Disk - Clean and Clean All with Diskpart Command

How to "Clean" or "Clean All" a Disk with the Diskpart Command​

   Information

This will show you how to use the clean or clean all command on a selected disk to delete all of it's MBR or GPT partitions, volumes, and any hidden sector information on MBR disks is overwritten.

The data on the HDD is not written over using the clean command like it does with the clean all command below. With the clean command, the data on the HDD is only marked as being deleted instead and is only written over when new data is written/saved to the same location on the HDD next.

OR

You could use the clean all command (secure erase) to do the above and also have each and every disk sector on the HDD written over and zeroed out completely to securely delete all data on the disk to help prevent the data from being able to be recovered. "Clean All" takes about an hour per 320 GB to finish running.

   Note

• You cannot use the clean or clean all diskpart commands on a boot disk (ex: disk Windows is installed on) unless you do it from a command prompt at boot.

• Be sure to backup anything that you do not want to lose on the disk that you use clean or clean all on first. It will be to late afterwards. All data will be permanently lost on the disk.

   Warning

You do not want to use clean all on a SSD disk often. Having every sector written over to 0 on a SSD can reduce it's life span faster.

Here's How:

1. In Windows 7, open an elevated command prompt, or a command prompt at boot.

OR

2. In Windows 8 and 8.1, open an elevated command prompt, or a command prompt at boot.

   Note

Be sure that you have the correct Disk #. You would not want to wipe clean the wrong disk.

A) Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type compmgmt.msc, and press Enter.

B) If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.

C) Click/tap on Disk Management in the left pane, and make note of the disk # in the middle pane of the disk that you want to clean or clean all. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: For example, I would use Disk 1 if I wanted to use clean or clean all on my USB key drive.

3. In the elevated command prompt, type diskpart and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

4. In the elevated command prompt, type list disk and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This will give you a list of disk numbers to select from.

5. In the elevated command prompt, type select disk # and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You would substitute # for the disk number listed that you want to use clean or clean all on. For example, I want to use one of them on Disk 1 (from step 1) for my USB key drive, so I would type select disk 1 and press Enter.

6. If the status of the selected disk # (ex: Disk 3) shows as Offline, type online disk, and press Enter to make it online. (see screenshot below)

7. Do either step 8 or 9 below for which command you would like to use.


8. To Use the Clean Diskpart Command
NOTE: (Recommended) See the green INFO box at the top of the tutorial for more information about this command. This command will wipe the HDD quickly.
A) In the elevated command prompt, type clean, press Enter, and go to step 10 below. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This will not take long to finish. Think of it as being like a quick format.

9. To Use the Clean All Diskpart Command
NOTE: See the green INFO box at the top of the tutorial for more information about this command. This command will wipe the HDD, and perform a secure erase. "Clean All" takes about an hour per 320 GB to finish running. It's best to only use this command if you wanted to help make sure that the data on the HDD cannot be recovered say when giving or selling the HDD to another person.
A) In the elevated command prompt, type clean all, and press Enter, and go to step 10 below. You will see the command prompt below as is until the "clean all" command is finished. (see screenshot below)

NOTE: This will take quite some time (several hours or more) to finish depending on how large the disk is since it is writing over each and every sector on it to zero. Think of it as being like a full or low level format.

10. When finished, in the elevated command prompt, type exit and press Enter. Close the elevated command prompt.

11. The disk will be left as unallocated space. (see screenshot below)

12. You will now need to create a new partition or volume on the disk to be able to use it again.



That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Shrink a Partition or Volume in Windows 7
• How to Create a New Partition or Volume in Windows 7
• How to Extend a Partition or Volume in Windows 7
• How to Delete a Partition or Volume in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Convert a FAT or FAT32 Volume to NTFS in Windows 7
• How to Convert a MBR Disk to a GPT Disk
• How to Convert a GPT Disk to a MBR Disk
• How to Convert a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk
• How to Convert a Dynamic Disk to a Basic Disk
• How to Quick Format a HDD or USB Drive
• How to Securely Wipe a Hard Disk with "Darik's Boot and Nuke"
• How to Overwrite Deleted Data using the "Cipher" Command in Windows

 

[kissa182]

May I ask this, does "clean all" delete EVERYTHING on my HDD. I mean will that simply EVERYTHING, all UEFI partitions, everything go away with "clean all" from my HDD. (that's what i want)

I am running the command through Win7 DVD.

 

[Brink]

Hello Kissa, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Both "clean" and "clean all" will delete everything on the HDD. The green information box at the top of the tutorial can give you more details about them to help, but I would recommend to use "Clean" like in step 7 of OPTION TWO below.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/26203-convert-gpt-disk-mbr-disk.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[kissa182]

Yes, but the thing is that I want to get rid of "ubuntu" in boot menu as I tried that OS and no, it was not the correct for me. "Clean" didn't do it, it is still there, as it is probably in UEFI partition or something.

 

[Brink]

You could boot from your Windows 7 installation retail installation DVD/USB, then start at step 2 in the tutorial below for a command prompt at boot to use the clean command on the HDD to wipe it.

If Ubuntu is on a separate HDD, then it will need to be cleaned as well.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/26203-convert-gpt-disk-mbr-disk.html

 

[kissa182]

You could boot from your Windows 7 installation retail installation DVD/USB, then start at step 2 in the tutorial below for a command prompt at boot to use the clean command on the HDD to wipe it.

If Ubuntu is on a separate HDD, then it will need to be cleaned as well.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/26203-convert-gpt-disk-mbr-disk.html

Thats the thing what i did.

