When deleting items from the recycling bin, does it really delete or just "hide" them?

Question

I was surfing the web one day and found this thing called a file shreader. These claim that deleting items from the recycling bin does not really delete them, but instead "hides" them. Now, the shredder claims to totally obliterate files. I downloaded the shredder and it deletes them, but how do I know if it deletes them, or if they are telling the truth about the recycling bin. Help me clear up this mystery! =)

Answer 1

When a file is "deleted", Windows (based on DOS), simply changes the first character of the filename. But the file data remains intact until overwritten by new data. Thus "deleted" files can be recovered using file recovery tools (PCTools was always great at this back in DOS days).

I used to "smuggle" contraband software into Saudi Arabia doing this. I would write the files to floppy disk, then delete them, then after going through customs, I would recover them using "undelete". As long as no new data has been written to the disk, the files were all recoverable.

Answer 2

Trying not to get too technical with this: but yes, removing files from the Recycle Bin may seem to eliminate the files contained therein, but the actual data is still on the hard drive. However, it's in a different state then your typical hidden Windows file. If you have HEX'ing software you can still see the data and recover it ONLY IF your computer has not used that space up to put other data, since it has been told by the Recycle Bin/Windows that the space that use to hold your data you wanted removed is now available. The only way to ensure you have your Recycle Bin deletions gone for good is to perform a Defrag on your hard drive. Or if you have a very small hard drive or you have little free space to begin with, will your computer write immediately to any space that opens because of a Recycle Bin delete. If you have a couple Gigs left, you'll have tons of "hidden" data if you tend to delete files frequently which is why after long periods of PC use, you are recommended to Defrag every-now-and-then to get rid of the fragmentation deletions cause.

Answer 3

I guess files are delted after you empty the recycle bin.

Answer 4

it hides them it puts them into the bin. if you right click onto the bin or go in it you can delete the bin or empty it and then it will delete them

Answer 5

When you delete files, what actually happens is windows replaces the first character of the file name with a '?' which tells the OS that the space is available if needed. The only way to totaly obliterate files is to fdisk, even formating leaves a 'table of contents" either FAT or NTFS behind which cna be reconstructed if necessary (that what computer forensics do)

Answer 6

It hides the path to them. Files are not really deleted until they are overwritten.