Does the deleted data from the hard disk go to the atmosphere? Though I have a 80 GB hard drive, I would have deleted at least 500 GB of data till date i.e. store something, access it and if not required, delete it.. So, I was wondering where does all these deleted data go? Are there no space constraints for the deleted data? Just curious.
2007-10-02 11:50:37 · 9 answers · asked by Rocker 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Other - Hardware
They go to your recycle bin once they are deleted. You can restore the file if you want by going to recycle bin, and then right click on the file and click on restore. It goes back to the original folder where it was deleted.
2007-10-02 11:54:13 · answer #1 · answered by GQ19 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
All your data is simply ones and zeros on the disk.
You have a file system - this is basically a list of files and where they physically are on the disk (what part of the round, spinning drive they are, not what folder they're in)
When you delete a file, it doesn't go from the disk. All that happens is that the record of this file and where it is get deleted. Your filesystem marks this space as 'free' so the space can be assigned to a new file when it's needed.
That is why, when you accidentally delete a file, you can often get it back if you're careful not to write too much data to the disk. The space the file was in might not have been taken by a new file yet, so you can get the data back.
Think of the ones and zeros on your hard disk like a whiteboard. They can simply be rubbed out and written over. Deleted data doesn't do anywhere when it's overwritten.
2007-10-02 18:58:26 · answer #2 · answered by Yanni Depp 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The deleted data stays on your hard drive until it is over written. Basically when you delete something it is saying to the hard drive you can now save something new over this space. So If you are into trouble and think you deleted everything off of your hard drive and the Feds are after you, you might be in trouble because it is still there.
2007-10-02 18:54:35 · answer #3 · answered by JIM F 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
According to Kim Komando it goes into the Intergalactic Bit Bucket.
Seriously though, deleted files are simply written over with new data.
2007-10-02 18:54:55 · answer #4 · answered by ForbiddenPC 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with the 'Intergalactic Bit Bucket' line wholeheartedly.
Seriously though, it is moved to another part of the free space on your hard drive. Everytime you delete something else, it basicially overwrites the last stuff you deleted. This goes on for an infinite number of times. Restoring files is a pot luck kind of thing depending on how many times that they have been overwritten.
The Feds say that overwriting them 7 times makes them unrecoverable, although a guy named Gutttman said that overwriting them 35 times makes them unrecoverable.
2007-10-02 19:26:55 · answer #5 · answered by Michael H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't go anywhere. It is marked for deletion and eventually overwritten by other data. It can still be recovered until it's been overwritten 6-8 times. If you want your CP to disappear forever, use something like Inferno: http://inferno.sourceforge.net
2007-10-02 19:26:38 · answer #6 · answered by Dick Long 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your hard drive stores everything you do on your computer, download free ccleaner, and permanently delete all it finds, called secure file deletion, it overwrites all your data with unreadable code. Also check for issues and delete all it finds.
2007-10-02 18:57:26 · answer #7 · answered by sidekick 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the data is erased
2007-10-02 19:21:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
to the recycle bin, after that, file limbo....lol
after you empty the recycle bin, it is gone forever.
2007-10-02 19:03:40 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