Is there a program that confidently deletes all data on a Windows laptop, or do you need a special stick?
would be really grateful for help
https://dban.org/
In any case, you have to boot from a live medium. You can't delete all data on the system partition while you have booted it.
Doesn't work with SSDs.
Top program, I always recommend it
I don't know what the TE wants to delete exactly
That's why I'm adding it as a supplement.
If this is about not destroying the hard drive and you happen to have Windows 10 PRO, I would recommend encrypting the hard drive with Windows's own tool BitLocker. Then you could simply install a new Windows over it or throw away the hard drive.
Although the data is not deleted in this sense, the BitLocker encryption is considered to be practically secure, which is why the data can no longer be read out.
Mfg Jannick (L1nd)
I always recommend encrypting with Bitlocker or something like that. Then I don't have to do an extinguishing exercise, but can throw the record into the bin.
But this is not a reliable erase
At first this is not deletion, but the answer to the question whether the FS needs a "special stick".
Programs can't work really reliably because the hard disk is still active. So something is carried out on it that can't be deleted at this moment.
Either you do this via a live operating system and format the hard drive or (which I personally also use) you use a Red Key USB.
Is also a live operating system with a simple user interface which could even (purely theoretically) be used by the military if the data want to be deleted (appropriate certifications are available.)
It depends on how reliably you want to delete data.
If, for example, it is about secret blueprints for an antimatter stellarator (whatever that may be) that absolutely must be deleted reliably, it would be advisable to do this with a system that is not loaded from the memory to be deleted (i.e. USB Stick or something).
Any conventional USB storage device can be used for this. The system https://gparted.org/livecd.php is then put on it with the help of https://rufus.ie/, for example. Then you start Gparted and thus have the opportunity to delete the memory including Windows.
If it is only a matter of deleting everything somehow, this can be done by resetting Windows. Most likely something could be recovered there if someone tried Recuva or similar programs.
Very important, it still depends on the storage type, SSDs behave differently than HDDs (hard drives). The latter can be reliably deleted by overwriting it several times. The former behave in a more special way, there you should perform an "ATA Secure Erase". If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
I would classify this "Red Key USB" as untrustworthy and overpriced. On their website, the three editions offer - What is the point of this distinction? Home deletes 25% of the data, Professional 50% and Ultimate 95% or what?!
These are simply cheap China USB sticks onto which something else has been loaded. Plus their website. No exact information and no demo video. I would prefer to delete a Windows computer with the help of WannaCry or have it encrypted by it, that would probably be more secure (and cheaper!).
A normal USB storage device, for example with Kali Linux, is better. If you have started that you need an lsblk and a shred -vfz -n 10 / dev / sdx and then that fits.
