By Thomas Joos Jan 22, 2012, 3:06 GMT
Berlin - Out of sight, out of mind. That might work when you're trying to get rid of regular garbage, but you have to be careful when removing old computer files. Just making them disappear is far from enough.
Don't just assume your computer's delete function is thorough enough, especially if you want to sell your computer or hard drive and need to clear out your data before passing it on. In such cases, as thorough as you might have been, simply deleting files - or even formatting the disk - is not enough.
It is true that applying Ctrl-Delete to a file lets users skip the wastebasket, deleting the data. But anyone with a special programme can easily resurrect such files.
That's because Windows, during a normal deletion, only removes the directory, but leaves the actual data behind. Or the operating system might delete certain portions of the hard drive, but doesn't overwrite them. That makes it easy for recovery programmes to restore files from their digital nirvana.
To make sure such revivals are impossible, computer users need to pull out the big guns, either within the standard Windows toolset, or with special deletion tools, many of which are easy to use and free.
Hard drive files on Windows machines can be permanently deleted simply with the prompt command. Use the command 'cipher /w: 'folder or file.'' That deletes the folder or the particular file and then immediately overwrites, several times, the place the data was stored. Files treated that way cannot be restored. However, it's a tedious and slow way to delete an entire drive.
Secure Eraser, a freeware programme, also offers a sure thing. The programme comes with a graphical interface and overwrites deleted data several times, following multiple international standards meant to guarantee that the deleted data really isn't coming back. The programme is easy to use, even by people without much experience in such operations.
If you need to delete an entire hard drive, then start up from a live disc like the free Ultimate Boot CD and use its Linux operating system to access the mass storage. Use the CopyWipe function to remove all data, first choosing the drive to be wiped and then setting how many times the tool should overwrite the pertinent sectors.
Darik's Boot and Nuke is another reliable alternative, also based on the Ultimate CD. However, deleting with Darik's can take several hours, meaning you need to have some patience if you're going to use it. Another candidate on the Ultimate disc is the partitioning tool Parted Magic, which has a deletion function included.
To delete files from a solid state disc (SSD), check out the freeware SSD Toolbox from Intel. It's a very useful tool. The newest version, 3, includes a Secure Erase function that can reliably remove files from an SSD. However, some users have complained about the way the software works with certain SSDs.
Also check out Sdelete, of the Sysinternals troubleshooting programme, owned by Microsoft. It also has functions for permanently removing files from SD cards or USB sticks, so long as the more secure NTFS data system is in use. But usually, Tool Eraser is enough for flash devices.
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