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Thread: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

  1. #21
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    Re: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

    Yes, you should try to use the one-time boot menu if available (it usually is) or in UEFI settings use the boot override for the external media. If in any case you find two entries for the same stick then you should choose the one with "UEFI" in the its name.

    PS - You don't have BIOS, that's a thing from the past (1981 to be precise). All computers's firmware from the last decade is UEFI, not BIOS.

  2. #22
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    Re: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

    Now, regarding you original request that prompted all this back and forth for something that should be trivial, I understand why you want to zero out the drive before selling the computer. It's certainly the best privacy option. That said, unless you sell it to an über geek with forensic tools and the will to use them, there's really no need to do that. Just boot the Windows installation media and during the installation proceess you will be able to select and delete all partitions prior to actually installing Windows and creating new partitions for that purpose.

    In summary, installing Windows on top of whatever was there before is enough for any situation unless the rare case of an über geek with too much free time.

  3. #23
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    Re: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

    With UEFI, it remembers boot entries and the ESP - efi system partition may have folder for old install's boot files. If wanting to houseclean you can remove entries in UEFI and folder in ESP.

    You want to keep ubuntu & Boot folders.
    ls -l /boot/efi/EFI

    # from liveDVD or flash booted in UEFI mode and use efibootmgr
    sudo efibootmgr -v
    The "-v" option displays all the entries so you can confirm you're deleting the right one, and then you use the combination of "-b ####" (to specify the entry) and "-B" (to delete it). Examples #5 is delete:, with Ubuntu you need sudo, others must be at root. some need all 4 hex chars, others only need significant digits
    sudo efibootmgr -b XXXX -B
    man efibootmgr
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  4. #24
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    Re: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

    Quote Originally Posted by CelticWarrior View Post
    Yes, you should try to use the one-time boot menu if available (it usually is) or in UEFI settings use the boot override for the external media. If in any case you find two entries for the same stick then you should choose the one with "UEFI" in the its name.

    PS - You don't have BIOS, that's a thing from the past (1981 to be precise). All computers's firmware from the last decade is UEFI, not BIOS.
    you already told me that i don't have a bios but it's confusing because this how it is named in my computer

    i'm trying to figure out what you guys mean because you use a lot of terms that i need to search and learn more about
    TNX for now
    my desktop computer has Ubuntu 22.04 64bit

  5. #25
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    Re: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

    The terms are pretty standard and common to a vast range of brands/models. And you are certainly familiar with some of it or you wouldn't even try to boot something else. How would you know how to boot the USB stick if not by changing the boot order somewhere in the UEFI ("BIOS") > Boot settings -or- boot override -or- the one-time boot menu (independent from the UEFI settings and called by a different key during POST, i.e., during the boot process that happens before it tries to load an OS)?

    Have you tried to boot the Windows installation media already? If so, what were the results? If successful that's exactly the same method to boot the Ubuntu media. If not successful then either the media is wrong or the user is doing something wrong. There's no third possibility here.

  6. #26
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    Re: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

    Quote Originally Posted by CelticWarrior View Post
    Now, regarding you original request that prompted all this back and forth...
    ok
    i think this is what i will do
    the thing is that the guy from the original link in my post says from what i understand that it is damaging to install windows or linux without zeroing out the ssd first..

    i will try the windows usb media now to see if it's working
    my desktop computer has Ubuntu 22.04 64bit

  7. #27
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    Re: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

    No, it definitely isn't saying that. And it's the opposite actually. Zeroing out a SSD drive is a full cycle of writing and any writing process wears out a tiny little bit of the drive. Not relevant considering the life expectancy for modern SSDs.

  8. #28
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    Re: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

    The Macbook I'm wrting this on, is 8 years old and as good as new. So the SSD lifetime is not an issue in practise.

  9. #29
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    Re: does formating ssd drive really harms it?

    i see
    thanks!!!!
    my desktop computer has Ubuntu 22.04 64bit

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