Deleting files without the possibility of restoring them. Securely deleting files in Mac OS X

Recently I received a question in the mail: “How to delete all files from a flash drive so that it cannot be recovered by any means?” The question is, of course, an interesting one. In principle, there are many options, it all depends on the goals and the required reliability...

In the majority household cases, you can delete information from both flash drives and hard drives complete formatting (but NOT "quick formatting", which only removes the disc's table of contents and leaves all files untouched). This is quite suitable if you are going to give a flash drive that you used to a friend or sell it unnecessary hard a disk where various rubbish used to be kept. The likelihood that intelligence agencies who will recover data using special equipment will be interested in these drives is negligible...))

However, if you have a persecution mania, or you need to delete information of truly national importance, for example, photos of a friend or data on your accounts in a Swiss bank, then you will have to use programs tailored for this purpose, which are called “shredders” (by analogy with office “destroyers” of paper documents ).

There are quite a lot of shredder programs, including free ones. However, even here it all depends on the size of your mania or the value of the documents - if you do not trust free programs, use paid ones. 😎

Let's consider representatives from both groups.

Good Doctor Shredder from the Eraser HDD program

The simplest, and, as its author claims, the most reliable program, is the program. This is a program for completely destroying information on a disk without the possibility of recovery. It takes up only 56 kilobytes and does not require installation (that is, it can be run from either a hard drive or a flash drive). We look at the program website.

The program ensures reliable destruction of all data on a user-specified hard drive or flash drive without the possibility of further recovery of the information that was located there. The program sequentially writes hexadecimal zeros into disk sectors, thereby completely overwriting all files on the disk. This procedure corresponds Russian standard GOST R50739-95 and generally ensures reliable data destruction (although Western standards state the opposite, see below).

By the way, the author of the program (who, moreover, is professionally involved in recovering information from various media) states that currently no laboratory in the world has no funds for recover overwritten data. Basically everything free programs-shredders work on exactly the same principle, so you have to trust him.

By the way, a program that destroys data on the entire surface physical disk , there are brothers:

• Eraser LogDisk— a program for guaranteed destruction of all data on logical drive , i.e. for example only disk D: without deleting information on the disk WITH:
• Eraser Free Space- program for safe deleting files without the possibility of their recovery, i.e. overwrite only free space on disk

All programs by this author have a Russian interface and are easy to use. The speed of work depends on the size of the surface being cleaned, because... the program should rewrite all sectors on the hard drive, which is equivalent to the write speed large file the size of your hard drive.

For example, if you want to clear hard drive size of 500 gigabytes, then the program should write 500 gigabytes of zeros! Therefore, you are guaranteed a few hours of waiting. What can we say about paid programs which use more complex algorithms Western standards, providing 3, 7 and even 35 times(Peter Gutman method) surface overwriting!!!

We will not list all Western standards for information destruction, because... the most common is the US Department of Defense standard DoD(U.S. Department of Defense), according to which the data is rewritten 3 times with different numerical sequences. This method is acceptable for destroying the most important data, after which even the CIA will not be able to unravel your secrets.

Program for secure destruction of information from O&O SafeErase 5 disks

One of the best programs that will help you securely destroy all your confidential information is Safe Erase 5. It can destroy all data from the disk any of 6 methods, including paranoid 35-fold overwriting! The program has only an English interface, works under any version of Win XP, Vista and Win 7 and takes up 35 MB. Full version costs 29.95 USD, which, in principle, is not very expensive for state secrets. 😀

Deleting files is a common procedure when working with a computer, which is used several times a day. However, simply by sending files to the Recycle Bin and emptying it, you leave traces of data on the system that can then be used to recover deleted information. If you are not satisfied with this situation, then it will be useful for you to learn how to delete files without the possibility of recovery.

Normal deletion

Any user has sent files to the trash: to do this, right-click on it and select “Delete”. After this, the recycle bin is emptied, and unnecessary information seems to disappear from the computer.

Another way to get rid of unnecessary file– erase it immediately, without first sending it to the trash. To do this, select it with the left button, and then press the key combination Shift+Delete.

A warning will appear asking you to confirm the action by clicking “Yes.”

You can configure deletion so that files are not sent to the trash in principle, even without pressing a certain key combination.

Now information will be immediately erased from the hard drive, bypassing temporary storage for deleted data.

Permanent deletion

If you deleted files and then emptied the Recycle Bin, then know that this information can be restored if desired. Fortunately, there are a lot of programs for performing such an operation, both paid and free.

The only way to completely erase information is to overwrite other data in its place. It is advisable to do this several times to completely destroy all traces of the deleted file.

You can't do this manually; but with the support special software, you will quickly perform the desired operation.

SDelete

To permanently delete data, you can use a utility from Microsoft called SDelete. This program operates through the command line, overwriting a remote file with random numbers.

