How to Remove Deleted Files from Your Computer

In computer lingo, an eraser is a term that is used to refer to either a software or hardware program or device that is used for completely erasing the contents of a hard drive before it is donated or taken for computer recycling. Data destruction, as erasing is otherwise called, is the best way to remove all data from a hard drive. Other methods such as deleting and formatting will always leave an option where most if not all that information can be recovered and reused. There are different levels of security available and this will depend on what data destruction method you use but the surefire way of ensuring that there no possibility of reconstructing your data is through hard drive shredding.   In order to appreciate the importance of using correct data destruction methods, it may be helpful for you to understand just how information is stored on the hard drive and just what happens when you tell your computer to delete a file. The computer uses bits to store files on the drive; whenever you open a file, the systems checks where the file is stored so it can read it. As time progresses, these files can become fragmented and they are spread over the hard drive but the hard drive will still be able to recover them and reconstruct your file. The computer flags empty space as such so that the computer knows where it can place new files or where it can spread the existing files on available data blocks. Once a file gets deleted, the computer will first put it in a temporary bin on the computer such as the recycle bin or trash bin. At this point, any user can easily open the recycle or trash bin and find a file that was earlier deleted and drag it back and reopen it as may be required. Most people believe that as long as they have emptied the recycle or trash bin the files have been erased permanently; nothing could be further from the truth. In a real sense, the only thing that happened is that those data blocks were simply switched so that instead of showing that they have data on them, they show that they are empty and you can overwrite them.  This means that any advanced user of a clever crook can switch the computer in such a way that it can see them and recover them. It doesn't matter how much new information is added to the hard drive, the truth is that chances are high that huge chunks of the original files can still be recovered. Hackers are able to reconstruct large amounts of information that can include pieces of personal information such as emails, passwords or billing, and credit card information. For this reason, proper data destruction or hard drive shredding methods must be used before you dispose of your old computer in any way.   

Source : articlesbase.com