File shredding

Deleting files from your computer may seem pretty straightforward but most people would be surprised to learn that the deleted data actually remain on your computer’s hard drive and can be recovered fairly easily. Using software readily available over the Internet (we discuss some later on), a user can scan any hard drive and find and recover files that were supposedly deleted a long time ago, in the click of a button.

So why does the delete function in XP, Vista, Win7 etc not actually work? The reason is that when the operating system receives your command to delete, it simply deletes the pointer to the data (think of it as the file’s “avatar”), and not the actual data itself. While the file’s information is gone from the directory, the actual data remains as intact before you “deleted” it. However, it isn’t quite as bad it sounds. Over time and with active use, the operating system will overwrite random portions of this remnant data with newer data, but chances are you will have to completely fill up your harddrive with new data before your old data is unrecoverable.

If you’ve deleted a file by accident this is of course great news. Utilizing a file recovery program, you can scan your hard drive for the lost file. The software itself examines the storage medium by inspecting and analyzing the disk sectors directly. If it finds enough of the file’s original data, it can restore the file in its entirety. A fragmented file, one where the contents are scattered across different sectors of the hard drive, has a reduced chance of recovery. Most file recovery utilities will conduct a scan of your entire drive and show you a list of deleted files, the percentage that remains and the possibility of recovery.

In order to protect your privacy, it is important to be aware of this shortcoming in your operating system and address it. Potentially sensitive material such as digital banking or legal documents, or even risque photos sent to your spouse can remain on your hard drive for years. Even your web browsing history, cached pages and images and cookies may be recovered.

Permanently deleting files

Now you may be asking yourself, isn’t this horrible for my privacy? How can I permanently delete confidential data I don’t want others to see? That’s where file shredding software comes in. File shredders permanently destroy “deleted” data that is stored on your hard drive by repeatedly writing random trash data on top of them until no trace of it can ever be recovered.

Like in the data recovery process, the file shredding utility will begin by analyzing your hard drive and show you what potentially recoverable files it can find on the computer. You can then select specific files to permanently delete or have the entire list deleted in one go. Another common function is something called shredding free disk space. While your operating system may show that you have a certain portion of free space on your hard drive to use, old data will still reside there. The software will analyze the sectors that are currently identified as available for use and check for hidden data. If it finds something, it will permanently scrub that data from the storage media.

File R/D is one such utility, and it has both file recovery and shredding features. It will allow you to scan your hard drive for deleted files at no cost. If it is able to locate the files that you are after, you can purchase the module to restore these files to your hard drive. There is also a module that will permanently destroy deleted files so there is no chance of recovery. This economical program is very easy to install and use and can be used on all sorts of digital media including hard drives, removable media drives, USB memory sticks and digital camera memory cards.