Delete files from the computer without the possibility of recovery. How to erase the data so that they could not be restored by the special services? Restoring from the trash

Help forever erase files beyond recovery - free program with Russian language support allowing permanently delete information With hard drive. File shredder includes three levels of secure data erasure - fast, secure and uncompromising. In the last uninstall mode, the program will overwrite and overwrite the space occupied on the hard disk of the deleted information until you stop the deletion process yourself.

Reliable program for permanent deletion of files

After installing the Freeraser program, a basket appears on the desktop, which is easy to move to any place convenient for you on the monitor screen. Freeraser supports the Drug And Drop function, in order to delete files permanently, just drag them to this trash can and confirm the deletion. Also permanent deletion of data available from the program menu, opened by right-clicking on the Freeraser basket.

"File shredders"or whatever they are called" file shredder" the same irreplaceable assistants, just like regular document shredders. You also move deleted files to the trash, but you don't have to worry that someone will someday recover the deleted information and use it.

Then you already know that physically deleting data from a computer is not so easy. Subsequently, they are quite easy to restore. Today I will teach you how to delete files without the possibility of their subsequent recovery.

Some readers may wonder why this might be needed at all. The reasons can be very different. But the most popular option is to sell an old computer (or just a digital medium, like a flash drive or hard drive). After all, few people want personal documents, photographs or videos to fall into the hands of strangers.

And some of the users also store files with passwords from various Internet resources on their computers. Imagine for a second that someone had data to access your account on the Yandex.Money project or something similar.

Meanwhile, it is quite possible to delete data so that it cannot be recovered. For this we need special software. The principle of its operation, as a rule, is that it clogs clusters with fragments of a file that needs to be deleted, arbitrary information. That is, it physically overwrites it. As a result, even if the file is detected by the recovery program, it will not be able to restore it.

The window will change view. As you can see, the "Settings" button has appeared. Click it.

In the settings, we are interested in the "Secure deletion" item. We have to choose the number of cycles to overwrite deleted files. The more these cycles, the greater the guarantee that the deleted file cannot be restored, but it will take longer. In my opinion, it is better to act for certain and choose maximum amount cycles. After all, we need positive result, otherwise why would we even undertake this, right? We select the parameters that suit us and click "OK".

We mark the files that we need to securely delete, click right mouse button and in the appeared context menu Select "Securely remove marked".

When asked if we really want to destroy these files, we answer in the affirmative. And we are waiting for the end of the procedure for securely deleting files, after which we click "OK".

That's all. To check how everything went, you can try to recover your data by following the article "How to recover deleted files". Moreover, if you have used a low number of overwrite cycles, I highly recommend doing so to make sure that your files are indeed securely deleted.

If the recovery process failed, then you did everything right. If some files still managed to be restored, repeat the procedure again, without stinting on the number of overwriting cycles.

If my article turned out to be useful for you, please advise it to your friends using the social network buttons or simply by sharing the link.

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You have decided to sell your computer. Naturally, before selling, delete all personal information from the discs. Programs, documents, photos... And many probably know that a deleted file can be recovered. But not everyone knows that it can be restored even after formatting the disk. And of course, you would not want personal or even more so working documents to fall into the wrong hands after the sale. In this article I will tell you how to delete once and for all.

When you delete a file, it is not the file that is actually deleted, but only its record in the file table. And the clusters in which the file was written are marked as empty, and can be read using special utilities until they are overwritten. Although, even after rewriting clusters, it sometimes happens that they retain data from a previously recorded file. For instance, new file smaller file overwrites the old larger file. And since it will take fewer clusters, then in the last cluster there will be some piece of data from the previous file.

Formatting the disk will not help either, since in this case only the data storage structure on the disk (file system) is formed, and the information is stored in hard disk. What does that mean? That's right, it can be restored.

The only way to completely delete information is to use shredder. Probably many in the offices have such devices, which are also called simply “paper shredders”. This is the shredder. No, I'm not suggesting you put your HDD. It's just that computer shredders work in much the same way. After using them, the information is also unreadable.

Ways to completely delete information.
Mechanical.
Inflict irreversible damage on the carrier mechanical damage. For example, subject to high temperature. Or destruction by chemically aggressive environments. What idea: there must be destruction of the base of the disk, or its working field

Hardware.
Expose the carrier to a magnetic field or radiation (destruction of the carrier by ionizing radiation).

Program.
Repeatedly overwrite media sectors with random numbers (“digital noise”).

Hardware shredders.

Shredders using the physical principle of exposure to a magnetic field (demagnetization);
For example, the device for destroying information from magnetic media "Lavina" from the Ukrainian company "Epos". The principle of operation is quite obvious: if the data on the hard drive is stored in the form of magnetized sections of a ferromagnetic surface, then these sections must be remagnetized or demagnetized (orient the magnetic domains randomly). It is necessary to locally act on the disk with a powerful magnetic impulse. And then not only user information is erased, but also service information.

