If you want more control over the wiping process or need to wipe a drive that's not easily accessible, consider using third-party software:
| Scenario | Recommended Action | |----------|--------------------| | Selling an HDD‑based PC (Windows) | Windows “Reset with clean drive” | | Selling an SSD‑based PC or drive | Manufacturer’s tool or Parted Magic (Secure Erase) | | Donating a Mac with HDD | Disk Utility with 3‑pass erase | | Donating a Mac with SSD | Disk Utility (standard erase) + enable TRIM | | Maximum security (military/medical data) | Secure Erase + physical shredding | | Linux user (any drive) | hdparm for SSD; dd if=/dev/zero for HDD | how to wipe computer hard drive