{"id":10541,"date":"2018-07-20T14:39:59","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T14:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/it\/dev\/kb\/?post_type=ht_kb&p=10541"},"modified":"2025-05-22T15:11:36","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T19:11:36","slug":"secure-erase","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/it\/dev\/kb\/article\/secure-erase\/","title":{"rendered":"Securely Erase Data"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your data may be stored on a wide variety of different physical media, such as an internal or external hard drive or a USB flash drive. Before repurposing or recycling a laptop, desktop, or other computing system, it’s critical to protect your data by securely erasing or disposing of the physical storage.<\/p>\n \t\t

\r\n \t\t\tData Must be Securely Erased or Destroyed Prior to Equipment Disposal<\/span> \t\t\t \t\t\t\t

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When a device has had its data securely erased or destroyed, a\u00a0clean media label<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>should be affixed to the device, signaling that it is ready for disposal.<\/p>\n

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Options for Securely Erasing\/Destroying Data<\/h3><\/div>\r\n \t\t\t
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\n \t\t\tNeed Help?<\/span> \t\t\t \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

If you do not feel completely comfortable<\/strong> securely erasing your data, please contact the UVM Tech Team and schedule an appointment to visit the Computer Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n \t\t<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Method<\/th>\nDescription<\/th>\nDrive Type<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Physical Drive Destruction<\/td>\nComputer hard drives and storage media can be brought to the Computer Clinic<\/a>\u00a0and submitted for destruction. Hard drives will be removed from computers and destroyed.<\/strong> The computer will be returned to you and will require a\u00a0Surplus Pickup Request<\/a>\u00a0to dispose of the electronic waste properly.<\/p>\n
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\n \t\t\t\t\tThis method is only available to computers and storage media that are owned by the University of Vermont \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n \t\t<\/td>\n

Any storage media (Recommended<\/strong><\/span>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Securely erasing an Encrypted Volume<\/td>\nVolumes encrypted with FileVault 2<\/strong> or BitLocker<\/strong> can be securely erased without the need to write zeros throughout the entire disk.<\/td>\nSolid State and spindle disk drives
\n(Recommended<\/strong><\/span>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ATA Secure Erase command<\/td>\nSoftware used to securely erase data.<\/td>\nSolid State and most modern spindle disk drives<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SSD Manufacturer utilities<\/td>\nUse software provided by the manufacturer of the drive to erase an SSD. Many manufacturers offer software that allows for securely erasing the drive.<\/td>\nSolid State Disks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Disk Zero-ing software<\/td>\nSoftware used to write zeros bit for bit across an entire drive, securely erasing all data on the disk.<\/td>\nTraditional magnetic spindle disk hard drives<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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\r\n \t\t\tThese Processes are DATA DESTRUCTIVE<\/span> \t\t\t \t\t\t\t

\r\n \t\t\t\t\tTo prevent accidental DATA loss, disconnect any disk drives that are not targeted for secure erasure! \t\t\t\t<\/p>\r\n \t\t\t \t\t\t\r\n \t\t<\/div>\r\n \t\t\n

Recommended Methods<\/h2>\n \t\t
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Physical Drive Destruction<\/h3><\/div>\r\n \t\t\t
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\n \t\t\tUVM Owned Devices Only<\/span> \t\t\t \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n \t\t\t\t\tPhysical drive destruction is only available to computers and storage media that are owned by the University of Vermont \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Computer hard drives and storage media can be brought to the\u00a0Computer Clinic<\/a>\u00a0and submitted for destruction.\u00a0Hard drives will be removed from computers and physically destroyed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Computers will be returned to you (with the hard drive removed) and will require a\u00a0Surplus Pickup Request<\/a>\u00a0to dispose of the electronic waste properly.<\/p>\n

If your computer does have have removable storage media (NVMe soldered to the system board) the guides below may required to securely erase your data.<\/p>\n

This service is provided by Enterprise Technology Services at no cost to departments.<\/p>\n

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Securely erase a BitLocker encrypted volume<\/h3><\/div>\r\n \t\t\t
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BitLocker encrypted disks enable you to quickly sanitize the device by deleting the encryption key, which renders the data on the drive irretrievable.\u00a0To sanitize the contents of a BitLocker encrypted disk, follow the steps outlined below.<\/p>\n