1. Download the utility to your computer.
2. Launch Command Prompt (press Win+R to open the Run menu and enter the command “cmd.exe”).
3. Specify the path to the folder in which the downloaded SDelete utility is stored using a command like “cd C:\downloads” and press Enter.
4. Use a command like “delete file path” to delete data you no longer need.

IN command line A message should appear indicating that the destruction of information was successful. After this you can close all windows.

Recuva

Recuva is commonly used to recover deleted files from a flash drive or hard drive. However, her functionality are often not used full power, because with the help of this utility you can also erase information, leaving no chance of its recovery.

The first thing to do is erase the files in the usual way, sending them to the trash and then emptying it.

To delete data completely, you must first start the recovery procedure:

So, you have received a list of files that can be recovered. Now you need to destroy them, permanently erasing them from your hard drive.

Remember: the more rewrite cycles you specify, the higher the likelihood that the information will be completely and irrevocably deleted. Therefore, select 35 cycles at once and click “OK”.

Select the files you want to destroy, and then right-click in the main program window. Select "Securely remove marked ones."

A warning will appear on the screen in which you need to click “Yes” to start the process of permanently deleting the information.

After the procedure is completed, run Recuva to search and restore files again. Check that the data that you have securely deleted no longer appears in the list. If they are, try the steps described above again.

Far Manager

Using this file manager, you can not only manage data stored on your computer, but also permanently delete it from your hard drive.

1. Select the item you want to remove from your computer forever.
2. Press the Alt+Delete key combination or select “Destruction” from the “File” menu.
3. In the window that appears, confirm your intentions by clicking on the “Destroy” button.

If you delete one file, it will be destroyed immediately. When deleting a folder, another warning will appear, again asking you to confirm your intention.

Why can erasing data using the Far Manager utility be considered reliable? Because the file will first be erased with zeros, then renamed randomly, and only then will it be sent into oblivion.

Eraser HDD

Another convenient and functional utility that allows you to permanently get rid of unnecessary information, called Eraser HDD and distributed as a portable application. The only drawback of this program is that it cannot delete separate files; You can only clean the entire disk.

Important: since the program completely cleans the disk (removing Windows and even itself), you need to run it from the second hard drive.

After confirming the removal of all data from the hard drive, a notification like this will appear:

By the way, in this way you can delete undeletable files without the help of other applications like Unlocker. Finally, another way to destroy data is to use CCleaner programs.

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How to erase data without the possibility of recovery

It is known that information is of great importance. Due to the spread of IT technologies, users store a lot of data on a computer, laptop, removable hard drives and others similar devices. But sometimes important files can be accidentally deleted, in which case you need to restore it. Find out how to recover deleted data from your hard drive here. However, sometimes important information needs to be deleted, on the contrary, and manipulations must be made so that even the most advanced hackers cannot recover the data in the files. Therefore, today we decided to look at ways to erase a file without the possibility of data recovery.

Methods for permanently deleting data

There are three ways to completely delete information from any device. The first of them is mechanical. It lies in the fact that the device from which information needs to be erased suffers mechanical damage, due to which it will not be recoverable. The essence of this method is simple - it is necessary to irreversibly destroy the working surface of the storage medium. Of course, this is the most expensive and crude method.

The second method is called hardware. IN in this case The device is exposed to a magnetic field or radiation. This method is also quite expensive, and in order to carry out such a manipulation, you will need special equipment.

The last, quite effective method, which, moreover, can be done at home, is software. In other words, a special software. We will consider this method of data deletion in more detail, since it is the most gentle with respect to the storage medium.

Problems deleting files

Before we talk about how to permanently delete data files, we should say a little about what exactly happens during the process of erasing information. Sometimes it happens that a file cannot be deleted; what to do in this case, read this article. After you delete the file, operating system does not physically remove it from the disk. It only marks it as deleted, performing the corresponding operations, including freeing the clusters that belonged to it and file records.

A cluster is a group of adjacent sectors with which the system conducts operations as a whole. A file record describes file attributes and the placement of clusters on disk.

So, after you delete the file, the clusters become free again, which is why they are used by other, newly created files, which over time overwrite their predecessors. However, this may not happen soon. In addition, small pieces of information may remain intact, but in some cases it is important not to leave absolutely any data.

Recovery with Recuva

Let's turn to the Recuva program, which makes it possible to restore and delete data. There is both free and paid version this utility. Download this program only from reliable sources, as when downloading the program you may “catch” a virus. Therefore, it is important to install an antivirus program before downloading. Find out what antivirus programs there are here. So, first we just need to remove unnecessary information. To do this, files are selected, and then the Shift+Del button combination is used. In this situation, Shift is designed to ensure that information is not temporarily placed in the trash.

After the manipulations, we open the Recuva program and search for deleted files. In the window that appears, click the “Go to advanced mode” link, from where we go to Settings.

Here we need a Secure Delete button. You need to select as many rewrite cycles as possible. The higher given quantity, the more likely it is that the data will not be recovered. Although, of course, the procedure may take long time.

