I removed the SSD from my old laptop and connected it to my newer laptop as an external drive. I want to erase Windows 11 and all other data so I can use the drive normally, but formatting it through Disk Management or running diskpart clean causes File Explorer to freeze. Restarting afterward also hangs, forcing me to shut the computer down manually. What is the safest way to wipe and reformat this SSD?
4 Answers
First make sure the newer laptop is not trying to boot from the external SSD. Start the laptop with the drive disconnected, let Windows load, and connect the SSD afterward. If it still freezes, try the operation from Safe Mode or from a Windows installation USB's command prompt. In diskpart, double-check the disk number before using clean, since it permanently removes the partition information.
A dedicated drive-erasing utility may work if Windows tools keep locking up. A bootable wipe tool can erase the disk without the normal Windows drivers running, but select the target drive extremely carefully. For an SSD, the manufacturer's Secure Erase or Sanitize function is generally preferable to repeatedly overwriting the drive.
The freezing could indicate a failing SSD, USB adapter, cable, or enclosure rather than just a formatting problem. Check the drive's health with a SMART utility such as CrystalDiskInfo and try another cable, USB port, or enclosure. If the drive reports errors or disconnects during the wipe, replace it instead of trusting it with important data.
If the SSD supports Secure Erase, use that from the laptop's firmware or the drive manufacturer's utility. Secure Erase often works best when the SSD is connected internally. If you can access either laptop's M.2 or SATA slot, disconnect the computer's main drive first so there is no chance of selecting the wrong disk.
Would running diskpart clean from Safe Mode be the right approach?