reset Inspiron

Hi

IF I was to donate a machine with internal storage, I would run the DEBIAN Live...

For secure erasure, users are advised to use external tools like dd (e.g., dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=1M to write zeros) or specialized utilities such as shred, which are not part of the standard Debian installer workflow.

This would need to be run from the LIVE edition using a USB.

A bit complicated, and for windows, there is 

https://www.diskpart.com/articles/write-zeros-to-hard-drive-8523.html

Tap the Search button on the taskbar and type “cmd” in the search box. Right-click “cmd” and select “Run as administrator”.

2. Type format g: /fs:NTFS /p:0 and press Enter to format the G drive with the NTFS file system and write zeros to every sector of the drive once. You can change the drive letter and file system based on your need.

3. Type y and press Enter to confirm erase data.

This would need to be run from an install USB with the OS on and Repair, not Install.

EVEN..

The best free zero fill hard drive utility— AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard can save you from heavy work.

It enables you to delete all partitions and wipe all sectors on the disk within one operation, so you don’t need to repeat the operation for each partition on the disk. Just choose the “Fill sectors with Zero” method, and the disk will be wiped safely and quickly. All Windows PC operating systems like Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP are supported. Now follow the guidance below to write zeros to a hard drive via AOMEI Partition Assistant:

ELSE

A clean install will remove your data but not necessarily leave it unrecoverable.