How can I delete something off my hard drive for "real", so that's it no longer there for ANYBODY to see?
2006-06-27 10:26:57 · 10 answers · asked by kipster14 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Security
You need to get a utility that wipes the file. What this does is overwrites the information with 1's & 0's. There are several utilites that perform this function. The link below will have several to choose from.
2006-06-27 10:33:24 · answer #1 · answered by zippo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even if you use the methods mentioned by others above, it will mosty likely be attainable by a professional. When you decide to get a new computer or if you just want to reinstall Windows and start over, use the program at this web site.
http://dban.sourceforge.net/
Download the file, and put it on a floppy disk or CD (depending on which option you choose at the top there) and pop it in your computer when you're ready to clean it. Make sure you backup information you want to save on a CD or external hard drive first!!!!! Then restart your computer.
The U.S. Department of Defense uses this to destroy hard drives so you know it's good. ;) It has different settings you can change. The more times it makes a "pass" of your hard drive, the more clean it is. Generally, just doing the standard settings will make it impossible to recover any information. The standard setting takes about an hour to complete. Good luck!
2006-06-27 17:40:05 · answer #2 · answered by Me 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is still there as a ghost image. Years ago I had inherited a computer at work and used a certain software to see if ghost images were still there. They were and the hard drive had been reformatted a few times after. Until that sector is written over by another file, it will stay there. Some software has been developed to shred these files by overwriting them to the level that the federal government uses to lose information.
2006-06-27 17:58:23 · answer #3 · answered by alfredenuemann98195 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To make it hard to get the files you will have to reformat the hard drive. I said hard, not impossible. Files can still be recovered from a reformatted hard drive.
The other way, and this one the files cannot be recovered is to use a blow torch and melt the hard drive into molten metal. Thats not Completely true. The FBI got some data off a melted hard drive to get a conviction of a major drug dealer. So melt it really good!
2006-06-27 18:15:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you delete a file only the reference to the file is deleted. You can use software like GetDataBack to retrieve it but only if you haven't overwritten over the main body of the file. So you can format your drive using the unconditional key or make sure your hard drive is full. But yes the data is still there until you over write it.
2006-06-27 17:36:56 · answer #5 · answered by Odie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
On Windows PC's that's true. On Linux it's not so true. There are a number of "shredder" programs out there that fill in a file's freed space with random stuff so that it can't be recovered.
The only way to truly make a file non-recoverable, though, is to disassmble the hard drive and take sandpaper to the platters. That's a bit extreme, though.
2006-06-27 17:31:10 · answer #6 · answered by Dave R 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, Windows just updates the FAT (file allocation table) to indicate that the file isn't there any more and that the space can be reused but it doesn't actuall erase that part of the disk.
2006-06-27 17:31:52 · answer #7 · answered by frugernity 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
usually it goes to recycle bin, it is on your desktop, right click it and click empty recycle bin. to delete files w/o sending them to the recycle bin right click the file and hold shift and click delete
2006-06-27 17:30:30 · answer #8 · answered by bryang_17 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
to do that you'd probably have to use software like spybot search and destroy's secure shredder.
2006-06-27 17:29:04 · answer #9 · answered by earlsquareling 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
search google for : get my data back
2006-06-27 17:29:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