Cleaning the drive

• 1). Back up your entire hard disk drive or important files prior to installing or running disk wiping software to prevent potential data loss.
  
  
• 2). Download a copy of a drive cleaning software application, such as one of those listed in the resources section of this article. Install the software on the computer with the hard drive that you wish to wipe, following the instructions provided with the software or by following the prompts.
  
  
• 3). Open "My Computer" and right-click on the target drive. Choose "Properties" and then click on "Disk Cleanup." Delete all temporary files and empty the recycle bin. Open "Control Panel" and run "Internet Options." Delete temporary files, history, cookies and other unwanted temporary information.
  
  
• 4). Run the drive cleaning software and choose the option to clean the empty space on the hard drive by overwriting it with zeros or random information, depending upon which software is installed.