Sometimes it is vital to get rid of the data so that it is. A simple deletion to the trash will not be enough - such data can be easily recovered. If you thought that formatting made data recovery impossible, then you were wrong - it is quite feasible.

Moreover, even low-level formatting does not guarantee complete irrecoverable data elimination. Of course, there is always the option of severe damage with a hammer, but you do not always want to lose the entire device, and no one can guarantee the accuracy of the blow - what if the disc can be repaired? :-) In general, as you probably already understood, this article is devoted to the irreversible deletion of data by programmatic methods.

Some useful theory

Any articles on the principles of recording and storing information on a hard disk on the network are enough and I will not retell them - if interested, then open, for example, Wikipedia. The only thing I will mention is that the remote file with hard disk does not really disappear anywhere and can be easily restored exactly until "over it" any other information is written. Those. it is not enough to delete the file and empty the trash - it is necessary that something else be written to the same block on the hard disk. But, as far as I know, even two or three rewriting cycles are not enough and information can be extracted. And if serious professionals got down to business, then, according to rumors and unverified data, information is recoverable even from a physically damaged medium, which, even for me personally, does not fit in my head. However, this is not about that. So what do you do with all these overwrites? After each deletion of information, sit and copy some gigabyte archive back and forth in the hope that it will overwrite the necessary areas? You can be tortured :-) And here comes to the rescue ...

We use the CCleaner program for these purposes

Yes, yes, this is the one about which I have repeatedly written in my articles. This time he comes to our aid again.

The fact is that in this wonderful program there is such a function as " Cleaning up free space". It does not mean cleaning up the garbage in order to free up free space, but precisely cleaning up the free space itself, that is, overwriting those very" empty "areas where the information you deleted was once stored. The goals are exactly the ones that I described above - to make the information unrecoverable, by overwriting the "empty" areas of the hard disk ... 0s.

How, in fact, turn it on? It's very simple:

That's all there is to it. For the future, if you still plan to keep information that should not fall into anyone's clutches, I strongly recommend creating a separate logical disk and keeping only these files on it, so that if you need to delete them, you can format the disk and start overwriting from above through, and do not tick off almost all disks (if the information was on different disks) and do not wait until all free space is overwritten.

Afterword

Something like this.

If that - I did not advise you this, and you do not know me: -D
Kidding:)

Any questions that arise, as usual, are ready to help solve in the comments or.

There are many ways (depending on the device you are using) to permanently delete data. This article describes methods for deleting data in mobile devices, laptops and computers running various operating systems (Windows, iOS, Android and Linux). With help special programs and commands, you can very simply and quickly delete data and free up space on the hard disk of your computer or in the memory of your mobile device.

Steps

iPhone / iPad - Using iPhone Data Eraser

Download iPhone program Data Eraser for PC or laptop. Use a computer or laptop to which you can connect (using a USB cable) iPhone. The program iPhone Data Eraser can be downloaded from http://www.recover-iphone-ios-8.com/iphone-data-eraser.html. In the "Supported OS:" section, select "Mac". Then either buy the program or click Free Trial.

• iPhone Data Eraser is supported by iPhone (6 / 5s / 5c / 5 / 4s / 4 / 3GS), iPad (1/2 / Mini / New iPad) and iPod (Classic / Touch / Nano / Shuffle).

1. Install iPhone Data Eraser software. Click on the downloaded file to open it, and then drag the Wondershare SafeEraser icon to the Applications folder that appears next to the icon in the installation window. In the Applications folder, the program will appear as Wondershare SafeEraser (unless you move the program to a different folder).

   Launch iPhone Data Eraser. Click on the icon for this program in the Applications folder (or wherever you placed the program).

   Connect your iPhone (or iOS device) to your computer or laptop. Do this with a USB cable. After connecting iPhone devices Data Eraser detects it and displays information about used and free memory on the screen.

   Select a method for deleting data. The welcome screen displays four options, each of which corresponds to a specific method for deleting data.

