Removing files

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I know I can find files and remove them using the Search function. Does this
get rid of them? Is there a way to get deeper into the computer to remove
files?
 
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DrGaryG said:
I know I can find files and remove them using the Search function. Does this
get rid of them?
Click to expand...

No, the data still resides on the disk.

Is there a way to get deeper into the computer to remove
files?
Click to expand...

You will need third party software. Search for file shredder.
 
If you delete from Search, or from anywhere for that matter, the deleted
files probably go to your Recycle Bin first. If you empty your Recycle Bin
they will be deleted.

But deleted files can still be found on your machine until such time that
the deleted files are over written by new files taking that space on the
hard drive.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
I know I can find files and remove them using the Search function. Does
this
get rid of them? Is there a way to get deeper into the computer to remove
files?
Click to expand...

Simply deleting just sends the file to the Recycle Bin, where it can be
restored easily if necessary. When you empty the Recycle Bin, any files will
be forever* unavailable from within Windows.

You can shortcut the Recycle Bin and delete files by pressing Shift as you
click delete...these files are not sent to the Bin.

*However...

Deleting a file from within Windows does not mean the data is actually gone.
The space the file occupies is simply made available for further file
storage. Until that space is used by some other file, the data is still
there. There are tools that can locate these "kinda-deleted" files and
restore them, but they aren't always reliable.

One of the other posters mentioned a "file shredder". That's a tool that
deletes the file for good...it writes data into all the available space,
effectively making any previous deletes permanent and the files are
unrecoverable.

-John O
 
DrGaryG said:
I know I can find files and remove them using the Search function.
Does this get rid of them? Is there a way to get deeper into the
computer to remove files?
Click to expand...


It depends on what you mean by "get rid of them." Are you asking whether
they can absolutely *never* be recovered by anyone else? Note the following.

1 When you delete a file, it normally goes into the recycle bin. That "gets
rid" of it in one sense, but it can be retrieved from the recycle bin, if
the bin hasn't been emptied.

2. Once you empty the recycle bin, you can no longer retrieve files from it.
However a deleted file is still on the disk --just the space that it used is
now marked as available. There exist many different undelete programs that
can still recover the file, until the space is rewritten.

3. Once it's gone from the recycle bin, you can make the file much more
difficult to recover by using one of the many available programs that
overwrite deleted files multiple times.

4. Even if the space has been overwritten multiple times, there are
sophisticated (and usually very expensive) data recovery techniques that can
still, at least sometimes, find remnants of the deleted file and recover it.

5. Because of that last point, the US government does not rely on any
software techniques when getting rid of really sensitive data, but
physically melts the drive in a furnace.
 
4. Even if the space has been overwritten multiple times, there are
sophisticated (and usually very expensive) data recovery techniques that
can still, at least sometimes, find remnants of the deleted file and
recover it.
Click to expand...


We recently researched this, and what we learned is that even after a
single-pass wipe the recovery of latent data is *insanely expensive* (and
unlikely), requiring clean rooms, removal of platters, and specialized heads
with bit-by-bit analysis...plus highly-trained (paid) people. If the drive
hadn't been defragged and the MFT is busted, double the effort and the
chance of recovery drops even further. Safe to say this kind of recovery
sounds exciting (and sells wipe software) but it doesn't happen very often,
and for regular goofs like us a single-pass wipe is plenty, IMHO.

If the drive contains, say, China's missle launch control codes, recovery is
theoretically possible after a single-pass wipe or maybe a few passes. If
we're talking about a hard drive used in a home or small business...it'll
cost a crook many $$tens of thousands to potentially see someone's Quicken
files....maybe.

-John O
 
JohnO said:
We recently researched this, and what we learned is that even after a
single-pass wipe the recovery of latent data is *insanely expensive* (and
unlikely), requiring clean rooms, removal of platters, and specialized heads
with bit-by-bit analysis...plus highly-trained (paid) people. If the drive
hadn't been defragged and the MFT is busted, double the effort and the
chance of recovery drops even further. Safe to say this kind of recovery
sounds exciting (and sells wipe software) but it doesn't happen very often,
and for regular goofs like us a single-pass wipe is plenty, IMHO.

If the drive contains, say, China's missle launch control codes, recovery is
theoretically possible after a single-pass wipe or maybe a few passes. If
we're talking about a hard drive used in a home or small business...it'll
cost a crook many $$tens of thousands to potentially see someone's Quicken
files....maybe.

-John O
Click to expand...

And if it's something you think someone would go to that much trouble to
get, destroy the drive platters and dispose of the debris in multiple
places after you wipe the drive!
 
JohnO said:
We recently researched this, and what we learned is that even after a
single-pass wipe the recovery of latent data is *insanely expensive*
(and unlikely), requiring clean rooms, removal of platters, and
specialized heads with bit-by-bit analysis...plus highly-trained
(paid) people. If the drive hadn't been defragged and the MFT is
busted, double the effort and the chance of recovery drops even
further.
Click to expand...


Yes. that's exactly why I said, "usually very expensive" and "at least
sometimes."

Safe to say this kind of recovery sounds exciting (and sells
wipe software) but it doesn't happen very often, and for regular
goofs like us a single-pass wipe is plenty, IMHO.
Click to expand...


IMHO, too. I certainly wasn't recommending that anyone do this, nor that
most people worry about the possibility. My intent in the message which you
quoted was to explain the various levels of unreadability that exist and the
possible lengths to which someone *could* go.

As I've often said in these newsgroups, the lengths that you should go to to
make deleted data unreadable depends on what you have on the drive, and how
paranoid you are.

Not only is a single-pass wipe good enough for most people, simply deleting
the files is probably good enough for most people.

But thank you for making the point even more strongl;y than I did. Your
clarification can't hurt.
 
DrGaryG said:
I know I can find files and remove them using the Search function. Does this
get rid of them? Is there a way to get deeper into the computer to remove
files?
Click to expand...

Simply deleting the files from the hard drive (SHIFT + DEL ) doesn't
removes the file from the hard drive. Data still reside on the hard
drive. Only the entries on system area get deleted, which is
recoverable by using any data recovery software

For permanently delete the data you can try Stellar Wipe.

Stellar Wipe - data cleanup and file eraser utility can delete
selected folders, groups of files, entire logical drives, This data
eraser utility also wipes free space (unused space) on the hard drive
ensuring complete Data Destruction.Once the data have been removed
using Stellar Wipe - Data File eraser utility, it is beyond recovery
limits of any Data Recovery Software or utility. Provides secure
overwrite of file & folders and entire logical drive Offers
international wiping standards followed for reliable data
destruction. Maintain Wipe lists to erase various files and folders
in a single click. This Hard drive wipe utility can be scheduled to
erase tasks at every restart, daily, weekly or monthly. Wipes unused
disk space removing information contained in previously deleted
files. Wipes multiple files and directories on assigned keystroke.
Quick learning curve - simple data eraser and destruction process .
Supports Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP and 2003 This Disk wipe utility
is designed for maximum overwrite speed

For more information visit: http://www.stellarinfo.com/file-eraser.htm
 
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