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Data Wipe Tool for Windows 10 and 11 Leaves User Files on Disk

Data Wipe Tool for Windows 10 and 11 Leaves User Files on Disk

This is a major security hole for those looking to wipe data off a drive before selling or giving away their PC. It applies to both Windows 10 and Windows 11.


(No) the data is deleted before the computer/photo is sold.  Claudio Schwartz, Unsplash.com
(No) the data is deleted before the computer/photo is sold. Claudio Schwartz, Unsplash.com
 

The built-in Windows data wipe functions don’t work as well as they should. If we want to sell a computer, we must first erase the data from the disk. However, when we use the function “Reset PC” -> “Remove everything”, that is, reset the computer and delete all data, after the process is completed, our data will remain in the system. The error affects local and remote scanning of computers running Windows 10 version 21H2 and Windows 11 version 21H2.

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The issue was reported by specialist Rudy Ooms on Twitter. wrote that there were problems with the disk cleanup feature during remote scanning via Microsoft Intune. He later tested several versions of Windows, including locally, and found that one of Microsoft’s tools did not work as it should.

Even encryption doesn’t help

The “Wipe” and “Fresh Start” options both work as expected in Windows 10 and 11 in 21H1, but are no longer effective in 21H2. Ooms ran the tests on its own, installing four operating systems locally and remotely and turning on the cleanup options.

The most common problem? The data was left in a folder called Windows.old on the drive that was allegedly wiped clean already. Such a folder containing user data is created despite the fact that Microsoft informs the system that selecting the erase function “will erase all personal and corporate data and the settings of this device.”

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Furthermore, Ooms notes that some users might say, “Okay, but our data is safe anyway because it’s stored on a BitLocker drive.” However, when we do the cleaning process, the Windows.old folder contains files that were previously encrypted, but now they are not encrypted.

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