Clean up programme?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alan Holmes
  • Start date Start date
A

Alan Holmes

Somewhere I read about a programme which will clean up your computer so
previous data could be eliminated.

Have I got it wrong?

Alan
 
Hi Alan,

What sort of data? Personal files? Old programs? Spyware remnants? Virus
debris? There a myriad of programs and utilities available for these sorts
of tasks. There are also ways to completely erase a drive and start from
scratch, but we need to know precisely what you are trying to achieve.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Cipher.exe

HOW TO: Use Cipher.exe to Overwrite Deleted Data in Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;814599

How To Use Cipher.exe to Overwrite Deleted Data in Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315672

Cipher
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/cipher.mspx

or cipher help...
Start | Run | Paste the following line and click OK...
hh ntcmds.chm::/cipher.htm

Open a command prompt...
Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type:

cipher /?

Hit your Enter key.

/W
[[Removes data from available unused disk space on the entire
volume. If this option is chosen, all other options are ignored.
The directory specified can be anywhere in a local volume. If it
is a mount point or points to a directory in another volume, the
data on that volume will be removed.]]

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Rick "Nutcase" Rogers said:
Hi Alan,

What sort of data? Personal files? Old programs? Spyware remnants? Virus
debris? There a myriad of programs and utilities available for these sorts
of tasks. There are also ways to completely erase a drive and start from
scratch, but we need to know precisely what you are trying to achieve.
Click to expand...

As I understand it, when you delete files. all that happens is that they no
longer appear in your vision, but the information is still on the drive, so
an 'expert' could retieve all the sensitive information you had stored but
which you thought had been deleted.

So if I had some naughty emails for example, whilst they would no longer be
there to see, all the information is still on the disc.

It used to be possible to defragment the hard disc, during which all deleted
files would be properly deleted, you would be left with a completely empty
part of the drive, but the current defragmenter does not do this.
 
Sun, 16 Sep 2007 12:36:10 GMT from Alan Holmes
As I understand it, when you delete files. all that happens is that
they no longer appear in your vision, but the information is still
on the drive, so an 'expert' could retieve all the sensitive
information you had stored but which you thought had been deleted.

So if I had some naughty emails for example, whilst they would no
longer be there to see, all the information is still on the disc.
Click to expand...

That's correct until you empty your recycle bin (or until the items
age out of it if it gets full). At that point that space is available
for reuse -- which is not to say you can predict when it will *get*
reused.
It used to be possible to defragment the hard disc, during which
all deleted files would be properly deleted, you would be left with
a completely empty part of the drive, but the current defragmenter
does not do this.
Click to expand...

No defragmenter will do that if the items are still in the recycle
bin.

There are plenty of freeware file erasers out there. They overwrite
the file's disk space with nonsense bytes, and are a prudent tool to
use if you're deleting anything sensitive and have any reason to
think someone else might have access to your hard drive.

You could just password sensitive files from the get-go, but Windows
XP doesn't allow that.
 
As I understand it, when you delete files. all that happens is that they no
longer appear in your vision, but the information is still on the drive, so
an 'expert' could retieve all the sensitive information you had stored but
which you thought had been deleted.

So if I had some naughty emails for example, whilst they would no longer be
there to see, all the information is still on the disc.

It used to be possible to defragment the hard disc, during which all deleted
files would be properly deleted, you would be left with a completely empty
part of the drive, but the current defragmenter does not do this.
Click to expand...



There are several possible levels of "deleting" files that are on the
drive:

1. When you delete a file, it normally goes to the recycle bin.
However, the whole purpose of having a recycle bin is that files can
be retrieved from it and become usable again.

2. Once the recycle bin is emptied, the file is apparently gone;
Windows no longer has any access to it. But all that has happened is
that the space it used to take has been marked as available to be
used; the file itself is still exactly where it used to be. There are
third-party programs that can recover deleted files if that space has
not yet been reused and the file overwritten.

3. There is also third-party software that can be used to overwrite
any such deleted files, so that the kind of software mentioned above
can't find and retrieve it. Some of this software even performs its
overwriting multiple times. That makes it *much* harder to recover
anything.

4. It's important, however, to recognize that there is *no* way to be
sure that any data is really permanently deleted from the hard disk in
such a way that there is no possibility of ever recovering it. Even
overwriting it multiple times isn't necessarily good enough; there are
sophisticated (and expensive) techniques that can often recover even
overwritten data. For that reason, the US government destroys drives
containing sensitive data in a furnace, rather than relying on
overwriting.
 
"No way to be sure data has been removed"? Put HD on sidewalk and hit with
sledge hammer.
All kidding aside, if you format the drive, then write all zeros or ones it
is adequate unless of course someone is willing to pay many many thousands
of dollars to retrieve the data. What data is that valuable?
 
Unknown said:
"No way to be sure data has been removed"? Put HD on sidewalk and hit
with sledge hammer.
All kidding aside, if you format the drive, then write all zeros or ones
it is adequate unless of course someone is willing to pay many many
thousands of dollars to retrieve the data. What data is that valuable?
Click to expand...
Classified information for one.
The DOD 7 times overwright eliminates all but the most determined of foes.
A couple of methods are:
1. Installing the platters into drives with more accurate track placement
than is possible with commercial equipment.
2. Inspecting the tracks with an electron microsope. This is costly and
time consuming, but it can be done.
Jim
 
"No way to be sure data has been removed"? Put HD on sidewalk and hit with
sledge hammer.
Click to expand...


Yep! As I said, physical destruction is the only way to be absolutely
sure.

All kidding aside, if you format the drive, then write all zeros or ones it
is adequate
Click to expand...



It is certainly adequate for the vast majority of us. Even
zero-filling is more than necessary for most people.


unless of course someone is willing to pay many many thousands
of dollars to retrieve the data.
Click to expand...


Some thousands probably, but not necessarily "many" thousands.

What data is that valuable?
Click to expand...


Very little, but some is. We all have varying levels of paranoia. Many
people want (or at least say they want) to be absolutely sure their
data can't be recovered. I think it's important for them to be aware
that, short of physical destruction of the drive, there's no such
thing. They can then make the decision to accept a lower level of
security if they think it's appropriate for them.

As I said, the US government (and probably other governments around
the world) goes to the trouble and expense of physical destruction, at
least for some drives. Most of the rest of us don't have state secrets
on our drives, or anything approaching that kind of need, and should
be willing to accept some small degree of risk. I certainly am. But
again, I don't think anyone should use a non-perfect procedure like
just zero-filling without at least realizing that *some* risk remains.





 
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