Deleted Files Shedder

I have been searching for a file shedder to permanently delete already deleted files from a flash and hard drive. Their are many shredders out their that you can list the file not already deleted but none seem to search the drive for already deleted files. does anyone know of a complete file shredder that does this job? A free trail if possible.

Thanks

Hi Fox43,

C Cleaner will do the job, available from here:

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

If the files are already deleted then use the "wipe free space" option and in the settings you can select the number of overwrites applied.

You can also of course select the drives on which you need to operate.

Post back and let us know how you get on.

Regards

paws

Quote

but none seem to search the drive for already deleted files.

 

That makes sense because that is not a function of those type programs. File recovery programs will search your drive for deleted files so they can be restored. You want to shred or "wipe" them and for that, I agree with paws, CCleaner's Drive Wiper feature is great for that because you can tell it to wipe the free space so it will wipe any file that has already been deleted, without touching any of the files you want to keep.

For your flash drive (and SSDs) select "Simple Overwrite (1 pass)". Since they do not use magnetically charged particles, all more passes do is waste write cycles and decrease the life expectancy of the device. For hard drives that you are disposing or giving/donating away, 1 pass is fine, but if for very sensitive data, I recommend the 3 pass option - but note that can take some time on big drives.

Thanks paws and Digerati, C Cleaner worked fine. I was aware of C. cleaner in the past but heard it could cause a problem with your computer from someone on "whatthetech" years ago.

Hi Fox42,

The drive cleaner is a very reliable tool, but along with a lot of folks, most of the experts here on WTT do not recommend the use of Registry cleaners or optimizers for routine use or by persons who do not have a good grasp on the functions of the Registry. ( as they can sometimes cause more harm than good)

Ccleaner has within its range of tools a Registry cleaner  and it may be that particular tool you are thinking of…….( Having said that, the Registry cleaner included within CCleaner is not particularly agressive in its operations and does offer to create a back up before any Registry entries are removed, and is therefore better than many that are available. However we do not generally recommend the use of any Registry cleaner unless in special circumstances.

Hope this helps

Regards

paws

PS extra thanks are due to Digerati for for his excellent amplifying information