How to securely delete my data from the SSD?

[lsquare]

I have an old Intel 40GB SSD. It's one of the earliest models of SSDs that Intel released on to the market. I want to sell it and get whatever I can for it. Before I do that, I need to know how to securely remove my data from the SSD. The Intel SSD software have a secure delete option. Does that really work? Does anyone else here have any suggestion on what I should do to securely wipe my SSD?

Thanks!

 

[corkyg]

Use the Intel Secure Erase software. To do that, the target SSD needs to be connected as a secondary if you have the software on the primary.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=18455

 

[Coup27]

Use the Intel Secure Erase software. To do that, the target SSD needs to be connected as a secondary if you have the software on the primary.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=18455

This. Install the Intel SSD Toolbox and use the secure erase feature. This will 100% erase everything on the SSD and make it unrecoverable. Secure erase is a command supported by all SSD's, but people such as Samung and Intel have toolboxes which make its use a bit easier.

One thing to mention having recently used the Intel toolbox to erase an X25-M is I had to enable hotswapping on that SATA port before it would work. This is because you normally have to power cycle an SSD to remove the "frozen state" and without hotswapping enabled on that port, the Intel toolbox kept reporting it was still frozen.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Use a bootable Linux LiveCD. Bring up terminal.

sudo hdparm -I /dev/sdX

sudo hdparm --user-master u --security-set-pass PASSWORD /dev/sdX

sudo hdparm --user-master u --security-erase PASSWORD /dev/sdX

where "/dev/sdX" is whatever device the SSD is.

You can find that out using Disk Utility or Disks.

 

[lsquare]

Use the Intel Secure Erase software. To do that, the target SSD needs to be connected as a secondary if you have the software on the primary.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=18455

Not sure if I understand you here. Are you saying to use another SSD/HDD as my main drive and then install the 40GB SSD as the slave/secondary drive in order to wipe it?

 

[HOSED]

Not to speak for CorkyG but Yes that is exactly the way I did it recently ISquare. (install toolbox on the "other" drive).
For people with a single hard drive (notebook, etc) Virtual Larry's gives a great alternative.