Shredders using the mechanical principle of impact (“crushers-grinders”). For example, the Unidisk device. Having received a control pulse, the device is triggered and the coil accelerates the shock disk, which hits the hard drive. The impact disk with a pin strikes the hard drive cover with great force and pierces it through and through. Here is the result.

And this is what shredders for destroying CD / DVD discs look like. And they have the same principle as the paper shredder.

Software shredders

Software shredders carefully erase data in accordance with one or another information destruction algorithm and are indispensable for the reliable destruction of confidential information and personal data from magnetic media. As a rule, software shredding is subjected to hard drives, although some shredders are guaranteed to delete information from other media as well.

Main software shredding algorithms:
– zeroing – replaces the data with zeros;
– replacement of data with pseudo-random numbers. This method hides the very fact of data destruction;
– DoD 5220.22M – replacing data with numbers from special table. Data is overwritten 3-7 times;
- Peter Gutman's algorithm (replacing data with numbers from a special table. Data is overwritten up to 35 times);
- Bruce Schneier's algorithm.

Information Deletion Standards
– GOST P50739-95 – Russian standard;
– US DoD 5220.22-M – US Department of Defense standard;
- NAVSO P-5239-26 - US naval standards;
– HMG Infosec No.5 – British standard;
– VSItR – German standard;
– ASCI 33 – Australian standard;

The most common software shredders: Paragon Disk Wiper, WipeInfo (from Norton Utilities), Terminator Pro, Simple File Shredder, DataEraser, Acronis Drive Cleanser, WipeDrive, Object Wipe, FCD5.

Of the free shredders, I can advise Eraser.

After installing the program, a new item will appear in the context menu of files, folders and the trash - Eraser, in which there are 2 sub-items: Eraser (delete now) and Eraser on restart (delete when the computer is turned off). And in the context menu of the disks, there is also the Eraser unused space item (overwrite free space).

Despite the fact that the program is free, it contains a large number of removal methods (standards). To configure the removal method, run the program, section settings.

P.S.
And for those who use FAR, to permanently delete files, just press alt+del. In this case, FAR will fill the file with zeros and then rename it to a randomly generated name, truncate the length for zero and safely delete it from disk. And in Total Commander, you can do the same with shift+del.

To be sure that no one will use your confidential data after you have erased it, the advice of experts and selected by them will help special programs.

User information is becoming increasingly valuable, which means that reliable protection against its theft is required. Important confidential documents, account information and credit cards- all this can become easy prey for inquisitive malefactors. When deleting documents and other important secret data from the Recycle Bin or immediately bypassing it, many users think that they have destroyed them irrevocably and nothing threatens security.

However, in reality this is not always the case. Any person who is fairly well versed in computers, if desired, can easily recover information deleted in this way. In addition, a lot of service data is stored in the operating system and on the hard drive in various forms, including user actions, such as visiting websites, copying and transferring files, what programs he worked with, and even when and which flash drives he connected. .

If special devices known as shredders can be used to destroy paper documents and optical discs, and fingerprints can be erased, then with the traces left on a PC, everything is not so simple and obvious. For example, even when an encrypted file is created, its temporary, unprotected copy can be generated, which can theoretically be restored by an attacker. In addition, many programs such as Microsoft office or Adobe Photoshop, leave in files service information, including about previous versions, where confidential data erased by the user later can be stored.

Let's talk about the main ways to remove personal information from the system and when working in different programs and then clean up free disk space to eliminate the chances of recovering deleted files. In addition, you will learn about the features of cleaning solid state drives.

Destruction of temporary files

Quite a lot about the user can be told by temporary files that are created by various applications, such as MS Office, and, of course, browsers. To destroy temporary files, it is best to use special utilities that do their job automatically.

CCleaner. Free Windows Cleaning Utility. Among other functions, it allows you to clear free space on the HDD from previously deleted files and securely erase information. To do this, go to the "Service | Erasing discs. Specify what exactly you want to delete, as well as the method (for example, "NSA (7 passes)"), and select a disk. To destroy data, CCleaner gives the user a choice of algorithm: single overwrite, 3, 7, or 35 cycles.

Mars WinCleaner- this is no longer a new, but very reliable utility for deleting temporary files - the result of the work of many programs. Unfortunately, the function of completely erasing information is not available in this program, but it can be configured to automatically clean the system from temporary files on a schedule, as well as at the time the computer is turned on or off.

Kaspersky internet security thanks to its "Activity Eliminator" function, it allows you to remove most of the temporary files that can tell about your work with your PC. Find this option can be found in the "Tools" section.

Cleaning up data in programs and documents

A document that you have edited many times often carries a part of the story, and when using standard or special means its past versions can be partially restored.

