I know that on the windows operating system, when you delete a file it's still recoverable. I'd like to avoid simply paving the harddrive with zeros as I would like to keep my OS installation as is, but is there a way to truly delete files that have been previously deleted?
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16
No need for additional software.
Drop into a command prompt and use the built-in CIPHER command.
cipher /w:C:\
- Quit all programs.
- Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER.
- Type cipher /w:driveletter:\foldername, and then press ENTER. Specify the drive and the folder that identifies the volume that contains the deleted data that you want to overwrite. Data that is not allocated to files or folders will be overwritten. This permanently removes the data. This can take a long time if you are overwriting a large space.
Kez
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9
Actually CCleaner should do it with Gutmann secure file deletion and "wipe free space drives" enabled!
Gareth
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Grumpy ol' Bear
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Microsoft offers a free Windows Sysinternals program called SDelete which should do what you're looking for. It seems to perform the same function as shred does on Linux systems.
See: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd334519.aspx
Also: Shredding files in windows
Hope that helps.
1
Keep using your PC. After, say, a week, there'll be nothing left to recover. The only times when recovering is really, really effective is when people get their hands on drives that were just quick-reformatted and then sold, nothing else done to them.
Phoshi
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There is a program called Prevent Restore, but I have never used it and never heard of the author, so I can't vouch for its quality.
CCleaner has the option to securely clear the Recycle Bin and Temp files, but not those that you have already deleted.
Dan Walker
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If it's an SSD then you can be much more thorough- using the "secure erase" command.
Austin ''Danger'' Powers
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