where can I download a free program to totally delete files from my hard drive?

Answer 1

This is free :

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers.

DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

http://dban.sourceforge.net/

You can download the bootable CD version or the bootable floppy version.

regards,
Philip T

Answer 2

When you say "totally delete", do you understand that the only way to do that is to over-write those files with something else?

If your plan is to remove everything from the hard drive so that it is essentially in a pristine as manufactured state with no "data" on it at all give the following a try. It will overwrite everything on the hard drive with 1's and 0's so that no interpretable data can be gotten off the drive. It's free, but it is slow. Launch it and let it run overnight.

Go to http://www.download.com and search for Killdisk. It will provide instructions on how to make either a floppy or a bootable CD. You put the floppy or CD in the respective drive, and reboot the PC and select the proper options as they come up on screen to run the program.

As I said: IT WILL DESTROY ALL DATA ON THE DRIVE!!!

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

All of these are ones that I personally use and all are free.After you install any of them,make sure you update them to get the full affect.

AVG Removes I-Worm/Stration · BackDoor.Generic3.GBB and .GBC · Worm/Generic.FX · Exploit.WMF
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5

Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.
http://www.safer-networking.org/

http://superantispyware.com/
SUPERAntiSpyware is the most thorough scanner on the market. Our Multi-Dimensional Scanning and Process Interrogation Technology will detect spyware that other products miss! SUPERAntiSpyware will remove ALL the Spyware, NOT just the easy ones!
Easily remove over 100,000 pests such as SmitFraud, Vundo, WinFixer, SpyAxe, SpyFalcon, WinAntiVirus, AntiVermins and thousands more!
Make sure after you download any of these, that you update them.

*Be sure to come back to Yahoo Q&A and vote for one of the answers as best answer!

Answer 4

If you want to totally remove files from your hard drive, you reformat it. That's the only way they will be removed, and only then if you reload an operating system. Nothing else will totally remove files from the hard drive.

Answer 5

u can extremely restoration it lower back, by using going to the administration panel from the initiating menu and the overall performance and maintanence, there u will see equipment, following by using Sytem restoration. click in ok on the backside and u can choose for between which date and time u can restoration to from the day it substitute into deleted (in accordance with dell laptop abode windows xp) yet all comparable.

Answer 6

window washer by webroot.

it's EXACTLY what you're looking for, you can get a free 30-day trial on webroot.com.