2006-08-08 12:12:57 · 15 answers · asked by hao a 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Laptops & Notebooks
Run a program like Clean Disk Security to make sure the files are gone for good. And no reformatting does not erase files. I've been able to recover almost every file off a "reformatted" drives.
http://www.theabsolute.net/sware/clndisk.html
2006-08-09 07:47:10 · answer #1 · answered by biller19 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only sure way to delete is to reformat.
Also you CAN delete something and you can't see it and may not be able to recover it yourself, but others perhaps, can.
Never delete a program, always uninstall a program so it removes the keys it install on the system's registry.
When it comes to photos, music, documents. Delete should take care of it and its gone, not to be recovered.
There is always an email trail, just so you know.
It's a common "myth" that nothing is deletable, but working as a system administrator, whose job is to recover data, fix software and hardware, some things are not recoverable unless it was backup.
2006-08-08 12:21:29 · answer #2 · answered by xolodnyj 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not necessairily. It is removed from the registry and from Windows' eyes so that it appears deleted. Then usually Windows will allow another file to write over the "deleted" file. This is why software can find deleted files on your harddrive unless...
1. It was overwritten by another file via Windows.
2. It was deleted by software created strictly to permanently delete it (usually making everything 0s) or using DoD standards
3. The file is corrupt and unreadable.
2006-08-08 12:17:23 · answer #3 · answered by The 3rd Nipple 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
If you delete it from the command line or from within the OS it is
marked as deleted, but not over-written. If it is in the recycle bin,
it is easily recovered. If it is deleted from there, it is harder, but
there is software to help recover it in that case.
Even if it is over-written, with money and hardware, it can be
recovered, unless you have over-written it (I've heard) at least
seven times with varying data.
2006-08-08 12:22:47 · answer #4 · answered by woohooo_dude 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stuff can even be retrieved after a normal format. Only a low-level format (write 0's to drive) completely erases everything but you can't just low-level format your harddrive... also I believe there's a few programs around that do similar stuff like a low-level format but then just for one file instead of the whole drive...
2006-08-08 12:42:37 · answer #5 · answered by remco651979 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, your computer just deletes the information that lets it find the file. The file itself will stay until it is overwritten by other data or until the storage disk is reformatted (kind of extreme) or destroyed (very extreme)
2006-08-08 12:18:25 · answer #6 · answered by lee m 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not necessarily. Changes to Windows registry made during installation can linger. The actual data still remains on the hard drive until it is overwritten (unerase programs use this).
2006-08-08 12:17:33 · answer #7 · answered by NC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no.. you can download a program off of www.download.com just type in search file recovery or something like that and it will come up with some programs.. and then you can download it will run a scan on your computer and prompt u with some files....that have been deleted by format, just like that...etc.
2006-08-08 13:02:47 · answer #8 · answered by aman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even people who owned computers in the 80's knows the answer is no.
2006-08-08 12:17:18 · answer #9 · answered by Pancakes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't bet on it. Computer experts have all sorts of ways to retrieve deleted information.
2006-08-08 12:15:58 · answer #10 · answered by phoenixheat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