Ways of Permanently Deleting Files From Your Computer

Permanently deleting files from your PC's is not just a matter of right clicking on the file and selecting 'delete'. In fact this does not delete the file at all; it only moves it to another folder called the recycle bin. You can empty the recycle bin or you may choose to bypass the recycle bin altogether. Do this by selecting an option from the recycle bin properties menu which allows you to remove files immediately once deleted. This is a basic method of removing files but they are not truly permanently deleted.

Emptying the recycle bin merely removes a reference for the file from the computers master file but any well versed computer technician will have little difficulty retrieving those files from the hard drive. This is because the files still exist as old data on empty space of the hard drive. The only way to completely erase the files is to overwrite the space that contains them.

You can permanently delete sensitive files by overwriting the space that contains them. Essentially, you will need to completely fill up your hard drive's 'empty' space with data. When your hard drive is full your computer will alert you to the fact. All your sensitive data is now overwritten and can no longer be retrieved. You can then delete the unwanted data to free up usable space.

Overwriting and deleting space is rather a long winded process for permanently deleting files. Alternatively, you can make use of a free program developed by Microsoft called SDelete. This will overwrite the space and securely delete sensitive data. There are also secure delete utilities available as freeware which you can search on the internet.

If you have sensitive data stored on CD's or removable flash drives you may want to be sure that you permanently delete these files too. You can pass a magnet over the discs and this will destroy any data on them permanently and completely.

Find out how about permanently deleting files from your computer by using a simple but very effective computer file shredder.