New
#1
Clean Install Windows 10 on NVMe SSD
My system specs are as follows:
Microsoft Windows 10 x64
Version 1909
Build 18363.778
I'd like to do a clean reinstall of Windows 10 on my laptop, which has an Intel NVMe SSD installed as its only drive. On an HDD, I'd simply use Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) or a similar tool to wipe the drive, then reinstall Windows 10. However, I've read that SSDs work differently than HDDs, and one shouldn't use a tool like DBAN to write zeroes to the drive, since that'll actually decrease the performance of the SSD (is this actually true?). Instead, one should use their manufacturer's SSD software to perform a secure erase (or PSID revert). This effectively wipes the SSD.
My problem is that Intel's SSD software, called Intel SSD Toolbox, doesn't support secure erase on Windows 10 (as noted on page 32 of the software documentation). So I can't use that tool to do a secure erase.
I contacted the manufacturer of my laptop, and they stated that I could simply run the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to delete partitions and/or format the drive. Is this the recommended way to wipe a NVMe SSD for reinstalling Windows? Will it decrease performance of the NVMe SSD? I've also read that I can run DISKPART and thenclean
the drive. Is this another recommended approach?