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Re: Deleting files

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In article <lq8skp$ug8$4@dont-email.me>, Rich <rich@example.invalid>
wrote:

> Peter Percival <peterxpercival@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > It is my belief (and you may be quite sure I know absolutely nothing 
> > about the matter) that when I delete a file under Windows 7 what 
> > actually happens is that the space used by the file is marked as 
> > available for new file creation.  So the supposedly deleted file might 
> > hang around for sometime before it gets written over; and even then it 
> > might be readable because some residual magnetism (? or something) 
> > remains on the disk which can be read by specialised hardware or software.
> 
> > So, two questions:
> > i) is there a file deleting program that will write random data over the 
> > deleted file?
> 
> If you were running Linux, you could use the "shred" program
> (http://linux.about.com/library/cmd/blcmdl1_shred.htm).
> 
> There has to be equivalents for Windows, but as I don't do Windows, I
> can't suggest anything.

Likewise under OS X I use DragThing which adds a "Secure Delete" option
when emptying the Trash. And for zeroing empty space I can use Disk
Utility.

Recovering zeroed files on an SSD is unlikely to be possible.
Recovering zeroed files on a hard drive is thought to be possible by
examining residual magnetism at the edge of drive tracks, using what I
would imagine is sophisticated and expensive equipment. Whether this is
possible with more recent drives I'm not sure (due to tracks being
narrower). If there's an entity using that sort of kit on your disk
you're probably in trouble anyway.

-- 
"People don't buy Microsoft for quality, they buy it for compatibility
with what Bob in accounting bought last year. Trace it back - they buy
Microsoft because the IBM Selectric didn't suck much" - P Seebach, afc

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Deleting files Peter Percival <peterxpercival@hotmail.com> - 2014-07-17 13:55 +0100
  Re: Deleting files Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2014-07-17 14:28 +0000
  Re: Deleting files scott@alfter.diespammersdie.us (Scott Alfter) - 2014-07-17 14:30 +0000
    Re: Deleting files Peter Percival <peterxpercival@hotmail.com> - 2014-07-17 18:09 +0100
  Re: Deleting files Adrian C <email@here.invalid> - 2014-07-17 15:30 +0100
  Re: Deleting files Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2014-07-17 16:12 +0000
    Re: Deleting files Tim Streater <timstreater@greenbee.net> - 2014-07-17 17:58 +0100
      Re: Deleting files Richard Kettlewell <rjk@greenend.org.uk> - 2014-07-17 20:14 +0100
    Re: Deleting files Dario Niedermann <dnied@tiscali.it> - 2014-07-22 00:10 +0200
  Re: Deleting files Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-07-17 17:28 +0100
  Re: Deleting files Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2014-07-17 14:01 -0400
    Re: Deleting files Tim Streater <timstreater@greenbee.net> - 2014-07-17 19:04 +0100
  Re: Deleting files Peter Mc Donough <mcd-mail-lists@gmx.net> - 2014-07-17 21:12 +0200
    Re: Deleting files Peter Percival <peterxpercival@hotmail.com> - 2014-07-18 11:41 +0100
      Re: Deleting files Peter Mc Donough <mcd-mail-lists@gmx.net> - 2014-07-18 13:36 +0200

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