Cleaning an SSD for resale

[tacosarenice]

I'm about to sell my computer which has an SSD with TRIM enabled.

My plan was to use a recovery disc to restore it to a clean Windows 7 install with nothing installed except some drivers.

Now my question is... is there anything I need to do, to make sure that there is no chance anyone can recover any deleted data from the disk drive? We're talking about things like credit cards numbers in notepad files which I can't risk being recovered.

Thanks!

 

[ed d]

Read up on this , but be certain with it

http://

 

[RealBeast]

Do a secure erase. What brand SSD?

 

[pyromanicadeluxe]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20115106-285/how-to-securely-erase-an-ssd-drive/

 

[tacosarenice]

Do a secure erase. What brand SSD?

Samsung PM830 256 GB (Dell OEM version; Samsung software won't work with it)

 

[pyromanicadeluxe]

Do a secure erase. What brand SSD?

Samsung PM830 256 GB (Dell OEM version; Samsung software won't work with it)

Why not use Parted Magic?
https://partedmagic.com/

 

[tacosarenice]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20115106-285/how-to-securely-erase-an-ssd-drive/

If I wiped the drive using Parted Magic, would I be able to just insert my Windows 7 restore disc and boot from that to get Windows 7 back?
Thanks.

 

[pyromanicadeluxe]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20115106-285/how-to-securely-erase-an-ssd-drive/

If I wiped the drive using Parted Magic, would I be able to just insert my Windows 7 restore disc and boot from that to get Windows 7 back?
Thanks.

Yep, after you nuke it with PM, you would just put in your Windows 7 disc and boot from it and tell it to install on your freshly zeroed SSD.

 

[tacosarenice]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20115106-285/how-to-securely-erase-an-ssd-drive/

If I wiped the drive using Parted Magic, would I be able to just insert my Windows 7 restore disc and boot from that to get Windows 7 back?
Thanks.

Yep, after you nuke it with PM, you would just put in your Windows 7 disc and boot from it and tell it to install on your freshly zeroed SSD.

It's a recovery disc though, not the windows installation CD. Will it still work?

 

[pyromanicadeluxe]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20115106-285/how-to-securely-erase-an-ssd-drive/

If I wiped the drive using Parted Magic, would I be able to just insert my Windows 7 restore disc and boot from that to get Windows 7 back?
Thanks.

Yep, after you nuke it with PM, you would just put in your Windows 7 disc and boot from it and tell it to install on your freshly zeroed SSD.

It's a recovery disc though, not the windows installation CD. Will it still work?

Not unless you have a backup from a time before you had sensitive data on the machine...doubt that. You will need a windows 7 installation disc to do a clean install. You can download and burn them from the internet. I don't have any links for you but microsoft DOES actually host the ISO's for download. They are impossible to find on the website, just google it and someone will have a link.

 

[tacosarenice]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20115106-285/how-to-securely-erase-an-ssd-drive/

If I wiped the drive using Parted Magic, would I be able to just insert my Windows 7 restore disc and boot from that to get Windows 7 back?
Thanks.

Yep, after you nuke it with PM, you would just put in your Windows 7 disc and boot from it and tell it to install on your freshly zeroed SSD.

It's a recovery disc though, not the windows installation CD. Will it still work?

Not unless you have a backup from a time before you had sensitive data on the machine...doubt that. You will need a windows 7 installation disc to do a clean install. You can download and burn them from the internet. I don't have any links for you but microsoft DOES actually host the ISO's for download. They are impossible to find on the website, just google it and someone will have a link.

Alienware did give me Windows 7 discs. I just hate using them because getting all your drivers again takes so long.

Okay so if I boot from a PM flash drive and wipe the SSD I can use my Windows 7 discs just fine and reinstall windows... and no longer have any worry of somebody recovering my data?

 

[pyromanicadeluxe]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20115106-285/how-to-securely-erase-an-ssd-drive/

If I wiped the drive using Parted Magic, would I be able to just insert my Windows 7 restore disc and boot from that to get Windows 7 back?
Thanks.

Yep, after you nuke it with PM, you would just put in your Windows 7 disc and boot from it and tell it to install on your freshly zeroed SSD.

It's a recovery disc though, not the windows installation CD. Will it still work?

Not unless you have a backup from a time before you had sensitive data on the machine...doubt that. You will need a windows 7 installation disc to do a clean install. You can download and burn them from the internet. I don't have any links for you but microsoft DOES actually host the ISO's for download. They are impossible to find on the website, just google it and someone will have a link.

Alienware did give me Windows 7 discs. I just hate using them because getting all your drivers again takes so long.

Okay so if I boot from a PM flash drive and wipe the SSD I can use my Windows 7 discs just fine and reinstall windows... and no longer have any worry of somebody recovering my data?

Yes, and Alienware includes a driver disc as well as the Windows 7 disc, so you should not have to download them all again.

 

[tacosarenice]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20115106-285/how-to-securely-erase-an-ssd-drive/

If I wiped the drive using Parted Magic, would I be able to just insert my Windows 7 restore disc and boot from that to get Windows 7 back?
Thanks.

Yep, after you nuke it with PM, you would just put in your Windows 7 disc and boot from it and tell it to install on your freshly zeroed SSD.

It's a recovery disc though, not the windows installation CD. Will it still work?

Not unless you have a backup from a time before you had sensitive data on the machine...doubt that. You will need a windows 7 installation disc to do a clean install. You can download and burn them from the internet. I don't have any links for you but microsoft DOES actually host the ISO's for download. They are impossible to find on the website, just google it and someone will have a link.

Alienware did give me Windows 7 discs. I just hate using them because getting all your drivers again takes so long.

Okay so if I boot from a PM flash drive and wipe the SSD I can use my Windows 7 discs just fine and reinstall windows... and no longer have any worry of somebody recovering my data?

Yes, and Alienware includes a driver disc as well as the Windows 7 disc, so you should not have to download them all again.

Alright gotta get a flash drive then. Thank you!