You can check how securely the information was deleted if you use the same program, but restore the files. If the utility reports that this is impossible, you have done everything correctly.

Eraser HDD program

Another application that is used for data recovery is Eraser HDD. This program distributed free of charge. In addition, the advantage of the utility is that it is not required to be installed on your computer. This program is easy to use and quite effective.

How exactly to delete information is up to you to decide, and we have suggested ways to do such manipulations. Programs that are designed for complete removal There is quite a lot of information available on the Internet. They are commercial and freely available. At the same time, they will not harm the device while performing all the specified actions, so you don’t have to worry about the safety of your computer or laptop.

computerology.ru

Deleting files permanently

The topic of today's article is somewhat unusual. Today we will talk about how to permanently destroy data. Destroy them so that they cannot be restored even with the help of special programs or research hardware systems.

Deleting a file is not enough

Regular readers of our site already know that simply deleting a file is completely insufficient from the point of view information security. Deleted files (with rare exceptions in the form of SSD drives) can be restored within just a few minutes. This is due to the fact that when deleting a file, Windows does not destroy its contents, but simply makes a note in the file system that the file is deleted and the space occupied by it disk space- free. Accordingly, the deleted file can be recovered using easy-to-use tools - for example, Hetman Uneraser.

Disk formatting

The very fact of the existence of tools like Hetman Partition Recovery is a good indicator that formatted partitions are far from a guarantee of data security. In fact, with the exception of the same SSD drives, formatting a partition in “fast” mode (and in older versions of Windows, formatting in “full” mode) does not erase data, but only resets the file system. Accordingly, data after such formatting can be restored.

However, it should be noted that completely formatting a disk using Windows Vista and Windows 7 will still overwrite the contents of the disk with zeros, and formatting in any way SSD drive with a high (but not one hundred percent) probability will also lead to the destruction of data.

Data destruction programs

There is a whole class of programs designed for reliable and safe destruction of information. Such programs use arrays random numbers to physically overwrite the disk space occupied by the file being destroyed. Some security standards (such as those used by the US Army) require multiple rewrite cycles and insist on the use of cryptographically strong random number generators. In practice, it's more like shooting sparrows from a cannon. For private users and most commercial organizations, a single rewrite cycle will be enough.

Finding such a program is easy - just search for the keywords “secure file deletion”. Mashing is carried out in a similar way free space on disk - even the programs are often the same.

It should be noted that these methods only work with traditional magnetic storage, in which unambiguous addressing of physical space on the disk is possible. In the case of SSD drives, this is not the case, and the destruction of information on them is a separate and rather little-researched topic.

Destroying data on CDs and DVDs

When getting rid of old backups, be sure to destroy the data. The easiest way to destroy information on a CD or DVD is to physically destroy the media. Do not give in to the temptation to break the “blank” with your hands - you will most likely cut yourself with fragments, and small fragments of plastic and aluminum substrate will be found in the most unexpected places for a long time.

The easiest way to destroy disks is to use an office shredder equipped with a CD and DVD receiver. In addition to them, there are also specialized devices - by the way, they are not at all as expensive as one might think. For most purposes, it is normal to cut the disc into four strips.

There are also devices that render disks unusable by drilling several holes in them (by the way, you can make holes in the disk yourself using a regular drill). Experts consider this method less reliable compared to using a shredder.

Separately, it is worth mentioning device manufacturers safe storage information. DataTraveler and Silicon Power offer USB or hard drives that store information in encrypted form. To destroy access to the data of such devices, it is enough to delete the decryption key. Hard drive data recovery software will not be able to decrypt the contents and will be absolutely useless.

We can also mention the heating of the disks, leading to the destruction of the translucent information layer. Like other methods, this method should only be used in specialized devices - overheated “blanks” can quickly melt.

HetmanRecovery.com

How to permanently delete files

If you read my article “How to Recover Deleted Files,” then you already know that physically deleting data from your computer is not that easy. They are quite easy to restore later. Today I will teach you how to delete files without the possibility of their subsequent recovery.

Some readers may wonder why this might be needed at all. The reasons can be very different. But the most popular option is selling an old computer (or simply digital media, such as a flash drive or hard drive). After all, few people want personal documents, photographs or videos to fall into the hands of strangers.

And some users also store files with passwords from various Internet resources on their computers. Imagine for a second that someone had the data to access your account on the Yandex.Money project or something similar.

Meanwhile, it is quite possible to delete data so that it cannot be restored. For this we need special software. The principle of its operation, as a rule, is that it clogs clusters with fragments of a file that needs to be deleted, with arbitrary information. That is, it physically overwrites it. As a result, even if the file is detected by the recovery program, it will not be able to restore it.

Since our priority is free programs, we will turn to the already familiar Recuva program, which has free version and can not only restore deleted files, but also reliably delete them.