For example, Photoshop PSD files contain a history of changes that can be used both for good - for editing an image, and for revealing some details that the user would like to hide. To avoid this, it is worth copying the finished version of the document into a new, clean file and sending it to the recipient. This way you will get rid of the history of changes. You can check this by comparing the sizes of the new file and the old one that was edited.

In addition, when using old Microsoft versions Office, it may be useful to install a plug-in from the manufacturing company - Remove Hidden Data, which allows you to remove from Microsoft documents Office 2003/XP various service information. In the 2007 version, to do this, click on the round button with the logo of the program, in the menu that opens, select "Prepare | Document Inspector”, then in the window that appears, mark the necessary menu items with checkmarks in the checkboxes and click on the “Check” button. After scanning, the wizard will prompt you to delete the found data. In Office 2010, this feature can be found under the File | Details | Troubleshooting | Document Inspector.

Browser Cleanup

To automatically or manually, one-time removal of personal information from Internet browsers, you should change their settings.

Mozilla Firefox . To remove traces in this application, you must go to "Tools | Settings” and on the “Privacy” tab, check the “Clear history when Firefox closes” checkbox or configure the program in a way that suits you, for example, so that the browser does not initially save information.

Internet Explorer . You can use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+Shift+Del" or the menu item "Tools | Delete browsing history".

Opera. Click on the "Opera" button and go to "Settings | Delete personal data." In this window, in the drop-down list, you can specify in detail which data should be deleted.

Apple Safari. Click on the gear button and select "Reset Safari" from the menu that appears.

Google Chrome . Go to settings by clicking on the button with three stripes in the upper right corner, or simply enter in address bar chrome://chrome/settings and on the settings page that opens, click on the item “Show additional settings", and then click the "Clear History" button.

Automatic and manual system cleaning

If you don't want to install additional programs, you can use Windows registry, browser settings and OS local security policy.

swap file. Elements of processed sensitive information may remain in this storage. To clean it automatically, follow these steps: Press the key combination "Win + R" and in the line that appears, enter the command "secpol.msc" (without quotes). Click OK. In the window that opens, go to " Local Policies| Security settings" and in the right part of the window select "Shut down: clear the virtual memory paging file". Double click on it. In the settings window, set the mode to "Enable" and click the "Apply" button. Now, when you turn off the PC, the paging file will be automatically cleared.

Information stored on the web

Not only your computer can contain user data - in in social networks even after you delete the previously uploaded photos or your pages, they remain in storage and can be restored at the request of the special services. For a long time, all records about the IP addresses you use when connecting, passwords, correspondence, etc. are stored.

Therefore, try not to transfer important and unencrypted information to "cloud" storage: they can be hacked or be under constant surveillance by various intelligence agencies and security services of a competing company. Even deleting data from the "cloud", you have no guarantees that their copies will not remain in storage and will not be transferred to outsiders or captured by intruders.

Clearing free disk space

At standard deletion the file is not completely destroyed - the operating system only erases the address of its location. The data itself can be stored on the HDD for quite long time until they are overwritten with other information. And even after rewriting, such information can be partially restored. For guaranteed data destruction, we recommend that you use public programs that provide permanent deletion of information.

Eraser. This is the most popular free utility, which allows you to really reliably destroy documents, including the Gutman method, in which the file is overwritten 35 times with random data. Eraser also offers the function of clearing free space on the HDD to completely destroy the erased information.

Kremlin. This is a real data harvester, and file destruction is only a part of its functionality. Also, with its help, you can encrypt information and remove traces of work on the computer. Among other things, Kremlin offers useful feature cleaning random access memory where important information can be stored.

Acronis True Image Home 2013. In addition to the basic data backup functions, the application will help you permanently delete specific files and folders, as well as clean up empty disk space. In this case, you can choose the data destruction algorithm.

Spying on flash drives

The operating system can remember information even about previously connected flash drives. Using the USBDview program, you can see when and which flash drive was connected, as well as erase this information. You can also delete such information in the registry editor in the following branches:

"HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\USBST OR"

"HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\U SBSTOR".

Wipe SSD

Method of multiple overwriting of data for their traceless deletion for solid state drives destructive due to their limited resource. In addition, studies have shown that none programmatic way deleting information does not guarantee its complete destruction - from 4 to 91% of "safely" deleted files are subject to recovery. Therefore the only reliable way irrevocably deleting data from an SSD is the physical destruction of the media.

Hardware erasers

If your HDD or flash drive contains important information, which must be destroyed quickly and irreversibly, one of the ways is the use of hardware.

For domestic hard drives

Now on the free market there are devices that allow you to reliably and in a short time destroy all information stored on a “protected” hard drive. There is even a function in extreme cases - physical HDD damage. One of these devices is the domestic development 2S-994 "Surf". The cost of such a device is almost equal to the average PC performance and is about 16,000 rubles.

