How to Delete Something Permanently From Your Computer: How to Delete Something Permanently From Your Computer http://mashable.com/2014/07/14/delete-files-permanently...

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

How to Delete Something Permanently From Your Computer
http://mashable.com/2014/07/14/delete-files-permanently

EdM Loc: FN30JS

thank you, new info.......

BTW, tho this info is very old, deleting a file only changes the first character of its filename to "?", this removes that files disk locations and makes these locations available to be overwritten, it does not remove any data, only saving other files will eventually overwrite these locations.

Kuzano

St3v3M wrote:

How to Delete Something Permanently From Your Computer
http://mashable.com/2014/07/14/delete-files-permanently

When I want to make sure data is not recovered from a hard drive.... I run a quarter inch drill through the drive in three places on the platter. Sure, the drive is destroyed, and even then some recovery is available, but it makes me feel good to know someone is going to have to go to a lot of trouble to get any data from those platters.

alliebess Loc: suburban Philadelphia

Kuzano wrote:

When I want to make sure data is not recovered from a hard drive.... I run a quarter inch drill through the drive in three places on the platter. Sure, the drive is destroyed, and even then some recovery is available, but it makes me feel good to know someone is going to have to go to a lot of trouble to get any data from those platters.

My son's suggestion: take it outside and drop it on the driveway from a height of several feet. (He's a tech guy.)

EdM Loc: FN30JS

alliebess wrote:

My son's suggestion: take it outside and drop it on the driveway from a height of several feet. (He's a tech guy.)

naw, that is a quality test, used for old vacuum tubes.... drop it on the floor, if it breaks, it was good!

Big Bill Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Kuzano wrote:

When I want to make sure data is not recovered from a hard drive.... I run a quarter inch drill through the drive in three places on the platter. Sure, the drive is destroyed, and even then some recovery is available, but it makes me feel good to know someone is going to have to go to a lot of trouble to get any data from those platters.

A little known secret: run a wipe utility (there's even one named "Wipe"), and only a governmental agency with three letters will be able to recover any data (maybe 10%, and extremely little of that on long strings).
Run it three times, not even the NSA can recover enough data to know anything.

So, now you know how to get rid of that child porno.
Not you personally, Kuzano, the generic you. :lol:

Zonker Loc: Leesburg, FL

Acronis True Image has a utility that takes care of that.

Frank47 Loc: West coast Florida

Kuzano wrote:

When I want to make sure data is not recovered from a hard drive.... I run a quarter inch drill through the drive in three places on the platter. Sure, the drive is destroyed, and even then some recovery is available, but it makes me feel good to know someone is going to have to go to a lot of trouble to get any data from those platters.

Exactly what I have done working my way out from the center a little further with each of four holes.

twowindsbear

Get yourself one of these. . .

http://www.amazon.com/PREDMD1001-Martin-Intimus-Drive-Shredder/dp/B00BTMVAUC/ref=sr_1_14?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1435630298&sr=1-14&keywords=hard+drive+shredder

bye-bye data!

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

St3v3M wrote:

How to Delete Something Permanently From Your Computer
http://mashable.com/2014/07/14/delete-files-permanently

For Mac computers Apple's Drive Utility offers the option to overwrite data with 1's and 0's seven times. With large drives this could take a few days, but it is doubtful any data can be recovered after the overwrite is completed.