Here are the methods for both scenarios.
Erasing a spare hard drive (Drive D:, E:, etc.) or an external USB drive while keeping Windows installed. how to wipe a hard drive windows 10
use DBAN on an SSD. It causes unnecessary write cycles, shortening the drive’s life, and won’t fully erase wear-leveled data. Here are the methods for both scenarios
If you are selling the PC, after the reset begins, you may see a setting for "Clean the drive" vs "Just remove my files" . It causes unnecessary write cycles, shortening the drive’s
If you’re disposing of a drive with highly sensitive data (business records, medical info), use a dedicated tool that writes multiple overwrite passes. These meet Department of Defense standards (DoD 5220.22-M).
If you want a verifiable, more thorough wipe, use the format command with a zero-write flag. This works on secondary drives (not your main C: drive).