Solid State Drives (SSDs) are faster, energy efficient, and more resilient to failure than Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). Unlike HDDs, SSDs do not have any moving components, making them less susceptible to damage from physical impact. In addition, SSDs are inherently complex in terms of their data storage mechanism. Therefore, one must carefully choose the right erasure method to wipe SSDs, as methods that work on a hard drive may not be suitable or deemed fit for erasing an SSD.
Here is a list of the types of solid-state drives that you can wipe using BitRaser Drive Eraser:
- Portable USB SSD
- SATA SSD (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment SSD)
- SAS SSD
- Thunderbolt SSD
- mSATA or mini-SATA SSD
- M.2 SSDs with AHCI or NVMe
- Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) SSD with NVMe
- Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) drives
- U.2 SSD (2.5” and 3.5”)
BitRaser is quick and easy to deploy, and you can begin wiping your SSD in a couple of minutes.
Note: You can also use BitRaser Drive Eraser software to wipe HDDs. To learn how refer to our KB article How to Wipe a Hard Drive
Key Requirements:
Processor: x86 or x64 Processor
RAM: 1 GB Minimum (4 GB Recommended)
USB Drive: Min. 2 GB for creating a Bootable USB (USB 3.0 Recommended)
USB Port: 2.0/3.0
Internet: Wi-Fi or Ethernet (Offline Variant also Available)
To simplify this Knowledge Base article, we have divided it into 3 stages.
Stage 1: Download BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO File from BitRaser Cloud
Step 1: Sign in to your BitRaser Cloud account using the credentials emailed to you after you purchased the BitRaser Drive Eraser.
Step 2: Click on the 'Cloud Variant: BitRaser Drive Eraser' option in the 'Download BitRaser' section of the BitRaser Cloud console to begin the download. (Refer to Image 1)
Image 1: Download BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO From BitRaser Cloud
Stage 2: Prepare a Bootable USB
This step guides you through the process of making a bootable USB to wipe SSDs:
Step 1: Go to the Rufus application, then download and install it. This is an open-source software program that helps you create a bootable USB.
Step 2: Connect the USB flash drive to the host machine and launch the Rufus tool.
Now, select the BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO you downloaded, click the ‘START’ button, and click ‘YES’ to begin writing the ISO image on USB. (Refer to Image 2)
Click ‘Yes’ and ‘OK’ in the alert windows, and within a few minutes, your bootable USB is ready.
Image 2: Select BitRaser ISO File, then Click START
Note: If you have a Mac, including a Mac with a T1, T2, M1, and M2 Chip or Intel processor, you should use the 'BitRaser USB Creator' utility instead of Rufus. This proprietary tool helps you create a Mac bootable drive to wipe internal and external drives on Mac devices.
If you want to know how to use the BitRaser USB Creator utility, you may refer to our Mac deployment guide: How to Wipe Mac Devices
Stage 3: Start Wiping Solid State Drives with BitRaser
Using BitRaser, you can erase both internally and externally connected SSDs.
Step 2: Switch the system on. Press the Function keys (in Dell laptops, it is F2) to enter the Boot menu. Select the bootable USB and press ‘Enter’ (Refer to Image 3)
Image 3: In BIOS, Select the Bootable USB to Boot With the USB
Step 3: The computer will boot, and the 'BitRaser' Menu will appear. Press ‘Enter’.
You will see the ‘BitRaser Home Screen’ listing all connected SSDs. (Refer to Image 4)
Image 4: BitRaser Home Screen With all Connected SSD
Step 4: Connect the device to the internet by clicking on the 'Settings' icon in the top right corner of the application. Go to the ‘Network’ tab and connect via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. (Refer to Image 5)
Image 5: Connect BitRaser to the Internet
Step 5: Connect with your BitRaser Cloud account to download Erasure licenses. Enter the login credentials you received by mail in the ‘BitRaser Server’ tab and click ‘Connect’. (Refer to Image 6)
Image 6: Connect to BitRaser Cloud Console
Step 6: The default Erasure Method and Verification type are ‘NIST Purge’ and ‘Total Verification’. NIST Purge is the recommended method to wipe SSDs.
Select the SSD you want to wipe and click ‘Erase’. In the pop-up alert window that informs you that all data will be wiped beyond the scope of recovery, click ‘Yes’. (Refer to Image 7)
Image 7: Select SSD to Wipe the Erasure Method and Click-Erase then Click Yes
The SSD Wiping process has started; depending on its size, your SSD will be wiped in a couple of minutes. Once the erasure process is completed, you can view and download tamper-proof erasure reports & certificates from the secure BitRaser Cloud.
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