Secure Erase a USB external SSD drive

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HawkFest

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Jun 10, 2009
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Is it possible to Secure Erase an SSD that's an external drive connected via USB 3.0?

I've tried with Parted Magic, however the Erase DIsk tool doesn't seem to understand that it's dealing with an SSD, and doesn't offer the option to secure erase that SSD (only HDD secure erase algorithms involving writing over every data sectors on the disk).

Details, context, why I want to do this and related stuff...

The SSD is a Silicon Power Slim S60 2.5" 240GB. I've put it in an enclosure for external SATA III SSD drive which is connected via a USB 3.0+Power combo mini-plug (it can draw power from the PC USB port which is also a power port). It works fine, I've partitioned that drive for hosting a Linux system as well as an NTFS share drive, and it makes up for an extremely efficient external drive.

My problem is that it won't boot from the USB on PC power up, though it will boot from the Windows Boot Loader (my system is Windows 10 on a recent laptop). Thus I'll try to reconfigure the SSD starting from a factory state, and then recreate a GPT drive instead of an MBR legacy format, and then another scenario with a legacy drive (with MBR) with an added EFI parttion at the beginning so that it could also be booted from a UEFI system. But for this I'd need to Secure Erase that SSD and have a fresh start...
 
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ArtPog

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1. Let me say at the outset that I've had so little experience with Linux-type OSs so that I generally avoid commenting on any post that has the word "linux" in it. So keep that in mind in connection with my following comment.

2. I've never encountered a situation where it made a shred of difference whether a USB connected boot drive (containing a Windows OS, of course) was MBR- or GPT-partitioned. We routinely have occasion to clone the contents of an internally-connected boot drive to a USB externally connected HDD (or SSD) generally for comprehensive backup purposes, and in many (but not all) situations the USB externally connected drive will boot while connected as a USB external device.

3. I don't know, of course, whether the preceding is of any relevance to your situation (objective) but thought I'd mention it.
 
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HawkFest

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I guess it'd be the most secure solution, unfortunately I can't easily swap my laptop's HDD for another (it's a HP Envy x360 m6 convertible). If I do so I'll risk breaking something (the slim form factor wasn't designed to be opened by the customer) and void the warranty... *g I'll have to express build that uber PC which parts are lying around at my home's office - like a kick in the butt to do it, which is a good thing.

Some background...
An SSD Secure Erase isn't the same as writing all over data sectors of an HDD via some algorithm, taking less than a minute. For instance it takes about 10 seconds to secure erase a Samsung EVO. However, I've tried using Parted Magic to do so but it doesn't see the drive as an SSD : it doesn't offer the option to zero out data, to give that spike for resetting everything in the SSD. Which is odd since the USB should have much less problems dealing with such command performed by some SATA-USB bridge. But no : although the Secure Erase function from Parted Magic will see and allow the treatment of a HDD via USB 3.0, it won't recognize an SSD so that it can be secure erase via the SSD method rather than some HDD algorithm (that said even though GParted which is included in Parted Magic, Paragon Disk Manager and Windows disk manager, they all recognize that external USB drive as an SSD)... Thus it's by design : an illogic design which however seems to be a consensus among weirdly prejudiced developers (they should allow secure erasing SSD via USB, but not HDD : currently only HDD can be considered via USB for some secure erase software like Parted Magic, same thing for manufacturers SSD Secure Erase tools like Samsung's which simply don't see anything via USB. Same thing for Silicon Power's Secure Erase tool, which sees an SSD but reports wildly incorrect information about its own SSDs, not to mention that in which case the secure erase function is absent, unavailable...
 
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HawkFest

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Excellent ! I didn't even think about trying to clone my HD, and then simply work from that clone so as to install Ubuntu Linux (I won't keep Windows on it : it's configured to use folders that are on another partition that I'd delete to make room for an NTFS partition hosting shared files between Windows and Linux). The thing is that my system is EFI, and maybe that I'd need to add a EFI partition with some boot loader on the external drive (which is formated as a Legacy MBR BIOS drive, not GTP as are current Windows 10 system drives). Thanks a lot for your input !
 
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HawkFest

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Yeah I'm planing a little visit to my parent's home in about an hour and use that PC that I've built for my dad.. Thanks again! :)
 
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