I messed up my Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD using DiskGenius. On my first cloning attempt, I forgot to increase the partition size to accommodate the full capacity of the new drive. Although it installed and booted, I was missing a significant amount of space. After trying to fix the partition size, I encountered boot errors. Now, I want to completely wipe the SSD and start over, this time using Samsung Magician for cloning. What steps do I need to take to wipe the SSD clean like it's brand new?
2 Answers
You can check your BIOS settings for a "secure erase" function under storage or security. This will command the SSD to wipe itself back to factory settings, including hidden cells. If you have Samsung Magician, it also offers a built-in secure wipe utility that can create a bootable USB for this purpose. That's an easy and thorough option!
If you're up for it, a quick way to wipe the SSD is to boot from a Windows USB. Once you’re in the installer, you can open Command Prompt by hitting Shift+F10. Just type in these commands: `diskpart`, `list disk`, `select disk 1` (or whichever number corresponds to your 990 Pro), and then `clean`. That will reset it to factory settings. After that, you can boot normally and use Samsung Magician to clone your original drive. Just double-check the disk number with `list disk` before executing `clean` so you don't wipe the wrong drive!
Is there a GUI method? I'm not comfortable with command lines and I also don't have a Windows USB to boot from.