Deleting Confidential information beyond recovery

Any file system stores data on a storage device using an index table which links or maps to original data. When we delete a file, the operating system marks that memory or portion of the index table for reuse. So the actual information contained in the file is not deleted.

File header or index table contains

• Filename, type
  
• File attributes
• Time and date of creation, modification
• Starting cluster in the file allocation table
• File size
  

Even if a file has been deleted it can be recovered by reconstructing the file header or index of that file, until the portion has been used or overwritten by some other information. This can be done using data recovery softwares like stellar data recovery or pc inspector file recovery etc. So if you want to delete a confidential or sensitive information beyond recovery use softwares like file shredder, Wipe disk or Eraser.

With file shredder you can remove files from your hard drive beyond recovery. In File Shredder you can choose between 5 different shredding algorithms, each one gradually stronger than the previous one. It also has integrated Disk Wiper which uses shredding algorithm to wipe unused disk space. It is a freeware

Eraser is an advanced security tool for Windows which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. Works with Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Server 2008. It is a freeware.

Download file shredder

Download Eraser