Securely Erase Private Data

Select Options

Overview of Securely Erase Private Data wizard

On the second screen of the wizard, select how erased files should be removed from your computer.

• Delete files. Deleting a file is when a deleted file bypasses the Recycle Bin (or when the file is emptied from the Recycle Bin.)

• Incinerate files. Incinerating a file permanently and securely delete it through the use of character overwrites; More on why deleting a file doesn't erase it.

  Many people believe that when they delete a file, it is permanently erased. In actuality, the data within the file still remains on your drive. This is because of how an operating system saves and deletes files.

   

  When you save a file, your PC stores the file name in a file allocation table. The data that actually makes up the file is saved directly on your computer's drive. When you delete a file, the computer removes the reference of the file from the file allocation table, but the data still remains on the drive. The space occupied by that data is marked as "free space" and is available for overwriting by other newly saved files. But, the data remains on the drive until another file is saved over it.  

   

  Even though you can't see the file (for example, through Windows Explorer), someone using easily available tools can recover the file and view its contents. For sensitive data, this poses a security risk, and can lead to confidential information falling into the wrong hands.

   

  Incinerating files erases the data remnants and tracks left by deleted files. The Incinerator erases data by overwriting it with random characters.
   

• Send files to the Recycle Bin. The Recycle Bin is where Windows stores deleted files. You can restore files you deleted in error, or you can empty the Recycle Bin to increase your level of protection.

• Send files to the Desktop File Incinerator. The Incinerator is a holding area that works similarly to the Recycle Bin, except that files stored here are pending incineration rather than deletion. (This option displays only if the desktop file incinerator is installed. To learn more, see the Configure Desktop File Incinerator topic.)

Note: These delete options are for files only, such as cookies or temporary internet files. Information that is not a file, such as a history log stored in a database, is permanently erased and cannot be recovered.