What is the best way to delete a file so that it is no longer recoverale on the hard drive i have just deleted them and then emptied the recycle bin but i was wondering if there is another way to get rid of them so they can't be recovered
How-To Geek Forums » Windows Vista
deleting files
(8 posts)
If you download Glary Utilities (there's a freeware version)
http://www.glaryutilities.com/
there is an option 'file shredder'. You can choose how many passes you'd like, so you can delete something and then you'll really not find it back again. Use with care! If you delete something you didn't mean to you'll never get it back again!
Greetings,
Sarah
If you delete a file from your C:\ disk, it may though still be in your shadows (restore points). This is the case if the file is at least a day old. This does not apply to a file you just created an hour ago (unless you had downloaded something in the meantime where the system also writes a shadow). Recovering a file from a shadow is real easy.
You need a file shredder, just as Sarah suggests. While I don't have one myself, if I were looking I would check for free, Vista-compatible shredders at c|net's download.com:
http://www.download.com/3120-2.....e=&ca=
@SarahJames: whs is on vacation. See http://www.howtogeek.com/forum.....re-are-you for the discussion on that.
On your question shadows are stored in a hidden part of the partition and Windows manages it.
You can see how much space is being used this way:
Click Start.
Click All Programs.
Move over Accessories.
Right click on Command Prompt and click "Run As Administrator".
Click Continue.
Type in: vssadmin list shadowspace
Press enter.
The space taken isn't enough to worry about though. System Restore uses the shadow space too. If you disable System Restore then the shadow space is disabled too but I don't recommend doing that.
@ jd2066: found it! It takes up 65MB, indeed nothing to worry about. And systemrestore is the only systembackup I have at the moment. I´m not happy with that, hence this topic
http://www.howtogeek.com/forum.....replies=16
But no way I´m going to disable systemrestore! LOL
Bye,
Sarah
Just downloaded ShadowExplorer and took a look at those Shadowfiles. You can find back just about anything there! Nice in one way, but not really privacy minded.
So I still wonder if there is a way to delete the shadowcopies, if only once in a while, just like emptying internet explorer temp ;-)
I also see they go back to 20-04-2008, so they are kept for a certain amount of time? After that they get deleted on their own?
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