Old Version of HDDErase (v3.3) -- Freeware -- Anyone?

[Hurin]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to refresh my Intel SSD to factory state. HDDErase v4.0 is not compatible. But reports are that v3.3 does work. I've tried various avenues to obtain the older version with no success. Anyone have this version lying around?

Best,

H

 

[Joe Average]

Uhmmm... remove all the partitions on it with any tool you like, bam, instant factory state. You don't need any special tools or utilities, that's a bit silly.

Just remove the partition(s) that is/are on it and you're done. Repartition it and you're all set.

There is no need to do excessive formatting/etc as it'll just shorten the lifespan of the drive for no good reason.

And please, don't stoop into abject stupidity and do a format with writing zeroes to the drive - talk about wasted time and effort and unnecessary wear and tear on an SSD. Geez...

 

[Hurin]

Hi Joe,

Please don't assume others are idiots. Though, I did stupidly assume those following this forum would be aware of the Intel SSD issue and the utility of the requested program in clearing it up (where standard erases and formats have no effect). In a nutshell: There are some unfortunate side-effects of Intel's wear-leveling techniques that can lead to your Intel SSD getting into an unrecoverable "downward spiral" of craptacular performance. Just doing a standard format or erase doesn't help. Because this doesn't clear the wear-leveling data (etc.) or the user LBA tables. The only sure-fire way of recovering your drive's original performance level is by using this program. Intel themselves provide the program to hardware reviewers who come across this phenomenon.

Reference: link.

Confirmed here: link.

I have since located a copy of the program and have seen the performance improvement myself. So I can confirm as well.