So, to securely erase data, first we simply delete it. To do this, it is best to select the files to be deleted and press the Shift+Del button combination. Using the Shift key allows you to delete a file without placing it in the trash.

Now we launch the Recuva program and look for the files we deleted. How to do this is described in detail in the article “How to Recover Deleted Files.” But we won’t restore them.

Perform the procedure for searching for deleted files, as described in this article (it is better to search not in a specific folder, but across the entire disk, since the file may have previously been moved). You should get a list of deleted files. Click the "Go to advanced mode" button.

The window will change appearance. As you can see, the “Settings” button has appeared. Click it.

In the settings we are interested in the “Secure removal” item. We must select the number of cycles to overwrite deleted files. The more of these cycles, the greater the guarantee that the deleted file cannot be restored, but it will take longer. In my opinion, it is better to play it safe and choose the maximum number of cycles. After all, we need a positive result, otherwise why would we even take on this, right? We select the parameters that suit us and click “Ok”.

We mark the files that we need to securely delete, right-click and in the appeared context menu select the item “Securely delete marked ones”.

When asked whether we really want to destroy these files, we answer positively. And we wait for the procedure for securely deleting files to complete, after which we click “Ok”.

That's it. To check how everything went, you can try to recover your data using the article “How to recover deleted files”. Moreover, if you have used a small number of rewrite cycles, I highly recommend doing this to ensure that your files are truly securely deleted.

If the recovery process fails, then you did everything right. If some files were nevertheless recovered, repeat the procedure again, not skimping on the number of rewrite cycles.

If my article was useful to you, please recommend it to your friends using social network buttons or simply sharing the link.

You can send your questions for the section “ Free help» to the address: In the subject of the letter write “Free help”.

Most people think that it is enough to send the file to the “trash”, empty it, and the file is deleted. This is not entirely true. When erasing a file, the operating system makes it invisible to the user, and marks the disk space occupied by this file as “free.” The operating system can use this location to record information. Weeks, months, or even years may pass until the file is overwritten by other data. Until then, the “deleted” file remains on the disk. A little effort, the right tools ( computer program for data recovery or special techniques from a forensic laboratory specialist), and the file is alive and well again. So, the data is not deleted immediately and irrevocably; they remain on the computer until space is needed for other data.

If you want to delete a file for sure, you need to immediately overwrite it with other information. Then it will be impossible to restore the data. Perhaps your operating system already includes some kind of tool that allows you to write a set of “random” data over the deleted file and thus protect the confidentiality of the erased information.

Please note: securely erasing data from solid state drives (SSDs), USB flash drives, and SD memory cards is a difficult task. The recommendations below apply only to regular hard drives, but Not to SSDs (which are increasingly found in modern laptops), USB flash drives or SD cards.

The reason is that the types of storage media listed above use wear-leveling technology.

We talk about erasing data on SSD drives and USB flash drives below.

BleachBit can be used to quickly and easily delete individual files and to perform specific data removal actions periodically. You can even create your own data deletion conditions.

Getting BleachBit

BleachBit for Windows can be found at BleachBit.

Usually the browser asks you to confirm the file download. Internet Explorer 11 displays an indicator at the bottom of the browser window in an orange frame.

Whatever browser you use, it's best to save the file first, so click the "Save" button. By default, most browsers save downloaded files in the Downloads folder.

Installing BleachBit

In Windows Explorer, double-click on BleachBit-1.6-setup. You need to confirm the installation of the program. Click the "Yes" button.

A window will appear asking you to select the installation language. Do this and click OK.

In the next window - the GNU General Public License. Accept the terms and click the “Next” button.

Window with some BleachBit settings. You can leave the default settings. We recommend deselecting the “Desktop” field. Click the "Next" button.

BleachBit again asks you to confirm your intention to install the program. Click the "Install" button.

Finally, we see a window with a message about successful installation. Click the "Next" button.

The last window asks if you want to launch BleachBit right now. Deselect “Run BleachBit” and click the “Finish” button.

Using BleachBit

Launch BleachBit from the Start menu.

A small window will ask if you really want to run BleachBit.

Main window. BleachBit will detect multiple installed popular programs and will show options for each. By default, BleachBit has four options.

Using Templates

BleachBit can get rid of the marks it leaves behind Internet browser Explorer, using a template for IE (BleachBit cannot remove traces of other browsers). Check the "Internet Explorer" box. You will see that the “Cookies”, “Form history”, “History” and “Temporary files” fields are automatically selected. You can deselect any field (or fields) if necessary. Click the "Clean" button.

BleachBit will remove some files. You will see a progress bar.

Securely deleting a folder

A small window will appear. Select a folder to delete.

BleachBit will show the names of the deleted files. Note that BleachBit securely erases every file in a folder, and then the folder itself.

Secure file deletion

A file selection window will open. Select files to delete.

BleachBit will ask you to confirm whether you want to permanently delete the selected files. Click the Delete button.

