By Adam G. Lowe
February 27, 2009
Navigate to the Finder. Open your Applications folder. Within the Applications folder, open the Utilities Folder. There you will find an application called Disk Utility. Open Disk Utility by double-clicking the icon. Disk Utility should open in a new window.
The icon for Disk Utility.
In the left column, you there will be a list of drives on your computer. Drives include CD and DVDs, external hard drives, and USB flash drives. Select the drive you wish to erase. Once you select the drive you wish to erase, it will be highlighted in blue. In the main window, select the Erase tab.
The Disk Utility Window with drive and Erase tab.
In the main window, select the Security Options... button. I new drop-down menu will appear.
Security Options button circled in red.
In the drop-down menu presented, you can select the type of erase you wish to perform. From top to bottom, the options go from less secure to more secure. Descriptions are provided below each option. A 7-Pass Erase should be sufficient, but performing a 35-Pass Erase is even more secure. The more secure option you choose the longer it will take to perform the erase. Select the OK button once you’ve chosen an erase option. You will be returned to the Disk Utility main window.
Drop-down menu with Secure Erase Options.
Once you’ve returned to the main window in Disk Utility, text should appear noting the erase option you’ve selected. Make sure the text reflects the selection you made in step 4. Then single-click the Erase... button. A drop-down menu will appear.
Text reflecting the selected erase option with Erase... button circled.
In the drop down menu, confirm your desire to erase the hard drive. Be sure you want to do this. This action may be irreversible and data may be irretrievable. The task may take some time to complete depending on the options you selected and the size of the drive. Disk Utility will prompt you when finished.
Drop-down menu with Erase button circled.
Copyright 2009, Adam G. Lowe