erasing data
How do I know on my iMac that all data has been erased?
iMac 21.5″, macOS 11.6
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What is the year/model and which OS version is it running? (methods differ from spinning drive vs. SSD)
On a spinning drive, the option to "secure erase" is no longer available. When I sold my last iMac, I erased/reinstalled the OS in recovery mode three times - mostly just to write unimportant stuff to the drive including several copied movies to write over any remaining traces of my data. A bit of a pain, but I'd rather overdo it.
On an SSD,you can't recover data once deleted.
That is the article I always refer to when asked; however, it does not address the fact that there is only one erase cycle on a spinning drive since Apple assumes that everyone now has an SSD. Personally, one erase does leave some data which could be recovered by persons so inclined, so I do not feel comfortable without doing the erase more than once.
2015
big Sur spinning drive
Thank you
erasing data