Secure Erase is the SSD/HDD unit initiating a physical overwrite of every location.

HDD LLF is similar but the overwrite commands come from the PC itself not from internal to the SSD/HDD unit.

Garbage Collection and Trim involve SSD's specifically and those that have data already...in general most modern systems should do TRIM and properly manage the SSD so I wouldn't worry about it.. things like Secure Erase/LLF are for people who want to destroy the data so it is unrecoverable (or have some glitch that only this can solve):
http://www.thessdreview.com/daily-news/latest-buzz/garbage-collection-and-trim-in-ssds-explained-an-ssd-primer/

as per above:
"With SSDs, GC is the name for the process of relocating existing data to new locations and allowing the surrounding invalid data to be erased.."

 

[photonboy]

If you need more help be more specific... I got the impression you have some problem you can't figure out so wish to reinstall Windows but can't initiate a Secure Erase to fix whatever problem you have?

Or can you actually boot to Windows Install disc, delete the partitions when allowed, then continue the install?

Anyway, I use HDD LLF because when I do things like create a Windows Install disc, create Linux or other bootable USB options I can't seem to format the USB stick anymore but I can go into Disc Management and format if I run HDD LLF first.

*so to repeat myself, HDD LFF should wipe the SSD so I assume aside from some wear it should work like it did when you first got it. There should be no data present that could cause problems of any kind.

Secure Erase again is initiated FROM the drive itself via an external command (I assume that USB boot stick you made) but the end result is the same as HDD LLF done on a working system to the same drive.

Not sure why you can't initiate Secure Erase. I'm sure you've tried THIS:
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/support-software/Samsung-Secure-Erase-949/

 

[WINTERLORD]

no you had it right i cant iniate a secure erase have tried both samsung secure erase make usb, as well as parted magic secure erase. even tried secure erase through an add on feature custome to my asus z370 hero maximus board.

i did reinstall windopws anyways as i had no OS at the moment but i think it needs a good reinstall with secure erase this one got done without cause after using bitlocker just seems liker i havnt been able to secure erase the drive now although bitlock is off on the fresh instal