The TRIM command marks the blocks of data the SSD is no longer using, ready for wiping internally. Solid-state drives use a specific command to keep on top of file deletion, known as TRIM. At least, not how they work on a magnetic hard drive. What that does mean, however, is that some common secure file deletion methods don't work as you would expect. Your SSD constantly moves data around to comply with wear leveling, ensuring all blocks wear at an even rate. Basically, your computer has no way of telling "where" that information was just copied to.
SECURE ERASE UTILITY SOFTWARE
In other words, SSDs do not use any physically indexable locations, and software cannot specifically target sectors on the disk. Changes made for wear leveling record to a separate file map.
![secure erase utility secure erase utility](https://www.diskpart.com/ssd-management/images/secure-erase-ssd-crucial-3889/ssd-secure-erase-wizard.jpg)
While the SSD uses a file system to communicate data storage locations to the host system, it also re-shuffles the data to ensure even wear across all memory blocks. Each write process causes the memory to degrade or "wear." Instead of writing to a location on a physical disc, an SSD writes the data to a block. Whereas a solid-state drive is a form of flash memory, like a USB thumb drive-but with a much larger capacity. The operating system indexes the file locations in a file system and accesses the data using a mechanical arm. Wear leveling is one of the major differences between a regular magnetic hard drive and a solid-state drive.Ī traditional hard drive stores files in physical locations on a magnetic platter. The first protection comes in the form of wear leveling, designed to evenly distribute stored data between SSD blocks to ensure even wear. HDD: Which Storage Device Should You Choose? What Is SSD Wear Levelling?
SECURE ERASE UTILITY SERIES
SSDs are designed with self-sufficiency in mind, using a series of algorithms and fail-safes that the manufacturer puts in place to maximize drive life and ensure data is discarded correctly. Generally speaking, you should never have to perform any maintenance on your solid-state drive. So, how do you securely erase an SSD without damaging the drive? Using a regular tool can damage the SSD, reducing its lifespan. Like other types of flash memory, you can only write to an SSD so many times, which presents an issue if you want to wipe the solid-state drive clean. An SSD was once a trade-off between disk space, cost, and the speed boost, but large capacity SSDs are now cheaper than ever. A solid-state drive (SSD) is one of the best upgrades you can make to your PC.