For portable drives and flash drives

In the age of mobility, transporting confidential information on portable drives can be safe if you take care of special protection in advance. For example, there are special media with the ability to remotely monitor their position, block recorded and encrypted information on command, and even physically destroy the drive. The Security Guardian flash drive developed by ExactTrak Ltd. has similar functions. It can also automatically self-destruct, block or delete information if the drive is removed from the specified perimeter. Maintenance of such a flash drive will cost approximately 1,300 rubles per month, while the cost of the 32 GB drive itself is 20,000 rubles, including the first year of security service.

/ 04.08.2018

Deleting files permanently

The topic of today's article is somewhat unusual. Today we will talk about how to permanently destroy data. Destroy them so that they cannot be restored even with the help of special programs or research hardware complexes.

1. Deleting the file is not enough.
2. Disk formatting.
3. Programs for data destruction.
4. Destruction of data on CD and DVD.

Regular readers of our site already know that simply deleting a file is not enough in terms of information security. Deleted files (with rare exceptions in the form of SSD drives) can be recovered within just a few minutes. This is due to the fact that when removing Windows file does not destroy its contents, but simply makes a mark in the file system that the file is deleted and the disk space it occupies is free. Accordingly, a deleted file can be restored using easy-to-use tools - for example, Hetman Uneraser.

Disk formatting

The very existence of tools like Hetman Partition Recovery, is a good indicator that formatted partitions are far from a guarantee of data security. Indeed, with the exception of all the same SSD drives, formatting a partition in "quick" mode (and in older versions of Windows, formatting in "full" mode) does not erase data, but only resets the file system. Accordingly, data after such formatting can be restored.

True, it should be noted that the full formatting of the disk using Windows Vista and Windows 7 will still overwrite the contents of the disk with zeros, and formatting an SSD drive in any way with a high (but not one hundred percent) probability will also lead to data destruction.

Data destruction programs

There is a whole class of programs designed for reliable and safe destruction of information. Such programs use arrays random numbers to physically overwrite the disk space occupied by the file being destroyed. Some security standards (such as the one used by the US Army) require multiple rewrite cycles and insist on the use of cryptographically strong random number generators. In practice, it is more like firing a cannon at sparrows. For private users and most commercial organizations, a single overwrite cycle is enough.

Finding such a program is easy - just run a search on keywords"secured file deletion". Similarly, free disk space is overwritten - even the programs are often used the same.

It should be noted that these methods only work with traditional magnetic storage, in which unique addressing is possible physical location on disk. In case of SSD drives this is not so, and the destruction of information on them is a separate and rather little-studied topic.

Destruction of data on CDs and DVDs

Getting rid of the old backups, do not forget to destroy the data. by the most in a simple way to destroy information on a CD or DVD is the physical destruction of the media. Resist the temptation to break the "blank" with your hands - you will most likely cut yourself with fragments, and small fragments of plastic and aluminum substrate will be found in the most unexpected places for a long time to come.

The easiest way to destroy discs is to use an office shredder equipped with a CD and DVD receiver. In addition to them, there are specialized devices - by the way, not at all as expensive as one might think. For most purposes, cutting the disc into four strips is considered normal.

There are also devices that render discs unusable by drilling several holes in them (by the way, you can make holes in the disc yourself using a conventional drill). Experts consider this method less reliable compared to using a shredder.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the manufacturers of secure information storage devices. DataTraveler and Silicon Power offer USB or hard drives that store information in encrypted form. To destroy access to the data of such devices, it is enough to remove the decryption key. A hard drive data recovery program will not be able to decrypt the contents and will be completely useless.

We can also mention the heating of disks, which leads to the destruction of the translucent information layer. Like other methods, this method should be used only in specialized devices - overheated "blanks" can quickly melt.

Tagged: SSD DriveLogical PartitionDataTraveler BrandSilicon Power Brand

How to completely erase a hard drive

How to completely delete data from a hard drive?

Many people believe that if it is impossible to use the hard disk due to its inoperability, then it means that the data from it cannot be read. But this is not the case, and even a broken hard drive is still a loophole for information security breaches.

A hard drive consists of a set of magnetic platters that contain sectors that are not directly readable by operating system. When a file is deleted, only the pointer to it in memory is actually deleted by the operating system. The area containing the deleted data is marked as free space, and therefore, until a new file is written to this place, the data can be read. Special software is used to recover and read deleted data. It searches for sectors containing any data of deleted files, and then they are restored. This is not too difficult to do, and moreover, free data recovery software can be found on the Internet. It should be noted here that the software for recovering data on physically damaged sectors of disks does not work and that we cannot use this software without an operating system.

When we consider that the disk is broken, we must remember that in fact only one of the microcircuits or mechanical parts inside the disk becomes faulty. And the platters, where all the files are stored, are still functional, because the disk is in a hard case and the platters do not have any mechanical or electrical parts. Forensic experts only use platters to recover deleted files on broken drives. But if desired, even a not very experienced specialist in this case will be able to recover files, because descriptions of procedures for manually recovering deleted files are common on the Internet.

