This means that even if a person or software tool knows exactly where to look for a deleted file, there is no longer any data to be found there. In most cases, data that has simply been deleted can still be recovered with ease.įile shredder software takes file deletion to the next level by actually overwriting the space once occupied by the deleted file.
In reality, drive partitions, master boot records, operating systems, and software caches often retain deleted data creating a false sense of user security. Unfortunately, many falsely assume that simply deleting a file means it has been destroyed. While the shredded strips of a paper document can be painstakingly reassembled, a properly shredded piece of data is destroyed beyond recovery. This program is made very easy to use, and you just need to drag and drop your private files. You can use the tool to wipe an entire drive or simply pick a kind of data files that you wish to erase. This kind of tool is 'must have', since all of your private data is usually recoverable by anybody even after you delete it. Eraser is an open-source file shredder tool that is also freely available. When the time comes to delete a piece of data, a file shredder tool like BCWipe can do an even more effective job than its office namesake. Moo0 File Shredder lets you easily erase your private / secret files perfectly off your HDD. In the digital age, sensitive information is more likely to be stored in a document file than on a paper document. These tools effectively turn paper into confetti so that the sensitive information on a page is unreadable. When to Use a File Shredder?įor nearly a century, shredders have been the standard office tool for destroying documents. This process is also known as wiping and consists in overwriting the space once occupied by the deleted file (or the file we aim to erase forever) by using zeros and ones. You should know that recent studies have shown that with modern hard drives, single pass algorithms are as secure as multiple on-track overwrite passes.A file shredder is software that allows users to permanently delete files when no longer needed. Which algorithm is best for you will depend on how much time you have and on how paranoid you are. Therefore, run this function only when you intend to take a coffee break anyway.įile Shredder supports four different algorithms to wipe files from the hard disk: Simple One Pass, Simple Two Pass, Secure Algorithm with 7 passes, DoD 5220.22-M, Guttmann algorithm with 35 passes. Note that this will keep your hard drive busy for quite some time. This will just overwrite unused disk space to ensure that files that have been "deleted" before can no longer be recovered. Once you have added all files to be erased, you can shred these with one mouse click.Īnother useful feature of File Shredder is the " Shred Free Disk Space" function. You have to first close and re-open the tool. If you already have opened File Shredder, newly added files won't show up right away. File Shredder will add those files to a list that you can view in its user interface. Thus, if you want to erase multiple big folders, you had better choose "Remember to be deleted" later from the context menu. This can take some time for large amounts of data. To "shredder" files, every byte on the disk has to be overwritten. Eraser is an advanced data shredding tool that’s free and open-source. This can be useful if you want to erase a large number of files. The program offers also options to select how the overwriting shall be done. The program also can overwrite the free space on a drive, which means, that already deleted files cannot be restored, too.
This program offers the possibility to finally delete files and/or folders (no recovery possible). You can also mark files to be deleted later. Download Free File Shredder 8.8.2. Alternate Tools - Alternate File Shredder.