BleachBit has many other features. The most useful is “cleaning up free space.” This way you can immediately get rid of all traces of ever deleted files. Windows often leaves fragments of deleted files and calls this space on the hard drive free. The procedure for clearing free space will overwrite this entire space with random data. It may take a long time depending on the size of your hard drive and free space.

Limitations of secure data erasure programs

First: the described procedure allows you to reliably delete only files on your computer’s hard drive. It will not affect backups saved on other disks, USB flash drives, or on the server. email, V cloud storage. To securely delete a file with all its backup copies, needs to be erased each of them, wherever they are. In addition, if the file is stored in a cloud storage service (like Dropbox) or a file sharing service, there is usually no guarantee that it can be securely deleted at all.

Alas, this is not the only caveat. Even if you followed our advice and deleted all copies of the file, there is a possibility that some traces of the file remain on your computer. This is not due to a bug reliable removal file, but thanks to the operating system or other programs that store records about this file.

There are many examples of such situations. We'll limit ourselves to two. In operating rooms Windows systems or Mac OS, package Microsoft Office can store a link to a file in the "menu" Recent Documents", even if the file itself has already been deleted. Sometimes Office may even store copies of the actual file in a special temporary file. On Linux OS (and other operating systems of the *nix family), OpenOffice can store no less records about files than Microsoft Office, and commands will remain in the logs, from which you can find out about the name of the file, even if the file itself has been securely deleted. Programs that “behave” in this way can be found at every step.

What can be done in this regard? The question is not easy. We have to admit that even after a file is securely deleted, its name may remain in the system for some time. Rewriting the entire disk is the only way to be 100% sure that the file name is not left anywhere else. An inquisitive reader will ask: “What if someone examined the data on the disk, byte by byte? Is it possible to determine the presence of copies of a document in this way? Yes and no. This operation will determine the copies in text format, but if some application used compression or other data processing methods, this will not work. And remember: the search itself can also leave a trace! Thus, the chance of finding copies of the file exists, although it is small. Only a complete rewrite of the entire disk and reinstallation of the operating system can guarantee that the file or its fragments have not been saved anywhere.

Want to get rid of the disk? Don't forget to securely delete your data!

So, it’s time for the disc to go to the landfill, or you are going to donate/sell it. It is important to know that no one will be able to extract your information from it. Unfortunately, many computer owners forget to do this. Hard drives are often sold full of important data. Before you part with the drive, securely erase all data. Is your disk very old? You don't believe that anyone will be interested in him? It still wouldn't hurt to be careful. There is a program specifically for this purpose - Darik's Boot and Nuke.

Some disk encryption programs have a built-in ability to destroy the master key. This makes all encrypted data inaccessible forever. Since a key is a tiny amount of data, it can be destroyed almost instantly. This approach saves a lot of time compared to programs like Darik's Boot and Nuke (they can run for a very long time on large disks). But if you do not use encryption of the entire disk, you will have to overwrite all the data on the media.

Destroying CD-ROMs

For CD/DVDs, it is better to use the same approach as for paper media: a shredder. There are inexpensive devices that can "digest" your disks. Never throw a CD in the trash unless you are 100% sure that there is no important information on it.

Securely erase data on solid state drives (SSDs), USB flash drives and SD cards

Unfortunately, technologically, SSD drives, USB flash drives and SD cards make it difficult (if not impossible) to securely erase data - both individual files and entire free space. It is best to build data protection on such media based on encryption. Then the information, of course, will remain, but it will look like gobbledygook to anyone who receives it, without being able to force you to decrypt the data. Today we cannot offer any specific working method for reliably deleting data from an SSD drive.

As mentioned earlier, SSD drives and USB flash drives use a technology called wear leveling. Here's how it works. Disk space is divided into blocks like the pages of a book. When a file is written, a specific block or blocks (pages) are associated with it. If you want to overwrite data, you must indicate in which blocks this should be done. But on SSD and USB media, the blocks “wear out”. Each block can be used for writing and rewriting a limited number of times, then it loses its functionality (imagine writing with a pencil and erasing what you wrote with an eraser; sooner or later the paper will become unusable). To solve this problem, controllers for SSD disks and USB flash drives “make sure” that the number of writes to each block is approximately the same throughout the entire media. This allows him to prolong his life. It happens that instead of overwriting the specific block where the file was originally located, the disk does not touch this block, marks it as broken and writes the data to another block (you skip the page, write what you need to the next one and make corrections in the contents of the book). Such actions occur at a low level, in the disk electronics, and the operating system does not even know about it. Accordingly, if you want to overwrite a file, there is no guarantee that this will happen. This is the main reason why it is so difficult to reliably erase data from an SSD drive.

Read, how to quickly and easily clean the system disk of your computer or laptop from unnecessary files. Built in Windows tool Disk Cleanup can quickly clean up system files and thus free up hard drive space. But not all files need to be deleted (although this option is present). For example, temporary files Windows installations 10 is not advisable to delete, although the system says that they can be deleted without consequences.

