permanently deleting files

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by articles, Jun 19, 2008.

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  1. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    what do you guys recommend is the best way to permanently delete files?

    i deleted some files in windows vista, but when i do a search for them, i still see them in search results. however, i am unable to open or view these files.

    how do i remove the reference, names and also completely delete files permanently?

    please help

    thank you
     
  2. Longboard

    Longboard Registered Member

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  3. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    i thought formatting the hard disk completely deletes all data forever, is that not right?

    i think eraser should work.

    can you guys please show me how do i delete names, files and references to already deleted files using eraser?

    really appreciate it

    thank you
     
  4. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    Keep in mind that Windows recreates files during reboot, so deleting them is quite useless. In my system I replace these files with their original contents during the installation. Cleaning = deleting files or replacing files.
    Simple example :
    If a system file contained "hello" during the original installation and the system file is changed in "byebye" during the day, I change the contents back in "hello" during reboot.
    This is of course a simple unreal example, but it's the principle that counts.
    I'm almost sure that Farstone has softwares to make that possible.
    http://www.farstone.com/
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2008
  5. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    well all i need is a simple way to completely remove these files from my computer that i am about to sell.

    i had personal account information, bank statements, credit card passwords, etc on this comp. i deleted them but when i search i still see all the file names although i am unable to open them.

    2 questions:

    - how do i get rid of these files from the drive that have already been deleted?

    - will reformatting the drive as slave delete them permanently?

    please help.

    thank you
     
  6. Longboard

    Longboard Registered Member

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    Heh heh: ;)
    http://geeksaresexy.blogspot.com/2006/08/disk-wiping-utilities-how-to-get-rid.html

    Darik's realistically still tool of choice
    http://dban.sourceforge.net/

    Eraser is good but file names may persist: no recoverable data

    Tool of choice for many
    http://www.x-ways.net/winhex/allfeatures.html

    This works
    http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=129
    http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/DataSanitizationTutorial.pdf
    http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml

    Then fdisk..

    Lol: If we see pictures of you in a diaper: we will know...:D
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2008
  7. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    Thanks, this was helpful.

    i am trying to use X-ways security but it keeps giving me an error that I do not have permission to access the drive. Although, I am logged in as admin in Windows Vista (worst OS ever!)

    please guide

    thank you
     
  8. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    haha, thank for the info and interesting read.
     
  9. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    i have the demo version that i downloaded today
     
  10. LockBox

    LockBox Registered Member

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    Something that's becoming rather popular (and very secure) is to use TrueCrypt to fully encrypt the drive with a very strong random password (generated by TrueCrypt). It's quicker than an erase. Then, to resell it - just delete the encrypted partition and a quick format. All that's recoverable is - well, a whole lot of random nothing.
     
  11. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    any suggestions on how to get rid of the admin problem in X-ways?
     
  12. Longboard

    Longboard Registered Member

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    sorry :doubt:

    Try other solutions.
     
  13. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    i was finally able to resolve the issue but i guess you have to buy the x-ways security software before you can do anything. the demo is completely useless.

    can you guys recommend a free software that does the same thing as x-ways security? please advise

    thank you
     
  14. markymoo

    markymoo Registered Member

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  15. Pleonasm

    Pleonasm Registered Member

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    Specifically, how are you atempting to use X-Ways Security? What operation are you seeking to run?

    In the case of WinHex (a related product), my understanding is that it can only erase Master File Table entries on a volume that it can lock for exclusive access, because it performs raw writes to the disk in this operation. With Windows Vista, locking the operating system volume in this way is not permitted.
     
  16. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    well, i downloaded wipe03 and i think it does the job but it is asking for MFT information.

    there is no option in stupid vista to do this:

    The exact data can be found at: Disk Defragmenter / Analyze / View Report (screenshot).

    i ran analyze on Vista through the command prompt, but it did not give me

    MFT record count
    MFTTotal Percent MFT in use

    can someone please help?

    please help!

    thank you
     
  17. articles

    articles Registered Member

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    so anyone?
     
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