   Select the Express Cleanup option. This method will delete unnecessary files... After selecting this option, click “Start Scan” to make the program find unnecessary data. When scanning is complete, a list of unnecessary files will appear on the screen; select the files you want to delete from this list. Click the blue icon to the right of each category to view detailed information about the files. After reviewing the files, check the boxes next to the files to be deleted and click the blue “Erase now” button.

   Select the 'Erase Private Data' option. This method will delete your search history, cookies and other private files. After selecting this option, click “Start Scan” to have the program find private data. Upon completion of scanning, a list of private files will be displayed on the screen; select the files you want to delete from this list. Click the blue icon to the right of each category to view detailed information about the files. After reviewing the files, check the boxes next to the files to be deleted and click the blue “Erase now” button. You will be prompted to enter the word “delete” to confirm your decision.

   Select the “Erase Deleted Files” option. deleted files). This method will delete files that are in the Trash. After selecting this option, click “Start Scan” to let the program find the deleted data. When scanning is complete, a list of deleted files will appear on the screen; select the files you want to delete from this list. Click the blue icon to the right of each category to view detailed information about the files. By default, all files found are selected for erasure, so uncheck the boxes for the files you want to keep and then click the blue “Erase now” button. You will be prompted to enter the word “delete” to confirm your decision.

   Select the "Delete All Data" option. In this case, all personal files will be erased, and the device settings will be reset to factory settings. You will be asked to choose one of three security levels, each of which corresponds to a specific removal procedure; to find the optimal level, read Additional information displayed on the screen. You will be prompted to enter the word “delete” to confirm your decision.

   Run Secure Delete. After installing the application, you will find it in the list of applications installed on your device (if necessary, move the application icon to a different location). Click on the Secure Delete application icon to open it.

   Select the type of files you want to delete. At the top of the screen, open the drop-down menu and select one of the following options: Photo, App folder, SDCard, Download files. The program will display a list of files according to the selected option.

   Check the files to be deleted. To the right of each file you will find a checkbox. Click on the box next to each file that you want to permanently delete.

   Delete the selected files permanently. Once you have selected the files to be deleted, click on the green “Secure delete” button located at the bottom of the screen. To confirm your decision, enter “Yes” and click “OK”. The deletion process will take some time, but it will permanently delete the files.

Windows - using the Trash

Delete unnecessary file. Find the file (folder) you want to erase. Right-click on the file / folder and click "Delete" in the menu, or left-click on the file / folder once and then press Del on the keyboard.

• In order to permanently delete a file (without sending it to the Trash), select it and press on the keyboard ⇧ Shift + Del.

1. Open the Trash. To do this, double-click on its icon on the desktop.

   Highlight the file and press Del . In the Trash window, find the deleted file (folder), left-click on it once and press Del on the keyboard.

   Or click "Empty Trash". To delete all files and folders in the Trash at once, click "Empty Trash" on the toolbar.

   • If you want to empty the Trash without opening it, right-click on the Trash icon and click "Empty Trash" from the menu.
   • Keep in mind that the described method does not permanently delete files and folders. When you delete a file from the Recycle Bin, the system link to it is deleted, that is, access to this file is blocked, and some space is freed on the hard disk, but the file itself is not completely deleted.
   • To permanently delete files and folders, study the methods described below. These methods involve the use of special software.

Windows - using Eraser

1. Download the Eraser program. It is popular free program to permanently delete data. Unlike deleting data from the Recycle Bin (when deleted files and folders can be recovered), Eraser will allow you to delete information permanently. Eraser can be downloaded from http://download.cnet.com/Eraser/3000-2092_4-10231814.html?

   • Eraser overwrites deleted information with random data until the original file becomes unusable data set.

2. Find the file (or folder) you want to erase and right-click on it. This will open a pop-up menu.

   • Review the options in the menu that opens. Along with the usual options in this menu you will find a submenu "Eraser" (if, of course, you have already installed the Eraser program); look for the indicated submenu above the "Open with" option.