What to do?

Users and companies wishing to sell or donate a used hard drive separately or together with a computer, or discard damaged drives, should first clean the drive completely. Deleting data from disks is the process of permanently deleting the data on them. There are two types of hard drive cleaning - physical data erasure and data destruction.

Physical cleaning

The fastest option is to demagnetize the disk. To do this, you can use special devices designed to guarantee the destruction of data on magnetic media at the end of their service life in order to ensure the security of storage and prevent information leakage. As an example, I can mention the Avalanche device manufactured by the Ukrainian company Epos.

V this device used physical method destruction of data, based on the impact on the drive of a powerful electromagnetic pulse. As a result, all magnetic domains of the carrier are uniformly magnetized to saturation. This leads to the disappearance of magnetic transitions, in which the information recorded on the carrier is encoded. Thus, the complete destruction of the original magnetic structure of the carrier leads to the guaranteed destruction of all data ever stored on it.

Stand-alone multifunctional device EPOS DiskMaster Portable allows you to work with all hard drives with PATA, SATA, eSATA interfaces, regardless of manufacturer, model and capacity. All operations are performed at the highest possible speed that the drive supports (data transfer rate up to 8 GB / min). Unlike software tools with similar functionality, the device provides copying and destruction of data in the hidden area of ​​HPA (Host Protected Area) hard drives, as well as on hard drives with surface defects.

Information destroyers of this kind are also produced by Detector systems, Infosecure and others.

Physical destruction of a disk is a method of securely erasing data. This is the preferred method of data destruction when other methods fail or if the hard drive is severely damaged. Physical destruction of hard drives is the fastest and most effective method secure deletion of data, but the hard drive itself, of course, will no longer be used in the future.

Programmatic data cleaning

Programmatic data wiping is the process of permanently deleting data stored in an area that is logically considered free space, using specific data deletion techniques. The process occurs while the computer is booting, but after the operating system is loaded. This is the recommended method if you intend to sell, donate or reuse the disc.

Here are the first three software to clean hard drives:

• DBAN - cleaning program at system boot, multi-platform, free;
• DiskWipe - does not require installation, supports Windows (XP, Vista, 7), free;
• CCleaner, supports Windows (XP, Vista, 7), free.

Data cleaning software works great on drives that don't have bad sectors. It cannot erase information on damaged disks. To effectively destroy data, it is necessary to repeat the process of erasing data at least three times. A complete erase cycle may take several hours or days depending on the capacity of the drive.

Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN)

Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) software can be downloaded from http://sourceforge.net/projects/dban/files/dban/dban-2.2.6/dban-2.2.6_i586.iso/download. Here you will get a downloadable iso image, which can later be burned to a CD and, booted from it, select a hard drive to delete data. Next, turn on the computer whose hard drives you want to clean, making sure it will boot from the CD drive, and then insert the DBAN CD.

1. If you boot correctly, you will see a welcome screen and a boot: _ prompt (screen 1).

Screenshot 1. Darik's Boot and Nuke window

2. Press Enter and go to DBAN Interactive mode, see Figure 2. If your drive contains confidential information or business sensitive data, skip to step 3, otherwise skip it and go to step 4.

Screen 2. Disks and Partition

3. Press the M key to manually select the wipe method and select Gutmann Wipe, then press Enter. This method is recommended for deleting sensitive data. The Gutmann Wipe method performs 35 passes over the hard drive (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Choosing a Gutmann Wipe Removal Method

4. Make sure that the image on the screen matches that shown on screen 4.

Screen 4. Selecting a drive to delete data using Gutmann Wipe

5. Press the Space key to move to the screen to start the data deletion process (Screen 5).

Screenshot 5: Starting the data deletion process screen

6. Make sure you choose desired disk(section) to delete data. If everything is OK, press the F10 key to start the uninstall process (Screen 6).

Data deletion process

The entire data deletion process can take up to 12 hours.

DiskWipe

Disk Wipe is free app for Windows, designed for guaranteed data destruction that does not require installation. The Disk Wipe utility can be downloaded from http://www.diskwipe.org/. With Disk Wipe, you can erase the entire contents of a disk and make data recovery impossible. Disk Wipe allows you to delete data both from a partition and from the entire hard disk using Dod 5220-22.M, US Army, Peter Guttman algorithms. S-ATA (SATA), IDE (E-IDE), SCSI, USB, FIREWIRE interfaces are supported (screen 7).

Figure 7: Disk Wipe window

CCleaner

CCleaner is a free computer optimization program that combines a system cleaner that removes all unnecessary and temporary files, and a full-featured registry cleaner. CCleaner cleans the following system components:

1. Internet Explorer - temporary cache files, browsing history, cookies, hidden files Index.dat, download history.
2. Recycle Bin.
3. Clipboard.
4. Windows temporary files.
5. Windows logs.
6. List of recent documents (in the Start menu).
7. The history of executed commands (in the Start menu).
8. History of the Search Assistant in Windows XP.
9. Deprecated Prefetch data in Windows XP.
10. Memory dumps after Windows crashes.
11. File fragments left after running the Chkdsk command.

