How do I clean up my harddrive?

[Tarheel]

Are there downloadable things to help with this?

I've had some delicate information on there and would like to erase it away. I should probably go a step further than just hitting the delete key and empyting the recycle bin though, right?

 

[BO-DEN]

id also like to know how to do this

 

[breathinbleedout]

See when you delete information the traditional way, by doing "control alt delete" you are letting the computer know, its ok to re-write information over that sector in the hdd. So until that sector is rewriten, those delicate information stays present, just not visible. You need a third party software like
http://www.killdisk.com
When you delete information using this software, it not only delets the information, but also rewrites on the deleted sector with junk files, making the original files not recoverable by any data recovery softwares.

Lot of people forget to do this simple task before selling their old comuters, thats how a lot of sensitive data like creditcard numbers, and social security numbers end up in the wrong hand.

 

[Tarheel]

So, what you're saying is, if I've already done the traditional delete, my social security #, MP3s, cc info, saved emails, and such are still available on my HD?

 

[Tarheel]

I guess eventually, it will get rewritten over, it just depends on how many new files I save?

 

[Jay Sean Juggy D]

I jsut got a new 40gig hard drive and clean it up end up with 20gigs only wtf

 

[breathinbleedout]

Yes, if that sector of the hdd hasn't been refiled with other information, those delicate data will still be there. I can use a simple software like Norton Unerase wizard to get access to those files.

 

[breathinbleedout]

I jsut got a new 40gig hard drive and clean it up end up with 20gigs only wtf

The answers to your problems will be more adquately answered in forum of hdd creator, not in a bb'ing forum

 

[Jay Sean Juggy D]

The answers to your problems will be more adquately answered in forum of hdd creator, not in a bb'ing forum

is my brand new hard drive FUBAR ?

 

[breathinbleedout]

Whats Fubar?