Users Guide

Figure 133. Notification for Windows 10

Figure 134. Notification for Windows 8 and 8.1

NOTE:

If your old PC is turned off at the time the notification should have displayed, and the notification will pop the next

time you switch on your old PC.

Levels of erase

If you are selling, donating, returning, gifting, or otherwise transferring ownership of your Windows PC, you should consider

erasing your personal data from the device.

No data removal process leaves a hard drive or computer as free from residual data as a new product. Dell makes no

recommendations regarding the customer's security needs or representations regarding the effectiveness of one method of

data removal over another.

General levels of erasure

There are different levels of data erasure to consider, each with its own set of pros and cons:

● Level 1—The first level of removing data is to delete the file. This includes running commands such as fdisk or format on

the drive. Deleting the file does not completely remove the data from the drive and the data may be retrievable using certain

software programs.

● Level 2—The next level of removing data is an overwrite, commonly called a Level 2 wipe. An application overwrites the part

of the disk where the file previously existed. This level of data removal may provide a higher level of comfort for home and

small office users where customer or financial data are concerns. A Level 2 wipe requires sophisticated tools to recover the

data, and recovery is not certain.

Data Erase