Applies to: Pro, Enterprise, and Audit
Supported target
Use SATA/ATA SSD Secure Erase for a compatible directly attached SATA solid-state drive. Do not select it for HDDs, USB-attached devices, NVMe storage, SAS devices, or virtual disks.
Operation
DriveErase evaluates the device’s supported ATA sanitization and security capabilities and requests an available device-managed method. Depending on the drive, this can use a supported sanitize operation or an ATA security erase operation. The report records the actual mode and result available from the execution.
Common prerequisites
The device and connection must permit ATA command passthrough. Firmware sanitization can be unavailable when:
- The drive is reported as frozen;
- The security state is locked or otherwise incompatible;
- The controller exposes only a translated logical device;
- A USB or RAID bridge blocks the command;
- The firmware does not support an acceptable method;
- The device fails to complete within the allowed operation window.
A normal Windows restart does not guarantee that an ATA frozen state will be cleared. Hardware and firmware behaviour varies.
Compliance interpretation
The possible Clear or Purge classification depends on the specific command actually used and the evidence available for that command. A selected menu label is not enough to establish the final classification.
The report can withhold a Purge claim when required prerequisites—such as the nature of an enhanced or cryptographic operation—cannot be verified.
Recommended workflow
- Connect the SSD directly to a supported SATA controller.
- Confirm the model, serial, capacity, media, and bus.
- Enable the pre-erasure SMART assessment.
- Select Firmware + Fallback when the approved procedure permits an overwrite alternative.
- Review preflight.
- Run the job and preserve the actual command result.
- Use an appropriate post-erasure health assessment before reuse.