Why You Would Wipe Your Hard Drive

Whether you are a business owner, or it is your personal computer, wiping your hard drive is imperative when it no longer belongs to you. Many people believe simply putting your computer back to factory settings would clear up everything. Unfortunately, that does not remove all the files off your hard drive at all. We have all heard news reports of credit card numbers stolen from cyber attacks. What happens when the theft is not from someone hacking your systems but your own neglect and lack of the proper equipment care?

Neglect and improper care of your hard drive can be dangerous if the computer falls into the wrong hands. Anyone skilled or nefarious enough to want your information could easily steal a simple password or confidential work-related products. Whether it’s a disgruntled employee or someone that you may not know that purchases your old computer off the internet, your data could be at risk if it is not properly managed.

When you select to delete a file on your computer, it is placed in a temporary section on your hard drive. Those files are there until they are overwritten with other files. Non permanently deleted files can lead to serious problems down the road. Instead, make sure you perform a proper hard drive wipe to ensure all files are permanently deleted.

Here are some other reasons why you would want to wipe your hard drive and how you can do it:

Improve Your Computer’s Performance After A Hard Drive Wipe

Even if you perform a virus scan or factory reset of your device, many viruses could still be hiding within your hard drive. By properly wiping your hard drive, you make sure that there is absolutely nothing remaining on the hard drive. Now that it is completely cleared, you won’t have to worry about any unneeded files hiding and hindering your performance.

Avoid Data Breaches

If you own a business of any kind, your computers hold vast amounts of information related to customers. Or if it is your personal computer, it could contain passwords or even your social security number. Anyone smart enough could easily take that computer’s hard drive and pull that information off it and use it for their own personal gain. Once a breach like this happens, it could cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to fix.

Maintain Government Regulations

Did you know that the government has regulations regarding hard drives? HIPAA is one such regulation where you need to maintain personal information without allowing it to leak. As mentioned in the above section, this could cause serious damage to you and your company. Always make sure that you maintain compliance with all your systems by performing a wipe on your hard drive.

Whether you are a business or need to wipe your hard drive for personal reasons, KVS Computers is here to help you. We will make sure your data is handled securely and properly. We will provide any other services you require for your computer.