Really, really delete a file
As was explained in an older post, deleting a file doesn’t really delete a file. As I wrote previously:
The usual procedure for deleting a file in Windows contains the safety feature of first placing the deleted file in the Recycle Bin. If you change your mind and want the file back, it can then be restored. But what about permanently deleted files? If you bypass the Recycle Bin or empty it, the “deleted” files are, in fact, still there. They are just no longer visible in the file lists of Windows Explorer. What happens is that Windows alters the beginning letter of the name of the “deleted” file in the system’s file tracking entries so that it no longer shows up in lists kept by the operating system. Also, Windows designates the space where the file is kept as now being available for other files to use. As long as you do not write over this space with new files, it is easy to recover the file.
In my most recent post, I indicated some ways to restore deleted files that you decided you wanted to keep after all. But suppose you have one or more files with sensitive material and you definitely want them wiped off the disk forever? The general technique is to write zeros over the space on the disk where the file was stored. Depending on the degree of security needed, the zeroing process can be repeated as many times as you feel necessary.
There are a number of commercial programs that will carry out this process but there is also a free program from Microsoft. It’s a Sysinternals utility and is called SDelete. It can be downloaded here.
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