Does Factory Reset Delete Your Computer’s Hard Drive?
When most people think about the concept of a factory reset when it comes to their computer, they are thinking about a process that will result in their computer working smoothly, just the way it did when it was brand new. As far as the software of your computer goes, a factory reset will do exactly that. It will send your computer into the exact state that it was in when you first purchased it. However, it is a little bit of a different story when it comes to the hardware you are working with. As long as your hardware is working well, your computer will function properly after a factory reset, but is it impossible to bring your hardware back to exactly where it was out of the box? This article will explain why factory reset Doesn’t delete your computer’s hard drive.
Many folks think that doing a factory reset on their computer will act the same as doing a clean memory wipe or deletion. But, this is simply not the case. While it may look like all of the memory was wiped when you do a factory reset, in fact, the data still exists in the background, and will continue to be saved there until it is overwritten by new data.
Factory reset limitations
While useful for many situations, the factory reset is not a perfect tool. Mainly, this is because they do not delete everything you might want them to delete ( your data remains on the hard drive!) A factory reset will stop you from being able to access this information, but it does not mean that the data itself is gone. However, once you start to use your system post factory reset, you will begin writing new data overtop of the told information. This means that, through a factory reset, the only way to get rid of all of your old data is the continuous use of the device to replace it all with new data.
The False Sense Of Security
One of the major flaws with a factory reset is the false sense of security it can give users. They are simple and give the appearance that all of your data is deleted, many people feel confident their information is secure and will continue as if it can never be accessed again by anyone. However, if you are truly looking for complete erasure of your data, you will need to run special software, or even use a degaussing method, which ruins the magnetic field on the hard disk, destroying all of the data on it and leaving the disks useless.
Help from an expert
When you are selling your computer and or throwing it away altogether, make sure all of your data on your computer’s hard drive is deleted forever. Contact us today to connect with a computer professional.