3. Open the Eraser submenu and click Erase. In the open context menu hover over the Eraser submenu that should pop up. From the menu that appears, click “Erase” to permanently delete the file or folder.

   • The file (or folder) will be deleted immediately. Upon completion of the deletion process, you will be informed that the selected data has been permanently deleted.
   • Instead of “Erase”, select “Erase on Restart” to erase the data not immediately, but the next time you restart your computer.

Windows - using SDelete

1. Install SDelete. SDelete is a utility created by by Microsoft and allows you to permanently delete data from the command line. This utility can be downloaded from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897443.aspx

   • Similar to the Eraser program, the Sdelete utility allows you to permanently delete data by cycling overwriting to the point where it cannot be recovered. As a result of the operation of this utility, file names are not erased, but their contents are permanently deleted.

2. Open up command line. To do this, click "Start" - "Run" and in the "Run" window enter cmd. Then press "OK" or the key ↵ Enter.

   Change to the directory of the SDelete utility. Use the cd command to navigate to the folder where the SDelete utility is stored.

   • Let's say the utility is stored in the C: \ cmdtools folder. In this case, at the command line, enter cd C: \ cmdtools. Or, if the utility is located in the C: \ downloads folder, enter cd C: \ downloads.
   • After entering the command, press the key ↵ Enter to go to the specified directory.

3. Specify the file or folder to be deleted. To do this, enter the command sdelete<путь к файлу или каталогу>.

   • where<путь к файлу или каталогу>Is the exact location of the file (or folder) you want to delete.
   • For example, if you want to delete the securedata.txt file stored in a subfolder called Public Documents, enter the following path: C: \ Users \ Public \ Public Documents \ securedata.txt.

4. Press the key ↵ Enter . Pressing this key will permanently delete the specified file(or folders).

   • As soon as the file is deleted, the command line displays a message that the data has been completely deleted. The command line can now be closed.

Mac OS - using the Trash

1. Delete unnecessary files. Find the file (s) you want to permanently delete. Left-click the file once and press the Del key, or drag the file to the Trash icon (this icon is located on the taskbar).

   Click and hold the Trash icon. The Trash menu will open with various options. In most cases, the menu will display the options "Open" and "Empty Trash".

   • Selecting the "Empty Trash" option will block access to the file, delete the system link to it, and free up some space on your hard disk. That is, this option does not guarantee the irrecoverable deletion of data - if desired, they can be restored.

2. Hold down the key ⌘ Command . Press the key ⌘ Command when the Trash menu is open. Please note that the "Empty Trash" option will change to "Empty Trash Permanently".

   Select the option "Empty trash permanently". Click (once) on this option to permanently delete files and folders that are in the Trash.

   • Keep in mind that selecting this option will permanently delete all files from the Recycle Bin. That is, using this option, you will not be able to select and delete some files, and leave others in the Trash.
   • This option is available in Mac OS 10.3 and later versions this system.

3. Troubleshoot problems deleting data from the Trash. Some users have encountered problems when emptying the Trash, which is indicated by the following message: “The operation could not be completed because the item<имя элемента>blocked. " First try pressing the key ⌥ Option and from the Finder menu select "Empty Trash". If that didn't work, the reason for the inability to empty the Trash may lie elsewhere.

   • Some files in the Trash may be locked. On Mac OS X 10.1 (and later), try clicking ⇧ Shift + ⌥ Option and select "Empty Trash". For Mac OS X 10.0-10.0.4, right-click the file and choose Info from the menu. In the window that opens, uncheck the "Block" option. If that didn't work, read the information at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201583.
   • You may not have permission to empty the Trash. In this case, a message will appear on the screen that your privileges or permissions are insufficient. For Mac OS X 10.2 (and later), click Applications - Utilities - Disk Utility - Restore Disk Permissions. If that didn't work, or you have more than early version Mac OS, read information (on English language) on the website https://support.apple.com/ru-ru/HT2963.

