erasing files

[lordster]

i would like to erase/shred some old files from my computer so that they will never return. i have been told they can still be retrieved from the waste basket. where can i find a programme which will completely dispose of them?

[rojash]

Well, they can't be retrieved from the waste basket if you empty it!

It's true that there are programs which can recovered deleted files (as long as they haven't already been written over, and it's possible to recover fragments of files even if they have been written over.

There are also programs which can securely remove files by writing random data over them a number of times before completely deleting them.

As you've neglected to mention what kind of computer and operating system you have, it's difficult to recommend any particular software for you.

If you are using Windows, try googling "Kryptel"

[ermadea]

http://www.ccleaner.com/ C.Cleaner is good and you can set it to custom and delete files from anywhere, it does a 7pass, given that a simple overwrite is 1 pass, DOD is 3 passes, and NSA is 7 passes, nevertheless if it is sensitive data, there are still programmes out there to retrieve them, as deletion is not really a fair description of the process, given that it still sits on your hard drive, to be overwritten in time, but not directly, hope this is helpful lordster

[lordster]

no need for the dumb comment rojash. i have emptied the basket and i can still get data that i deleted months ago. its easy if you know where to look, im not thick.

thankyou ermadea i wil give that a try.

[rojash]

"im not thick"

hmmm, debatable I think :-)