Additional features allow you to clean:

• menu order cache;
• systray message cache;
• Windows size and address cache;
• user assistance history;
• IIS log files;
• additional folders.

CCleaner not only removes old files and other standard data Windows components, but also allows you to clean up temporary files and recent document lists in many other programs: Firefox, Opera, Safari, Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, Microsoft Office, Nero, Adobe Acrobat Reader, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and others.

CCleaner uses the registry cleaner module to detect various problems and inconsistencies in the system. It checks file extensions, elements ActiveX controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstaller, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help File Links, Application Paths, Icons, Bad Shortcuts.

In addition, the function of permanently deleting files with multiple overwrites is provided, which does not allow them to be restored in any way (Figure 8).

As Figure 8 shows, the following algorithms can be used to securely wipe free disk space:

• simple erase (1 pass);
• DOD 5220.22-M (3 cycles);
• NSA (7 cycles);
• Gutmann (35 cycles).

Figure 8: Unrecoverable Erase with CCleaner

You can choose the optimal mashing algorithm for yourself free space based on speed/security requirements.

We should not forget about the built-in means of unrecoverable erasure from the operating system. Team

Cipher/W: directory

provides a non-recoverable erasure of free space in the selected directory; it has existed in the Windows family since Windows versions 2000. However, it should be noted that in this case, fast erasure is performed.

In fact, deleting data without the possibility of recovery is not difficult at all. It is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen uninstallation approach (software or hardware). Software Erase allows you to reuse discs, but is time consuming and can only be used on working hard drives. Hardware is much faster, allows you to process non-working (unreadable) disks. However, when used on working disks, there is always a chance, due to too strong a magnetic impulse, to cause the disks to fail forever.

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How to completely erase a hard drive with DBAN

Wiping a hard drive means completely erasing the hard drive and all information. Simple deletion does not erase the file from the hard drive, and formatting does not [always] wipe the hard drive. You will have to take an extra step to completely erase your hard drive. When you format a hard drive or delete a partition, you generally only delete the file system, which simply makes the data invisible. File recovery programs can easily recover information from such a hard drive.

If you want to make sure that your personal information is permanently deleted, you need to wipe your hard drive using dedicated software. In this article, I am going to show you how to completely wipe a hard drive with DBAN. Follow these steps to wipe your hard drive:

Do backup whatever you want to keep. Once the process is complete and the hard drive is cleared, there will be no way to get anything on the drive back.

Download free program destruction of DBAN data (http://www.dban.org/download).

There are actually several ways to destroy information from a hard drive (hammer, sledgehammer 🙂), but using software, data destruction is the easiest and allows you to still use the hard drive.

Burn the downloaded ISO image file to a DVD/CD to get the program on a boot disk. Restart your computer, enter BIOS and set it to boot from CD/DVD first and paste boot disk CD so your computer can boot from it. Once you are done, start your computer, enter DBAN, you will see a menu. You can pretty much ignore everything here and just type ... autonuke then press ENTER. This will erase any built-in hard drives using the default options.

The progress of each hard drive will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. The screenshot below shows how DBAN erases two hard drives:

Data destruction programs use several different methods to wipe a hard drive. And, if you're paranoid and want to run a different method, you'll have to fiddle around with the options. You can select F3 and press Enter at the prompt to be directed to the selection screen. Here you can select the method to wipe, or press the M key to change the method.

You can choose between a bunch various options erasing. Each option has explanatory text when it is selected. When you are satisfied with the options you have chosen, press - F10 to start. Darik's Boot and Nuke: Shortcuts. You can enter these commands at the download prompt. In each case, everything on the computer disk will be destroyed automatically without confirmation. Quick Erase: Wipe all discs with the Quick Erase method. RCMP TSSIT OPS-II: Wipe all discs with the RCMP TSSIT OPS-II method. Dod Short: Wipe all discs with the Short DoD method. (Default.) DoD 5220. 22-M: Wipe all discs with the DoD method. Gutmann Wipe: Wipe all discs with the Gutmann method.

PRNG Stream: Wipe all drives with the PRNG Stream method.

F2 to learn more about DBAN. F3 for a list of shortcuts. F4 to exclude liability. Press ENTER to start DBAN interactively. Type autonuke to start DBAN in automatic mode. The process may take several hours depending on the size of your drive.

Deleting files permanently

Once it is completed, you will see the following message: DBAN succeeded. All selected disks have been destroyed. Remove the DBAN boot media from the computer.

After properly erasing the hard drive, you can be sure that all the information that was on the drive is now a thing of the past.