I did "clean all"
Waited about 3 hours, and that "ubuntu" boot option is still in my BIOS. I decided to be like "f*** that" and installed Windows 7. Now it has "Windows Boot Manager" which loads of course, Windows. Then still this "ubuntu" option is in my BIOS Boot order, but i disabled it. But the thing is that I want to get rid of that. I think it is an some kind of UEFI partition. Is there now a way to get rid of it without reinstalling Windows. I did do that "clean all" through Windows 7 DVD. Please help me getting rid of that.. =( I do not use another HDD's than this.

 

[Brink]

You only needed to use "Clean" instead of "Clean all" to save time. "Clean" would have finished in about a minute instead.

See if by chance Ubuntu is listed to be able to delete it using the tutorial below.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2288-windows-boot-manager-delete-listed-operating-system.html

If not, then please post a screenshot showing the full layout of your Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) screen with a description of what is on each disk and partition.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

 

[kissa182]

You only needed to use "Clean" instead of "Clean all" to save time. "Clean" would have finished in about a minute instead.

See if by chance Ubuntu is listed to be able to delete it using the tutorial below.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2288-windows-boot-manager-delete-listed-operating-system.html

If not, then please post a screenshot showing the full layout of your Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) screen with a description of what is on each disk and partition.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

That is not what I mean. It is in BIOS. Not Windows bootloader. Ubuntu was installed through UEFI. The problem here is that BIOS finds "ubuntu" UEFI partition from hard disk. Ubuntu is not on hard disk, the system is not installed, the bootloader of it is not on computer. Just this UEFI partition. I can't get rid of it. It really annoys me, and I'm thinking is DBAN the only solution here (that should delete ALL, EVERYTHING! from HDD, right?)

More information is that Windows 7 is installed through UEFI too, so BIOS has "Windows Boot Manager" and "ubuntu", and trying to boot that ubuntu doesn't do anything as it does not exist. The problem is that I havent found a way to delete the UEFI partition of it.

E:
So let me explain:
Windows is not asking do I want to boot Ubuntu or Windows, there are no other than partitions of Windows.

Only an UEFI partition probably is stored in HDD, and nothing can get rid of it, and BIOS sees an useless boot option (trying to boot this ubuntu does nothing as the system doesnt exist, PC continues to next thing in boot order)

So, this is not anything serious, it is just that UEFI partition, nothing else, it wont ruin my life, wont annoy me in system, it is just an UEFI partition which is useless.

 

[Brink]

Please post a screenshot showing the full layout of your Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) screen with a description of what is on each disk and partition to see if that may help reveal what is happening.

 

[kissa182]

Guy, something weird happened. That "ubuntu" selection from BIOS is gone! Hooray! Don't know what happened, but it is gone. Finally.

That EFI System Partition in picture is Windows 7's. But in BIOS, that ubuntu selection is gone.

 

[Brink]

Kissa,

I'm happy to hear that all is fine now.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok I have done the clean all on an external drive ready to clone a version of Vista to so that I can use the old drive.
But I am only picking up the external in diskpart and not Computer.

So I am trying to format the external disk with diskpart but getting to the format fs=ntfs command it shows up as the disk not being on line? yet I can see it listed.

Have I done something wrong?

 

[Brink]

John,

Right click on the Disk # box on the left side in the bottom middle pane, and see if you have on option to set it to be online like below. Afterwards, see if you are able to create a new partition on the unallocated disk.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks Shawn I did try a copy with Partition Wizard after successfully diskpart - format of the external drive.
But as you can see the partitions are not quite as I expected to see them - I thought it would be a clone like image. The main partitions E & K open to reveal the same info on but the "end" partitions do not.

Having said that Partition Wizard lets me do that and the same info is in both.

Now my only concern is that the Vista will be lost if I clean all that old drive for a trial of Windows 8, and that I would not be able to put it back on to that drive.

I would like to keep that copy of Vista for reference when I have a Vista fix in, personally I think it is such a cumbersome program but I do have friends who actually like it??.

 

[Brink]

John,

Your external disk 2 doesn't have the factory recovery partitions copied to it. I wouldn't trust it to be able to recover Vista, so I wouldn't delete your Vista disk 3.

Not sure if disk 0 is internal or external, but if internal, I suppose that you could shrink the X (disk 0) partition by how much space (ex: say 80 GB) you want for Windows 8, and use that unallocated space to install Windows 8 on.

 

[whs]

John, Here is another thought ==> If you want to make your life easy, install Windows8 with VMware Player. That's the ultimate and easiest solution, at least in my book.

Here is Shawn's tutorial on how to install Windows8: VMware Player - Install Windows 8

Here is a little demo I made to show how it works: http://www.sevenforums.com/virtualization/277690-vmware-player-windows-8-demo.html

 

[Brink]

John,

Wolfgang makes a good point. This way you don't have to worry about partitions and the boot manager with a virtual machine. Plus, you could just delete it if you ever don't want it anymore.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks Shawn and Wolfgang I will keep the original disk and just buy a new one as you say I don't want to trust having just the copy on the external.

The 0 drive is a 500GB Seagate I have in the front SATA dock for data backup and I will try that option too.

Wolfgang I don't know much about VM stuff but am going to take a look at the refs you sent - thanks.

Am on night duty at the moment so life is a bit surreal having to limit the time on the machines to a couple of hours at most before going to the workhouse.

 

[whs]

Wolfgang I don't know much about VM stuff but am going to take a look at the refs you sent - thanks.

Don't worry. It is dead simple and with the help of Shawn's tutorial you should have a running system in no time. And if you have more questions, just ask.

 

[Brink]

Anytime mate. Please let us know how it comes along.

 

[Layback Bear]

Wolfgang states he runs Vmware portable so he can go from computer to computer. That is if I understand what I think I understand.
My question: How does this work when two different computers have completely different hardware and drivers, ect.
Now remember I'm a dummy that doesn't use his brain so be easy on me.