How to Permanently Delete Windows Files

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:06:01 +0000

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Deleting a file on your Windows machine by sending it to the Recycle Bin does NOT permanently delete said file… not even when you empty the Recycle Bin. However, most of the time a normal delete is just fine. How can you delete your files and folders without sending them to the Recycle Bin, though? Matthew is here to help you out with this dilemmas.

First of all, you can bypass the Recycle Bin completely. Simply select the file you want to get rid of, hold down the Shift key and tap the Delete key. This will automagically delete the files, bypassing the Recycle Bin completely. You can make this a permanent change by modifying the properties of the Recycle Bin.

To modify the Bin properties, right-click the Recycle Bin, choose Properties and select the option to “Don’t Move Files to the Recycle Bin. Remove Files Immediately When Deleted.” Keep in mind that if you make a mistake, it’s too bad. It won’t be in the Bin for you to easily un-delete.

Now, if you are worried about more permanent solutions than that, what are you supposed to do? Perhaps you have financial information on a computer that you are thinking of selling. You definitely don’t want that falling into the wrong hands! Thankfully, there are software solutions that can help.

SecureDelete will permanently delete files and encrypt them in a way that makes it impossible to decipher if it ever were recovered. Installation of the software is simple and use is very intuitive.

Heidi Eraser allows you to delete and remove sensitive data from your hard disk by overwriting it several times. This method makes SURE that no one will ever be able to access that data. Eraser is able to wipe files and folders, encrypted files and drives, Internet cache and cookies and more. It will also destroy data on network files, floppy disks, CDs and DVDs and supports FAT32 and NTFS file systems.

DBAN happens to be my favorite utility of all. Darik’s Boot and Nuke is open source software which will erase and wipe hard disks and files from your computer – with no hope of recovery. It’s a fantastic tool to use for large quantities of data destruction. You can install it to boot from a floppy, CD or even a USB stick, depending on your boot options.

Thanks, Matthew, for an excellent screencast!

Erase Hard Drives Securely

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:45:57 +0000

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http://live.pirillo.com/ – I will soon be giving away a computer to a lucky YouTube subscriber. Once we reach 10,000 subscribers, someone will be chosen at random to win. Before I can give away this computer, I have to get rid of all the data residing on the hard drive.

I’m using a Linux Distro called DBAN. This stands for Darik’s Boot and Nuke. This is open-source, and can be downloaded and then burned to a CD or floppy disc. Simply pop it in and allow the computer to boot from the disc. It will prompt and tell you what to do once it detects the hard drive(s). This is critical. Never throw away, give away, or even sell a computer without being sure to wipe your information from it. DBAN is great because is wipes the hard drive seven times, not one. DBAN uses the same algorithm’s that the Department of Defense uses, so you can be sure that it is getting rid of your information as much as possible. Yes… someone *could* still get your information back. But it would take a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of resources to do so. The only true way to “wipe out” information on a hard drive you’re junking is to take a hammer to it… literally.

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How to Permanently Delete Windows Files

Erase Hard Drives Securely