Mac OS - using Permanent Eraser

1. Download the Permanent Eraser program. This is a free program for permanently deleting data in Mac OS. It leads to the complete and irreversible deletion of files, folders and other data; it is also used to delete all or specific files from the Recycle Bin. The Permanent Eraser can be downloaded from http://download.cnet.com/Permanent-Eraser/3000-2092_4-10668789.html

   • Compared to the option "Empty Trash permanently", this program erases information more reliably. The option "Permanently empty the trash" performs a seven-fold cycle of data rewriting, and the Permanent Eraser program does it 35 times; moreover, this program changes the original file name and truncates the file before deleting it so that its size is practically zeroed.

2. Drag the files to be deleted onto the Permanent Eraser icon. Find this icon in the Permanent Eraser program folder, or in the Dock, or in the Finder sidebar, and then navigate to the file (folder) to be deleted. Drag the file (folder) onto the Permanent Eraser icon.

   • After you drag the file onto the program icon, it will immediately delete the file.
   • To display the Permanent Eraser icon in the Dock, open the program folder and drag the icon to the Dock.
   • To display the Permanent Eraser icon in the Finder sidebar, drag the icon to an empty spot in the sidebar.

3. Run Permanent Eraser and empty the contents of the Trash. To launch a program, click on its icon (in the program folder, in the Dock, or in the Finder). To permanently delete the entire contents of the Trash (and not individual files or folders) confirm your decision in the window that opens.

Good afternoon. Today I will continue with the article "". Many users are often faced with a situation when they need to delete everything from their computer.

This can happen for various reasons. Home, protecting your confidential data. For example, many people often need to sell a computer. For the most part, in order to obtain a new, more powerful model. You can, of course, sell PCs by nodes, but we will consider the option when a person wants to sell the entire system unit.

I think it is clear to you that before selling a computer, you must remove all confidential information from it. It is advisable to do this, because valuable data can be stored on the hard disk. confidential information... For example, video materials, photos and other data that you do not want to leave to strangers.

How to remove everything from a computer Formatting during system installation

I will not describe the reinstallation of the system to you, especially since I have already done this in the article "?", I will just add. During the reinstallation of the system, when you are in the disk selection window, click on the line at the bottom of the Disk Setup window.

Then, select the drive to format and click "Format". In our case, since we want to delete all information from the computer, we will select each of the disks in turn.

We formatted all drives except the system one (if we used methods 1 and 2). To complete the deletion of all information, go to system disk(usually this is drive C), and delete all daddies except Windows folders(it cannot be deleted, our system is located in it). After that, let's not forget to empty our basket.

How to permanently delete everything from your computer

Now you know how to remove everything from your computer. It remains to choose the method you like and carry out full formatting computer. Personally, I like formatting more when reinstalling the system. Good luck!

Friends, I recommend installing the system not on regular disk HDD, and on solid state drive SSD as I did. Buy it you can on Aliexpress... Disks on the page are from 120 to 960 GB, i.e., in fact, 1TB. Judging by the description, the disk is suitable for both Computers and (laptops).

On the screenshot you can see the volumes of the disks. If you just need to install the system, it is enough to purchase a 120 GB disk. If as a full-fledged hard drive, then, at your discretion, from 480 to 960 GB. Why do I recommend installing Windows on a solid state hard drive? Your system will boot in seconds! If you buy a 1TB disk, all your programs will fly!

Andrey Zimin 09/29/2015

Greetings!
The need to completely cleanse HDD from data, for example, can arise when decommissioning a computer, on the hard disk of which confidential data may be contained.

Often, simply formatting the HDD is not enough to completely exclude the possibility of reading the data that was once located on it. After all, if you use utilities that recover / extract data from formatted and damaged media, then the risk of gaining access to confidential data remains. This data may ultimately be captured by competitors or specials. service.

In order to exclude this possibility, special utilities... The principle of operation of these utilities is quite simple, but at the same time very effective: writing randomly generated information to disk, moreover, in several passes.

