DELETE it !!!!

[abdelrahim]

We daily delete many files from our PCS and ppcs including video files ,music , photos etc and then go to the recycle bin to empty it from there but WHERE do they go from there??? strange question ...DOES Anybody know the answer???

[molesaied88]

the files stay on your hard drive but are marked to be written over whenever you add more files to ur hard drive. so essentially when u delete something, its still on your computer until u rewrite over that sector that was previously the home of the deleted files. thats how the FBI recovers data from hard drives. the only real way to wipe a hard drive is to partition and write zeros to it.

[abdelrahim]

the files stay on your hard drive but are marked to be written over whenever you add more files to ur hard drive. so essentially when u delete something, its still on your computer until u rewrite over that sector that was previously the home of the deleted files. thats how the FBI recovers data from hard drives. the only real way to wipe a hard drive is to partition and write zeros to it.
Thanks for the answer....

[delawaresace]

the only real way to wipe a hard drive is to partition and write zeros to it.

even then it might not be completely wiped clean. think of the hard drive as a flat piece of metal and when ever you write info on it a small dimple is pressed into the metal plate. when it is written over another dimple is made, but there is a small ring from the last one. there are people out there that can go back and read the dimple rings like rings in a tree and recover data that was thought to be gone.

above is a simple illustration. the real workings of a hard drive are more complex.

[molesaied88]

well the REAL way to completely wipe clean a hard drive would be to take out the discs inside and put them near a very powerful magnet. but that would make the hard drive unusable afterwards... so if the feds are comin for ya, you know what to do ;)

[_Alex_]

You have one of two options. You can either:


use software to write to the HDD using DoD spec or better. (read up on it here (http://www.webopedia.com/didyouknow/computer_science/2007/completely_erase_harddrive.asp)) or
you can use a magnet.

Degaussers a.k.a. bulk erasers are purposely made for that reason. Check this site (http://www.datalinksales.com/degaussers/degaussers.htm) out for actual products.

I personally like what I refer to as the 'dimple maker', a.k.a. the 'CD/Optical Media Eraser & Declassifier - DOD/NSA approved'.

After you have your hard drive wiped via software or degaussed, you can have it professionally shredded too.

http://www.semshred.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/1fa40d4e151e0485a1d8f9147a81ff38/full/harddrive_destruction_big.jpg (http://www.semshred.com/content291.html)

[abdelrahim]

interesting !! thanks to all

[TheChampJT]

If you ever need to check for the deleted files, I believe the Resco File Explorer has a "Recycle Bin" feature. It's almost a reason for me to buy it.