when you delete something out of the recycle bin, where does it go?... surely its gotta go some where!?

Answer 1

It doesn't go anywhere. The reference to the file is removed from the file allocation table, marking the space where the data is stored as 'available'. The data then gets overwritten when something else is saved.

Answer 2

It doesn't go anywhere. The first character is changed to something recognised by the system as 'invisible' rendering the file also invisible to normal use of the system. The space used by the file is marked as 'available' and will be overwritten if required.

File recovery programs make use of searching for the invisible character and as the links are all in place linking each part of a large file to the next the file can sometimes be recovered if the computer hasn't seen too much use since the file was deleted.

There are security programs that replace your recycle bin and overwrite a file several times with random data making it (for the purposes of this question) unrecoverable.

Answer 3

When you delete something from the recycle bin, the file header is deleted making accessing the file directly impossible. There are utilities out there that will rebuild the header record which will create a new reference to the data that is on disk if it hasn't been already overwritten. So by deleting something from the recycle bin, you have deleted it, but the data may still exist on the hard drive and may still be accessible by other means. But for the layman, if you delete it from the recycle bin, you have deleted it from your system.

Hope you didn't delete something important. Good luck.

Answer 4

It goes nowhere. The computer just "forgets" where it is by erasing the data it has on the file's location. It is still possible to recover the data (though the method is unreliable and only used by law enforcement). As time goes on, your computer will decide to use the disk space the file used to occupy, and the file will be overwritten.

EDIT: Wow, David wrote almost exactly the same thing as me three seconds before me. It is even word for word in a few places.

Answer 5

There's still a copy of it on the disk that can be retrieved by using special software. Police specialist can sometimes retrieve incriminating evidence that way.

From the general user's perspective the file is gone once it's emptied from the recycle bin.

Answer 6

It goes no where, its just that windows will now ignore it. It is possible to get it back using recovery software, unless the drive is over written a number of times, an that's a good number. Then again these top government officials have some very nifty software and hardware recovery techniques.

Answer 7

simplest answer i can give /easiest way to explain ,when you delete from the recycle bin you tell the computer to forget the item totally ,that memory then is classed as free space .

Answer 8

As said above, it stays on the hard disk.
As said above, its first character name is changed in the "file allocation table", making its space available.
As said above, it can be overwritten by newer files when you save something.
It CAN be recovered by some simple programs that "undelete" them IF they have not been overwritten.
It WILL be recovered in specialised laboratories, EVEN if it has been overwritten!
Hard disk manufacturers recommend that file data to be overwritten with random data at least 8 times to guarantee un-recovery.
But even 8 times is not enough and STILL CAN, sometime, be recovered.
Even breaking your HD into pieces is not enough: it can be re-built...
Sleep well!

Answer 9

I think it goes to the same place as all the words rubbed out on a blackboard

Answer 10

It's like a engine number stamped all the way down, it can never be deleted it can always be brought to the surface via chemicals. CIA/FBI/KGB,?!?!?!???!?!!?!?.