Delete data off SSD without erasing Windows

[derekrose71]

Hi all,

I would like to securely erase certain deleted data on my hard disk (SSD), and my previous attempts have failed. I've seen suggestions that involve wiping the entire hard drive, but I don't know how to reinstall Windows, etc, so I'm nervous about such a strategy. Is there any way to just wipe the free space securely?

FYI: I know nothing about partitioning, if that is part of your answer, so you would need to explain that to me.

Thanks.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, derekrose71.

Basically you can't securely erase your SSD without removing the OS as well. However if your data is on a different partition (if your SSD has different partitions) you can format just the one containing the unwanted data without affecting your OS (Operating System, which is Windows in your case). Since you've stated that you don't know anything about partitions, the easiest way to find out how is your SSD partitioned and formatted (along with any other drives you may have), is by opening Disk Management. Here's a guide on how to do that: How to access Disk Management in Windows to manage hard drives. You should normally see your SSD as Disk 0 (if there are other drives they'll be under it - Disk 1, Disk 2, etc). Your SSD might have a couple of partitions (e.g. System Reserved, C:, recovery partition) if there's another partition, which usually has a drive letter - e.g. D:, E:, etc. that will show up in Windows Explorer (My Computer) as a separate drive like C: drive and D: drive for example.
I know it sounds a bit confusing, so if you make a screenshot of what you see in Disk Management and upload it somewhere so that you can paste the link here, it would be a lot easier for me to explain your situation and for you to understand it.

Hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any questions whatsoever.
Boogieman_WD