Now you can install Windows on a disk, create a new partition, sell (give away) a hard drive or a computer, or whatever you need.

How to delete all data from a hard drive

The problem, for discussion, is the process of complete destruction of data files on hard drives. It is a mistake to believe that deleting files to the recycle bin and emptying it will help to permanently get rid of those that have become junk files. In a real situation, the recycle bin warns us that emptying it will delete the files and folders in it without the possibility of recovery. But such a statement is, to put it mildly, false. It is necessary to understand that, even after emptying the trash from its contents, all deleted objects can be easily restored by special programs. The "Delete" button only removes links to such files, and they become invisible to users. But the data files “deleted” in this way physically remain on the hard disk, and therefore their recovery is possible.

In addition to the simple operation of deleting HDD data files above, many users find the most fast way for this - its formatting. Of course, formatting a disk is more reliable than simple deletion, but still there is no physical deletion of data - formatting a disk only deletes the data addressing tables. Of course, after such a process, recovering data is much more difficult. However, in this case too computer specialists will be able to recover at least 90 percent of the data stored on the hard drive before formatting.

Let's consider some ways of reliable and complete destruction of data from the HDD. The most cardinal of them is the physical disassembly and destruction of media disks. However, there is a more acceptable way - erasing the disk.

Full disk erasure is relatively new method cleaning the disk of unnecessary information, which has gained popularity at the present time. The secure HDD partition processing technology used at the same time ensures that all volumes of stored data will be irreversibly deleted by a special formatting algorithm. This method is much more efficient than simple removal, or normal formatting hard disk partitions. Formatting a disk in this way completely overwrites a set of new, abstract data for all sectors of the hard disk, more than once, in several passes. After the formatting process is completed, data recovery on the HDD will become impossible.

Very important! Before completely erasing all data from the HDD without the possibility of recovery, make sure that the necessary information is completely saved from the hard drive to be erased. The best method of preservation is considered to be: duplication of recording on optical discs and simultaneously on flash drives, while the quality of the recording on the media must be checked.

Although the algorithms for erasing disks vary in programs from many developers, the main similarity is that all programs usually clog the entire volume of the hard disk with numbers (0 or 1), and then format it. To date, many different programs have been developed for securely erasing discs, which are available to purchase or download for free on the Internet.

There are some problems in safe and complete removal files caused by the variety of hard drive designs and the use of data encryption. These features were taken into account when developing the Eraser program, which is the most popular among users, and in addition it is free. With an intuitive and simple user interface, the data destruction software - Eraser, allows you to safely and completely delete personal data from your hard drive without the possibility of recovery. Eraser is a very sophisticated tool that cleans the hard drive by removing all magnetized memory areas by repeatedly overwriting information on them. The program allows you to completely delete personal data on hard drives and is currently supported by all versions of Windows.

In discharge paid programs for deleting data, the most acceptable is Paragon Disk Wiper, which has a convenient, simple user interface. At the same time, it has extended functionality. Its use will allow you to:

Guaranteed to delete data - information on the hard drive will be completely deleted without the possibility of recovery; Delete data from the entire hard disk or individual partitions, as well as overwrite free space after the process of deleting files in the usual way.

And finally, if you still have not gained confidence or want to make sure that the files you deleted are lost forever, use the remote file management systems. Currently, there are programs specifically designed to detect and immediately clean up your computer from previously deleted files. Such programs first examine the data on the computer, find traces of deleted data, and finally erase all such data, even e-mail messages.

How to delete all information on the computer

Deleting every information on computer may be required in exceptional cases.

How to permanently delete files in Windows

Note that after the destruction of all files, you will not be able to turn on the PC, because the operating system itself will be deleted. Taking this into account, system files should not be removed.

You will need

Instruction

1. Deleting individual files. Let's start small. When planning to delete any information from the computer, you need to find its location. Later, after you find the folder with the necessary data, you need to delete it by right-clicking on it and clicking on the "Delete" option. Later confirmation of the operation, the information will be destroyed. You just have to empty the basket in order to hide the traces of her presence. If you need to delete all files and documents on computer, you can do it in a slightly different way.

2. Delete all files except for system documents. Open the "My Computer" folder and go to the "C" drive partition (usually the system is installed on it and various data is saved). Delete in this section all folders except for the "Windows" folder. To do this, you need to select the desired directories and delete them by clicking on the "Delete" button. After deletion, do not forget to empty the contents of the trash. To delete documents on other drives, perform a full format in leisurely mode.

3. If you want to remove all information, which is stored on the hard drive, you need to format all partitions. Note that by executing this operation, you will destroy system files. If this doesn't scare you, follow these steps. First, start formatting those drives that do not have an operating system installed. This is done quite primitively: on the disk icon, press right button mouse, after which, the "Formatting" parameter is selected. Only later, after you have formatted all disks, except for the system one, can you start formatting the OS partition.

