Step 2: Use the Thumb Drive

Once you've prepared your thumb drive as described in Prepare the Thumb Drive, you are ready to start using it to erase computers.

In order to erase a computer, you need to boot it using your USB thumb drive.

IMPORTANT: Make sure the USB drive is inserted into one of your computer's USB ports. If the drive is in a USB hub or a docking station, it will not work.

Windows

Do the following:

1. Place the USB drive in the Windows computer you want to wipe
2. Open Windows Explorer ("Windows" key + E)
3. Navigate to the USB drive
4. Double-click EraseData for Windows

The computer will now reboot and launch EraseData. To wipe the computer, follow the instructions in Perform the Wipe, below.

OS X

Do the following:

1. Power off the machine
2. Press the Power button to start the machine. CONTINUE HOLDING the power button until you see a list of drives
3. On the list, click the drive that represents your USB device

Note that above only works for newer Apple Silicone machines. For older Intel machines, or if the above instructions don't work, try this:

1. Restart or power on the machine while holding the Option or Alt button
2. Continue holding the Option or Alt button until you see a list of drives
3. On the list, click the drive that represents your USB device

The computer will now reboot and launch EraseData. To wipe the computer, follow the instructions in Perform the Wipe, below.

NOTE: If neither of these methods work, please see the All Others instructions below.

All Others

Every computer has a special menu where you can select your boot device (UEFI/BIOS settings). To access this menu, you need to press a specific key when the computer first starts up.

The first screen you see on startup may tell you what the key is, often in a lower or upper corner. If it doesn't, common keys are Esc, Del, F1, F2, F10, and F12. If none of these work, the computer manufacturer will list it on their website.

Once you've found the key, do the following:

1. Reboot the machine and immediately press the key to enter the UEFI/BIOS settings
2. In the settings, look for the Boot or Startup options
3. If you see an option to boot from USB, select it; skip the remaining steps
4. CAREFULLY NOTE the current settings
5. Look for a way to add another boot option
6. Set that option to your USB drive
7. Look for a way to set the boot priority
8. Set your USB drive as the first boot device
9. Save and exit

The machine should now boot to the USB device and launch EraseData. To wipe the computer, follow the instructions in Perform the Wipe, below.

Perform the Wipe

When you've rebooted the computer using the USB thumb drive, EraseData will start automatically.

To wipe the computer, do the following:

1. Select Drives on the left
2. Select the drive(s) you want to wipe
3. Click Erase
4. If you'd like to use a specific eraser, select it from the list  (see the warning below)
5. Click Yes to proceed

WARNING: All data on the drive(s) will be permanently deleted! This cannot be undone.