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Secure File Deletion and Data Shredding

Martin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:20 +0000

One of the many misconceptions about file deletion is the fact that files can be recovered even if they are deleted on the computer system by the user. Deleting files normally moves them to the recycle bin from where they can be recovered easily. But even deleting them in there or pressing the Shift key during deletion will not remove the file completely from the computer system. The Windows operating system for instance will only enable write operations on the data sector the file was stored in. This means that file recovery tools can recover these files with chances being better the less time has passed since the deletion and recovery attempt.

Delete On Click is a very straightforward security software program for the Windows operating system. It adds a Delete On Click entry to the Windows Explorer context menu that can be used to delete files securely on the operating system.

The security software will delete the file completely so that no traces of it are found on the hard drive where it was stored. The method that is used to delete the files securely is unfortunately not revealed by the developers of the security software. Tests with file recovery tools did not display the deleted tests files when deleted with the Delete On click program.

Delete On Click is a free download that is available on the developer’s website.

Tags: data shredding, delete files, file deletion, secure deletion, windows software

Auto Delete

Martin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:02:23 +0000

File deletion can be automated to a certain extend. Take the cache of an Internet browser for example. It can be set to be automatically deleted whenever the browser closes. Or the temporary files of a computer system. They too can be deleted during system shutdown.

Auto Delete (via Shell City) by Dario Volaric is a similar tool for Windows. The main difference is that it will run at system startup or when the user executes it manually. Another difference is that it will only delete files in the directory if they are older than the age specified by the user. The time frame ranges from 1 day to 1 year.

The user can include subfolders automatically, select if the files should be moved into the recycle or if a status window should be shown during the deletion.

The software program will automatically close after the job has ended. The main limitation of it is that it can only process one target folder. It is also unlikely that the software developer will update the program anytime soon because the last update dates back to 2005.

Do you know of a similar application that can delete files if they are older than x? Let us know in the comments.

Tags: auto delete, autodelete, Dario Volaric, delete files, file deletion, software, windows software

Erase Files

Martin — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:46:10 +0000

Prevent Restore is a software for Windows that can wipe the entire free space of a hard drive to erase files that might be recoverable otherwise. It has many similarities to another file eraser that goes by the name Eraser.

Why would someone walk the extra mile and erase files that already have been deleted in Windows? The answer to that question is simple: Windows does not really delete the file, it only deletes the reference to the file which tells the system where files are located on the hard drive. It’s like loosing the address of a friend’s house. You could not point your finger on it on a map but it is still existing and calling the friend would reveal its location again.

Files can be recovered if they have not been erased properly. The age of a file plays a role in determining the chances of success. A rule of thumb is that new files have a higher chance to be recovered than files that have been deleted a while ago.

Prevent Restore was designed with ease of use in mind. The user picks a partition that he wants to erase files from, selects the type of data that should replace the deleted files and the program does all the hard work in the background. It uses several security algorithms to overwrite the deleted data on the hard drive ensuring that the data cannot be recovered with recovery software.

So how does it compare to Eraser? The user interface of Prevent Restore is not providing many options to choose from. This is less confusing but advanced computer users might miss features that Eraser offers. Eraser on the other hand comes with options that Prevent Restore does not offer. This includes the selection of the data algorithm to erase files or a scheduler that performs the operation regularly.

Eraser can also erase existing files and folders securely and it does support all Microsoft Windows operating systems from Windows 95 on while Prevent Restore is only compatible to Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Advanced users will most likely stick with Eraser while beginners might tend to work with Prevent Restore to erase files on their system.

Tags: data-recovery, delete files, erase files, eraser, file eraser, prevent restore, secure eraser

Wipe Disk and Wipe Files

Martin — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:30:09 +0000

Choice is good, most of the time at least but to much choice can also lead to confusion. I’m talking about five applications that practically perform the same operation or a tool that can delete files securely using one of fourteen different algorithms. It’s not really that easy for inexperienced users – and probably even most of the experienced computer users – to find the best algorithm for a task.

Wipe Disk and Wipe Files (via Download Squad) are two applications that can delete disks and partitions or files securely so that they cannot be recovered by normal means. Normal means are those typical file recovery applications like Recuva.

Both applications are available in different languages which can be changed in the Extras > Language menu. The default language of both applications is German. Both are pretty straightforward. A disk, file or directory is added to the queue and one of the fourteen algorithms is selected that delete the data securely.

Some of the algorithms are being used by the Department of Defense, the US Navy or Nato. I would always suggest to use a software like Recuva after deleting data on a disk to make sure that those cannot be retrieved by normal means.

Those algorithms use different ways to overwrite the location on the hard drive that was occupied by the data. A German basic description of every algorithm is available in the program’s help file.

Tags: delete data, delete files, file-recovery, secure delete, wipe disk, wipe files

UltraShredder

Martin — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 07:43:45 +0000

UltraShredder deletes sensitive files by overwriting them with random characters, saving it to disk each time, and then bypasses the recycle bin, thus acting as your personal, portable file shredder. If the file were to be recovered by a data recovery program, they would only be able to see unintelligible characters on disk where the file used to be. The program is a great tool to destroy sensitive data, and is very small with a minute memory footprint, and makes no changes to your system whatsoever.

Tags: delete files, delete files permanently, ultrashredder, unrecoverable

Securely Delete Files

Martin — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 10:39:07 +0000

Only the pointer to the file is deleted when you opt to delete a file in windows. The whole file still exists on your hard disk and its possible to recover it using the right tools. You probably have some files where you want to make sure that the file is deleted and not recoverable at all.

Eraser is an advanced security tool (for Windows), which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. The patterns used for overwriting are based on Peter Gutmann’s paper “Secure Deletion of Data from Magnetic and Solid-State Memory” and they are selected to effectively remove magnetic remnants from the hard drive.

Tags: delete files, secure delete files, secure deletion

How to delete “cannot delete files”

Martin — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 11:22:59 +0000

Have you ever received on of the following messages while trying to delete a file or folder from your hard drives using a windows operation system ?

Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.
The file is in use by another program or user. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use

Everyone gets these error messages from time to time. I hereby present you a tool that “unlocks” the file and lets you delete it afterwards with just a few simple clicks.

The program “unlocker” is freeware and spyware clear, size is only 76k. Simply install it, then you have a new entry in the right click context menu called unlocker. The procedure would be to right click the folder or file you can´t delete, selecing unlocker, choosing unlock all and then to delete the file or folder with the delete key for instance.

You can download the tool at the authors homepage http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

Tags: delete files, unblocker, unlocker, windows software

gHacks technology news » delete files

Secure File Deletion and Data Shredding

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