-http://sourceforge.net/projects/eraser/files/Eraser%206/6.0.9/Eraser%206.0.9.2343.exe/download- I'm only interested in one thing: is it time to switch from v 5.8.8 deemed to be the last stable/reliable/dependable version or not quite?
I haven't checked version 6 lately but the last time I did, it used the Task Scheduler to run the erasures. If this is, and always will be that way, then I pass. I have Eraser 5.88 on all my PCs, XP and Win 7. It works fine for me. I only use Eraser to wipe files and folders. For free space erasures, I use other stuff. The key for me is simplicity. I don't want to use Task Scheduler for anything if I don't have to. **EDIT** Found this on the version 6 Roadmap. "Eraser 6.1 (dev) which will eventually be Eraser 6.2 (stable) will include support for being installed as a Windows Service, allowing free space erasures for non-admins and removes requirement of being run as an administrator on Vista." This is why I won't use version 6. IMO, the developer does not understand the meaning of bloat. A full time service to erase some files?? Beyond that, non-admins doing free space erasures?? WOW!!
Agrees with Han. Why they think anyone wants to have Eraser running permanently is beyond me. It was perfectly fine the way it functioned before - on call. Eraser in its current state sucks.
It's always running because they want you to be able to right click a file and "erase" it instead of deleting it. This way you don't mind using a method like Gutmann (35 passes), because it will happen very quickly for most files. Makes sense to me.
You can do that with 5.88. That is Explorer integration. Maybe I am missing what you mean but you could do that with previous versions.
Running as a service is for the exact reasons mentioned by the developer and won't make it any quicker: People complain all the time about UAC prompts. This is probably the developer responding to that by implementing an option to install a service that allows Eraser to operate all the time without the interface running with admin privileges. This is a better option than disabling UAC, which a lot of people seem to do The idea of "non-admin" users erasing files isn't supposed to be referring to a "noob" doing it, either Many secure environments run all regular user accounts without administrative privileges. Plenty of home users do this, too, for security reasons. Being able to run an erase, without elevating to an account with admin privileges, would be quite useful. Eraser is not the first application to use a service to work around the presence of UAC in Vista/7, either, and definitely won't be the last! I don't have a problem with this particular function of "new Eraser" but I agree that having to "schedule" everything is why I never bothered with v6+.
A bit off course but related. I just wish they would add exFAT support since its becoming widespread on removable media. If one of the developers reads this thread; how about some insight as to whether that is in the works.