After "processing" the disk in this way, there is hardly any chance of recovering something from the files and data previously on the disk. I would like to especially note that this operation much safer than the one that is sometimes resorted to in order to clean the disk.

With the introductory part sorted out, now let's move on directly to the consideration of actual solutions.

If you need to completely delete / erase data from the hard disk, and reliably, so that it is not possible to restore them, then use the utility [email protected] Kill Disk - this utility is highly effective in permanently destroying data on your hard drive.

There is a version for both Windows and boot options (CD \ Flash). The program for Windows will allow you to clean up an additional hard disk without the possibility of recovery, i.e. the disk on which the system and the program itself are installed cannot be cleared by the utility. To clean it, you must use boot disk.

Bootable CD or Flash disk with this utility will be useful to you if the computer has only one hard disk installed.

You need to create bootable media with the utility (the site has a guide on how to do this), and then boot from it by selecting the appropriate boot disk when you turn on the computer (you can read how to do this in).

When loading, you will see a menu that is displayed with a blue background. Select the item in it [email protected] KILL DISK, which can be reached by pressing the arrows on the keyboard.

Then select your logical drive and press the key F10.

In the window that opens, use the arrows to go to the item CONFIRM AND ERASE and press the key Enter.

At the end of the procedure, your hard disk will be completely cleared of the data that was once there, and without the possibility of their recovery.

By the way, if you need to carry out a similar task for a Flash disk (card, USB-drive, etc.), then the material will help you with this.

If you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments.

A family of the most popular operating rooms Windows systems is designed in such a way that it does not have built-in means of reliable (final, irreversible) deletion of data from the hard disk.

Simply put, deleting a file and then emptying the trash bin does not actually erase information from the media, and any, even the simplest and free tool, will allow you to recover all data with almost 100% probability.

How does this threaten the common user? With any act of transferring your hard drive to another person, be it a gift or a sale, you risk that all the private information stored on this drive and prudently "deleted" will be available to the new owner.

Moreover, when using a data recovery tool, this person will be able to find there something that you yourself have already forgotten about, since you deleted some old files a long time ago, and then they will pop up again.

Features of data storage on hard drives gave birth to a whole science of competently deleting information without the possibility of recovery. Along with this, advanced recovery tools also developed, including for "interesting" situations associated with violation of certain laws by people and organizations. In general, if the scenario goes beyond the usual user situation, then you should not rely on any programs - only complete physical destruction (sledgehammer + acid) will ensure the final disposal of information, and for simple scenarios, specialized software is enough.

We do not think that for such a rarely demanded and specific task, you need to buy some kind of paid product, especially since there are quite advanced free solutions on the Web that have proven their effectiveness. We will review the process reliable removal data using a free tool (DBAN). Its beauty lies in the availability of several methods of disk cleaning, providing different levels of deletion reliability, as well as in the very way of using it.

DBAN is distributed in the form of an ISO-image, which is enough to burn to any disc, thus creating a bootable disc.

The advantage of this approach is the ability to quickly and efficiently clean up even the system disk of the computer on which it is installed operating system, or help another person by simply coming to him with this disc.

The simplest method of destroying a source file is to completely overwrite it with # FF bytes, that is, a bit mask of eight binary ones(11111111), zeros or any other arbitrary numbers, thereby making it impossible to programmatically recover accessible to the user by software.

Actually, all modern utilities work from this (this may not help from hardware recovery methods).

DBAN interactive mode allows the user to select devices for cleaning. Is selected desired disk, after which it is necessary to determine the method by which the cleaning will start (prompts for the command keys at the bottom of the screen).

There are several options here, each of them provides a different degree of guarantee of irreversibility of recovery.

One has only to say that a wipe according to the Gutman method is 35 data recording cycles, that is, VERY long. At the same time, experts (and Gutman himself) recognize the redundancy of such a number of cycles for modern disk models, so more simple methods like DoD Short.

When the disks and methods are selected, press F10. This will start the cleanup procedure, indicating the current step, recording speed, elapsed time and the remaining time to complete the process.