How Can I Randomize a Disk to Ensure Deleted Files Are Unreadable?

[fantasypractical]

I'm experiencing a hardware issue with my MSI laptop and need to take it to a repair shop. I've already moved my private files to a USB drive, but I want to ensure that the deleted files on my laptop can't be recovered.

I understand that simply deleting a file frees up space but doesn't actually erase the data, making it potentially recoverable if not overwritten.

Do you have any recommendations for making sure these deleted files are truly unreadable?

Regards.

 

[Suzan878]

You can use software to securely overwrite free space on your disk. Several tools have an option to perform multiple passes, which makes it very hard for anyone to recover deleted files. Just make sure to select the option to Wipe Free Space.

 

[Kara_Profy]

If you're comfortable using the command line, use the built-in tools on Windows like cipher /w:C: to overwrite deleted data on your drive.