Permanent deletion of files

In this article, we will talk about programs designed to securely delete data. Information erased with the help of such programs is absolutely unrecoverable.

In today's digital world, there are a thousand ways to accidentally "leak" personal information. One of the most likely sources of your information being leaked is deleted data. Erasing files from a flash drive or hard drive, as a rule, the user considers them irretrievably destroyed.

In fact, after the usual deletion, the information remains on the media, safe and sound, and if desired, anyone can restore it. The fact is that deleting files using the operating system or using any other program that is not designed to safely delete files does not destroy information from the media. Simple deletion is the destruction of information about a file with file system carrier of information, while the place occupied by this information, is marked as free to overwrite. So if after removing new information was not recorded, the probability of successful data recovery is close to 100%. Therefore, before transferring the storage medium to another user, it is necessary to take care of the reliable destruction of personal data.

For more reliable erasure of data, special programs are being developed that destroy information by repeatedly overwriting it. Below short review advantages and disadvantages of some specialized programs for deleting information.

Safe Erase 4.0

• A large number of algorithms for multiple rewriting;
• Possibility to use a paranoid algorithm with 35 times overwriting;
• Ability to destroy data on media of various types;
• Russian-language interface;
• Payment;
• Slow operating speed;

HD Shredder 3.6 Basic

• Support for deleting data from any type of media;
• The program uses its own, unique overwriting algorithm;
• There is no way to delete files individually, only the entire media;
• Paid;

Disk Wiper 10 Professional

• The program uses its own, unique algorithm for four times rewriting of information;
• Simple and user-friendly interface;
• A large number of functions for setting up the overwriting process;
• Slow operating speed;
• Paid;

DBAN 1.0.7

• Simple, minimalistic interface;
• Using an algorithm with sevenfold overwriting;
• Free;
• Slow operating speed;
• Unstable work;

True Image Home

The main function of the program is to create backups, however, the program can not only store data, but also destroy them using the built-in DriveCleaner utility.

• High speed of the application;
• Convenient interface;
• Reliable overwriting;
• Does not work with flash media;
• Paid;

Data Destroyer

• Simple and clear interface;
• Ability to work with separate files and folders;
• Average operating speed;
• Shareware;
• Using a seven-fold overwrite;

File Shredder

• Ability to customize the rewriting process;
• Launch from the context menu;
• Free for non-commercial use;
• Unstable work with flash drives is possible;

Clean Unused Disk Space

• High speed of the application;
• Support for any type of media;
• Completely free;
• Lack of settings;

There are a huge number of ways to delete a file without the possibility of recovery.

Tip 1: How to permanently delete files

Some of them are convenient, some not so much, but the easiest option is to use the well-known CCleaner program.

The main plus in the CCleaner program is that this product has long been able to establish itself among users only on the positive side. And also, the file deletion tool is present in the free version of the program.

How to fill the drive with zeros or destroy files.

CCleaner - Able to fill free space with zeros or completely delete all data from a disk or flash drive. If you need to delete a specific file, then "CCleaner" is not quite suitable, since the program does not have the ability to delete certain files without the possibility of recovery.

Go to the "Tools" section and select "Erase Disks" then, depending on the situation, select the desired options.

If the HDD or USB is for sale: In this case, it makes sense to completely format the drive. All files on the entire HDD or USB are completely destroyed.
Select - Entire disk (all data will be lost)

If you are selling a computer or laptop: In this case, you need to fill the free disk space with zeros to avoid the possibility of recovering files that were deleted in the usual way.
Choose - Only free space.

The optimal cleaning method, you can choose "7", if you want to play it safe, then choose 35.

In this case, the free space on the USB drive, files that were previously deleted will not be recoverable. Current files will not be deleted. If you select the "Entire disk" option, you can delete all files from the USB flash drive without the possibility of recovery!

Disk cleaning takes quite a long time, it all depends on the read speed of the drive, free space, and the selected number of passes. As soon as the program is finished, you can safely sell the drive, without fear that someone can restore the files and use them for personal gain.

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Ghost files: how do forensic scientists recover securely deleted data?

Gutmann method- secure deletion of data (for example) from the computer. The method was developed by Peter Gutman and Collin Plumb. The method consists of 35 records-deletion-oriented passes coded by RLL methods and various modifications.

Pass selection assumes that the user does not know the encoding mechanism used by the disc and therefore includes passes designed specifically for the three various types drives. If the user knows what type of encoding the drive is using, he can only select the passes that are intended for his drive. A disc with different encoding mechanisms requires different passes.

Most of the passes were designed for MFM and RLL encoded discs. Relatively modern discs do not use these old encoding methods, making many passes of Gutman's method redundant. In addition, since around 2001, hard disk designs have included support for the "Secure Erase" standard, which eliminates the need to use the Gutman method when erasing the entire disk.

The method was first introduced in the work "Secure deletion of data from magnetic and solid state drives" in July 1996.