For the most part, using the tool you can safely delete all the files specified in it. On Windows work it won't show up at all. But, this may make it impossible to install updates or rollback in case of system failures, as well as diagnose and solve problems and errors. Therefore, it is always necessary to understand which files to delete and for what purpose, and also weigh the importance of freeing up disk space and the files that can be deleted for this.

To launch the tool, right-click on the system drive and click the button. The tool will immediately scan the disk and display a list of files that it can delete. But exactly the files that can be deleted using the access of the current user account will be displayed.

In order to be able to clean up system files, the account must have administrator rights.

To delete one of the proposed groups of files, select it. To avoid deleting, remove the selection. The total volume of files that can, in principle, be deleted is indicated at the top of the window. At the bottom, the volume that will be freed as a result of deleting selected groups of files is indicated. Click "Ok", and will delete the selected groups of files.

How important are temporary Windows installation files (ESD)?

Windows 10 has temporary installation files that can also be deleted using the . They usually take up quite a lot of space - it can be more than 5 gigabytes. But this group files are very important and deleting them can cause problems for the user over time.

These files are used by the system to reset the system to factory settings (function "Return the computer to initial state» ). If you delete them, you can free up quite a lot of disk space, but then you will not be able to reset the system if necessary. To do this you must use installation disk. Therefore, it is not recommended to delete such files.

Other files that can be deleted using Disk Cleanup

Let's also look at other groups of files and what functions they perform. But keep in mind that this list files was compiled on a specific Windows 10 computer, it may differ slightly on other computers. Some files may be present on one computer but not on another.

• Windows Update Log Files. When you install updates using Windows Update(Windows Update), Windows keeps older versions of system files. As a result, the user can delete installed updates. But if the system update function is disabled or you do not plan to remove installed updates, then these files can be deleted.
• Windows Defender. this is a group of non-critical files that are used Windows Defender. Microsoft does not explain the purpose of these files, but they are most likely temporary files. You can safely delete them; this will not affect the operation of the antivirus built into Windows 10.
• Downloaded program files. Temporarily stored in this folder ActiveX controls And Java applications, automatically downloaded from the Internet when viewing certain pages.
• Temporary Internet files. The folder contains web pages stored on your hard drive to speed up browsing. They can be deleted, but this folder will again be filled with the browser cache. This applies to the built-in browser Microsoft Edge. Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox have own storage facilities cache. It is worth noting that clearing the browser cache slows down the browser.
• Memory dump files for system errors. If a blue screen error (BSoD) occurs, the system creates a memory dump file that can be used to determine the cause. If the error problem is resolved or you do not plan to deal with it (for example, it no longer occurs), then these files can be deleted.
• System archives of error reports. If the software crashes, Windows creates a bug report and sends it to Microsoft. Using these reports, you can identify and solve the problem. If the user does not intend to look for solutions to system errors, then he does not need report archives.
• System error reporting queue. The same as , only with a queue of reports that have not yet been sent to Microsoft.
• Windows installation temporary files. The most important group of files. These files are used for the “Reset the computer to its original state” function. If you remove them, you can return the computer to its original state only by using the Windows installation disk.
• Delivery optimization files. These are files that were previously downloaded to your computer and may be deleted if they are not used by the Delivery Optimization service. Delivery Optimization from Windows Update allows you to receive Windows and application updates Windows Store from sources other than Microsoft. This feature helps download updates and applications faster in case of limited or unreliable Internet connection.
• Device driver packages. Windows retains all old driver versions. Using this package you can remove old unnecessary versions of drivers. Only current versions drivers.
• Previous versions Windows. If you update Windows 7/8 to 10, the system creates a folder on your hard drive with the old version of Windows, which it will delete after 30 days. Using this folder, during this time the user can return to old version Windows. If you do not use the return, the folder itself will be deleted after 30 days. If you don't need to go back to the pre-upgrade version of Windows, you can delete these files using "Disk Cleanup".
• Basket. Check this folder, and among other things, will empty the Trash.
• Temporary files. Programs sometimes store temporary information in the TEMP folder. Before closing such programs, this information is usually deleted. Temporary files that are stored for more than a week will be deleted.
• Sketches. Windows creates page thumbnails for images, videos, or documents so they can be quickly displayed when you open a folder. Once these thumbnails are deleted, they will be automatically restored if necessary.

