Selling laptop - best way to wipe SSD?

King Mustard · 16 Apr 2026 at 15:25

It is a 1 TB Patriot P220 from 2022 or so.

I have a USB docking station I can use to connect the 2.5" SSD into my main PC but I would not know which tool to use to wipe said SSD.

Wiping a HDD was easy enough (though slow) but I believe SSDs work differently when it comes to how they should be wiped.

Patriot itself appear to have no software.

Any ideas?

aaronyuri · 16 Apr 2026 at 15:33

Format it. Done. Some SSDs also have a secure erase feature that you can use. Was the drive encrypted? If not, encrypt it, then format it.

However, if you have extremely sensitive data on it that you're concerned about people recovering - better to destroy it.

koolpc · 16 Apr 2026 at 16:11

I used a lint free cloth to wipe it clean...

SimonRigga · 16 Apr 2026 at 16:12

Microwave.. /thread

please don't actually do this!!

hornetstinger · 16 Apr 2026 at 16:13

I'd be annoyed if seller did multiple format/zero rewrite (decreases lifespan of drive)

aaronyuri · 16 Apr 2026 at 16:45

koolpc said:
I used a lint free cloth to wipe it clean...

Take it and get out.

Quartz · 16 Apr 2026 at 16:50

King Mustard said:
It is a 1 TB Patriot P220 from 2022 or so.

KISS applies: remove the SSD and sell the laptop without the SSD.

Purgatory · 16 Apr 2026 at 20:57

King Mustard said:
It is a 1 TB Patriot P220 from 2022 or so.

I have a USB docking station I can use to connect the 2.5" SSD into my main PC but I would not know which tool to use to wipe said SSD.

Wiping a HDD was easy enough (though slow) but I believe SSDs work differently when it comes to how they should be wiped.

Patriot itself appear to have no software.

Any ideas?

BIOS/UEFI secure erase feature
Many modern motherboards include a secure erase feature in their BIOS or UEFI settings.

Restart your computer and press the key for BIOS/UEFI setup (usually Del, F2 or F12).
Wait for the BIOS/UEFI to load, then locate the storage, security or maintenance section.
Look for a Secure Erase option and select the SSD that you want to secure erase.
Confirm the erase process, then make sure your computer maintains stable power throughout the process.
Wait for the process to finish, and once it’s finished, restart your system

OR

Diskpart Clean All (Command Line):
Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Type diskpart, then list disk to find your drive number.
Type select disk X (replace X with your SSD number).
Type clean all to securely overwrite all data.

Quartz · 17 Apr 2026 at 09:32

Purgatory said:
Diskpart Clean All (Command Line):
Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Type diskpart, then list disk to find your drive number.
Type select disk X (replace X with your SSD number).
Type clean all to securely overwrite all data.

Doesn't that just overwrite the partition information and various headers?

Purgatory · 17 Apr 2026 at 09:43

Quartz said:
Doesn't that just overwrite the partition information and various headers?

clean all: Overwrites every sector to securely erase all data.

Mcnumpty2323 · 17 Apr 2026 at 10:57

Diskpart clean all takes a while
As its overwriting the drive
Same as with hdd

If bios doesn't have secure erase
Use either
Patriot sata toolbox software
Or third party software like the free version
Of parted magic
Both have secure erase

Secure erase takes literally few seconds
Think it sends a voltage spike
To the nand resetting it to factory state
Have done it then tested nothing was recoverable

ivrytwr3 · 17 Apr 2026 at 18:01

DBAN

ETA: oh just seen DBAN isn't really recommended for SSDs. Parted Magic or SSD own software it is!

darael · 20 Apr 2026 at 10:03

The only thing I'd add, is to keep the drive turned on for about 5 minutes after running the secure erase command on it. This should be ample time for the drive to properly execute the command, just as issuing a TRIM command to SSD drives requires a couple of minutes to complete properly.

Mcnumpty2323 · 20 Apr 2026 at 10:58

If doing the methods I mentioned
Its literally seconds
No need to wait 5 minutes
I Isecure erase then immediately scan
For anything that can be recovered
Parted magic definitely does it properly
But if using a manufacturers software
I double check as a few years ago
The corsair ssd toolbox actually wasn't doing it correctly
I could recover everything

darael · 20 Apr 2026 at 12:23

Mcnumpty2323 said:
If doing the methods I mentioned
Its literally seconds
No need to wait 5 minutes
I Isecure erase then immediately scan
For anything that can be recovered
Parted magic definitely does it properly
But if using a manufacturers software
I double check as a few years ago
The corsair ssd toolbox actually wasn't doing it correctly
I could recover everything

It's something I prefer to do, to give the drive plenty of time to perform the erase.

AthlonXP1800 · 6 May 2026 at 07:14

King Mustard said:
It is a 1 TB Patriot P220 from 2022 or so.

I have a USB docking station I can use to connect the 2.5" SSD into my main PC but I would not know which tool to use to wipe said SSD.

Wiping a HDD was easy enough (though slow) but I believe SSDs work differently when it comes to how they should be wiped.

Patriot itself appear to have no software.

Any ideas?

Patriot P220 have Patriot toolbox that can do firmware updates and secure erase, you can download toolbox in download section. Dont know how you missed it.

P220 SATA III SSD 2.5" | Patriot Memory

Patriot’s P220 Budget you time with higher performance and more storage than ever.

www.patriotmemory.com