Deleting Files/Folders On Your Computer

I don't know if this is known info to the common folk, but 2 devry grad students found out that deleting files from you hard drive and removing them completely from your computer WILL NOT DELETE THEM PERMENENTLY!!!

They bought 12 used computers and retrieved all the old files that prior customers deleted. They went on to say that the only way they are completely removed is if they are deleted and then over-rided with new info.

So, it looks like deleting info is not as safe as one would think. You must delete the info and the save new information in the same space.

This was posted by Mudge over at FG, so I am stealing it and now sharing it...

Mudge said:

A drive is completely wiped out, when it is written with zeros (wiped out) 7 times. That was the standard at least within the last few years, generally at that level is when data can no longer be retreived. This is because magnetism will always leave a weak trace, just like on audio tapes that you write over, sometimes the quality of the recordings degrades with each overwrite because old "data" is left on the tape.

You can buy bulk tape/drive erasers which will speed the process, but even if you write over the old data with new, they can retreive it. Remember that deleted emails on a non-reformatted drive was how one of the senators or congresswoman was caught making ill remarks of Bill Clinton just a few years ago, I dont remember her position in the gov though for sure. You can actually find undelete programs, sometimes freeware, sometimes commercial, which will try to retrieve old deleted data. As a matter of fact one of the NT products is called UNDELETE. IBM has a freeware EXE called WIPE.EXE, which will wipe the drive writing zeroes too it (doesn't have to be IBM drive), so if you were really afraid do this about 10 times to your drive if your expecting a visit. Depending on drive size/speed it could take 30-60 minutes per drive, per pass.

I'm not a security guru, but a security enthusiast, and computers are my profession.

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as long as i delete the temp files so that my girl cant find out how much i look at porn than i am in the clear. lol.

stumpy said:

as long as i delete the temp files so that my girl cant find out how much i look at porn than i am in the clear. lol.

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Just make an invisible folder w/ a password...