Also, when cleaning the disk, you can see others in the list of files to be deleted. They are not always present, but may appear if they are present on the computer or in other versions of Windows (for example, Windows 7):

• Temporary installation files. Sometimes programs create installation files during installation and then do not automatically delete them. By checking this option, such files will be deleted.
• Offline web pages. Offline web pages are web pages that are stored on your computer. They can be viewed without an Internet connection.
• Debug dump files. These are debug files that are created after a crash to resolve the cause.
• User Archives of Bug Reports. Same as "System error report archives"
• Bug reporting user queue. Same as "System error reporting queue", but saved in the user account and not in the system.
• Old CHKDSK files. The CHKDSK tool runs when the file is corrupted. hard systems disk. Fragments of damaged files are stored in this folder.
• Game statistics files. Statistics of games built into the operating system.
• Installation log files. These files are created during program installation. They can help identify the problem if it occurs.
• System errors minidump files. These are smaller memory dump files that are created when errors occur blue screen(BSoD). They take up less space, but can carry important information about identifying the problem.
• Postponed Windows update files. These are system files that are no longer needed as a result of a Windows update.

In conclusion, we can say that using the tool "Cleaning" disk, you can delete all offered files if you do not plan

Data recovery and destruction are two sides of the same coin. To know when and how you can get your information back, you need to understand how it can be permanently destroyed. And in some situations it is simply necessary: ​​for example, the destruction of corporate information when disposing of equipment, the destruction of your personal data when transferring a disk to friends for use or selling, or maybe you want to delete the history of correspondence with your mistress once and for all;) It is believed that the best specialists data recovery work in the special services, so we formulated the question exactly this way: how to destroy information from a disk so that neither the cops from department “K”, nor Q from James Bond, nor even our specialists from StoreLab can recover it.

Destruction of data using software

Full disk rewrite

Windows:
format c:
Instead of " c:" you must specify the letter of the logical partition.
For Windows Vista and older, previous generations of Windows delete only service information.

Linux:
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=4k
Instead of " /dev/sda"You must specify the address of the device to format.

Partial data overwrite

Destroying data along with the disk

Mechanical data destruction

The picture shows the hard drive after placing it in a hard drive pressurizer (EDR Solutions) .
You can destroy data once and for all if you damage your hard drive. It is difficult and often impossible to recover data from scratched disks; do not forget to keep a screwdriver nearby, because you will have to remove the hard disk cover and it can scratch the hard disk. Naturally, the data will be erased in the places where the scratch was made and adjacent to it. In other places, the data can be recovered in the laboratory. Do not spare your efforts on scratches; light strips will not destroy data even in places where your screwdriver has been. And if you bend the pancake, as shown in the picture, then your data will definitely never be recovered by anyone.

But dropping the disc on the floor won't be enough. Yes, it will not be detected by the computer, but the data will be successfully restored in the laboratory. The HDD drive will not survive a fall from the table, and when it is turned off, the safe fall height is greater than when the drive is running. SSDs were designed with such a case in mind; even a fall from a first or second floor window will not kill the disk. This is achieved due to the fact that the SSD has no moving elements; all actions are performed by the controller. Information can still be read programmatically or non-programmatically.

Modern discs are made of magnetically coated glass. It is enough to remove the disk cover, pull out the magnetic disk and break it. The glass disc breaks easily, but you should take safety precautions to avoid cutting yourself. A disk failure will lead to the destruction of the entire sputtering layer and it will no longer be possible to restore the data.

Physically

At this temperature, aluminum - the basis of the hard drive pancake - begins to melt. A temperature of 750 °C at home can be obtained from the flame of a candle or a burning match. To achieve maximum temperature, it is necessary to place the flame at the very edge of the pancake.
You can also demagnetize the disk using an electromagnet by exposing the pancake to an alternating magnetic field as the distance from the magnet to the disk increases. For such purposes, special equipment “Information destruction devices” was developed. By acting on hard drives with pulses, they completely demagnetize the disk, which makes it impossible to recover any data on it. These devices destroy everything in 2-3 seconds.

Chemically

What else is important?

• If you do not need long-term storage of confidential data, write it to volatile (random access) memory, then you will not have to worry about destruction.
• Make sure that your data cannot be recovered from other media on which a copy was once recorded.

Method 1: CCleaner

A well-known program designed to clean your hard drive of debris can also reliably delete data. At the user's request, you can clear the entire drive or just free space one of four algorithms. In the second case, all system and user files will remain untouched, but the unoccupied space will be securely erased and inaccessible for restoration.

Method 2: Eraser

Eraser, like CCleaner, is easy and free to use. It can reliably delete files and folders that the user wants to get rid of, and in addition to this, it cleans up free disk space. The user can choose one of 14 deletion algorithms at his discretion.

So, if you use the NTFS file system, then you need to carry out complete(not fast) formatting to FAT and then again to NTFS. Additionally, you can mark up the drive by dividing it into several sections. After such manipulations, there is practically no chance of data recovery.

If you have to work with the hard drive where the operating system is installed, then all manipulations must be performed before booting. To do this, you can use a bootable USB flash drive with the OS or a special program for working with disks.

Let's look at the process of multiple full formatting with changing the file system and partitioning the disk.

There are situations when it is necessary to permanently delete certain files from your hard drive, and this must be done in such a way that they can no longer be restored. This article will discuss how to permanently delete a file.

Why might you need to permanently delete files? Each user may have their own reasons for this! And as a rule, such a reason becomes important, confidential information, which under no circumstances should fall into the wrong hands.

The fact is that when you delete a file in the usual way, it can then be easily restored. The usual method means deleting the file to the Recycle Bin, followed by emptying it, or direct deletion, that is, bypassing the Recycle Bin (using Shift + Delete).

Files that were deleted in this way can later be recovered using a special program, with a probability of almost 100%. Why practically? It's simple, if after deleting a file you recorded to your hard drive, there is a chance that the deleted file will be overwritten by new information. But as a rule, deleted files are not completely overwritten, but only partially.

Even if you completely format your hard drive, it still won't help you. After formatting, the data is also perfectly restored!

File deletion program

You can solve the problem of permanently deleting files using special program. There are a lot of similar programs, both paid and free.

This kind of program has already been described on this site (see article “”), only it destroys files on the entire hard drive at once, so for selective deletion she doesn't fit.

For reliable destruction certain files optional to buy specialized programs, Far copes with this task quite well. Yes, this is the good old file manager, which is exactly like Norton Commander.

Deleting files using Far:

1) Place the marker over the object to be deleted (that is, a file or folder).

2) Press Alt + Delete, or use the menu item: Files\Destruction.

3) A window will appear asking you to confirm your intention.

4) If the object was one file, then after clicking the destroy button, it will be permanently deleted.

If the object is a folder with files, an additional warning will appear.

This method of deleting files is quite reliable. The file is first overwritten with zeros, renamed randomly, the length is truncated, and only then deleted.

Deleting files is a common procedure when working with a computer, which is used several times a day. However, simply by sending files to the Recycle Bin and emptying it, you leave traces of data on the system, which can then be used to recover deleted information. If you are not satisfied with this situation, then it will be useful for you to learn how to delete files without the possibility of recovery.

Normal deletion

Any user has sent files to the trash: to do this, right-click on it and select “Delete”. After this, the recycle bin is emptied, and unnecessary information seems to disappear from the computer.

Another way to get rid of an unnecessary file is to erase it immediately, without first sending it to the trash. To do this, select it with the left button, and then press the key combination Shift+Delete.

A warning will appear asking you to confirm the action by clicking “Yes.”

You can configure deletion so that files are not sent to the trash in principle, even without pressing a certain key combination.

Now information will be immediately erased from the hard drive, bypassing temporary storage for deleted data.

If you deleted files and then emptied the Recycle Bin, then know that this information can be restored if desired. Fortunately, there are a lot of programs for performing such an operation, both paid and free.

The only way to completely erase information is to overwrite other data in its place. It is advisable to do this several times to completely destroy all traces of the deleted file.

You can't do this manually; but, with the support of special software, you will quickly perform the desired operation.

SDelete

To permanently delete data, you can use a utility from Microsoft called SDelete. This program operates through the command line, overwriting a remote file with random numbers.

A message should appear on the command line indicating that the destruction of information was successful. After this you can close all windows.

Recuva

Recuva is commonly used to recover deleted files from a flash drive or hard drive. However, its functionality is often not used to its full potential, because with the help of this utility you can also erase information, leaving no chance of its recovery.

The first thing to do is to erase the files in the usual way, by sending them to the trash and then emptying it.

To delete data completely, you must first start the recovery procedure:

So, you have received a list of files that can be recovered. Now you need to destroy them, permanently erasing them from your hard drive.

Remember: the more rewrite cycles you specify, the higher the likelihood that the information will be completely and irrevocably deleted. Therefore, select 35 cycles at once and click “OK”.

Select the files you want to destroy, and then right-click in the main program window. Select "Securely remove marked ones."

A warning will appear on the screen in which you need to click “Yes” to start the process of permanently deleting the information.

After the procedure is completed, run Recuva to search and restore files again. Check that the data that you have securely deleted no longer appears in the list. If they are, try the steps described above again.

Using this file manager, you can not only manage data stored on your computer, but also permanently delete it from your hard drive.

If you delete one file, it will be destroyed immediately. When deleting a folder, another warning will appear, again asking you to confirm your intention.

Why can erasing data using the Far Manager utility be considered reliable? Because the file will first be erased with zeros, then renamed randomly, and only then will it be sent into oblivion.

Eraser HDD

Another convenient and functional utility that allows you to permanently get rid of unnecessary information is called Eraser HDD and is distributed as a portable application. The only drawback of this program is that it cannot delete individual files; You can only clean the entire disk.

Important: since the program completely cleans the disk (removing Windows and even itself), you need to run it from the second hard drive.

After confirming the removal of all data from the hard drive, a notification like this will appear:

By the way, in this way you can delete undeletable files without the help of other applications like Unlocker. Finally, another way to destroy data is to use the CCleaner program.