How to delete a file beyond recovery

Many of us think, once we delete a file using shift + delete key or empty the recycle bin, the file gets permanently removed from the system. This is entirely wrong and let me tell you that this is not at all a secure way to remove the data from your drive. What we use in the computer is just a ‘Delete’ button and not ‘Deleted forever’ button.

When we use delete command, the operating system does not actually erase the contents of the disk space allocated to that file. Instead, it just marks that disk space as available for storing new data, and at the same time marks the file as “deleted” in its directory listing. At this point, it becomes possible to recover that deleted file with the help of any file recovery software.

In order to remove data permanently from your system we need some utilities like File Shredder, which overwrites the file multiple times with different patters, something which is not possible by windows to do.

Shredding a file consists of overwriting the file’s disk area with random data, which removes any traces of the file having been there. They use various shredding algorithms, with varying degrees of security. They also ensure that no metadata about shredded files are left within the file system. This metadata consists of a variety of information about the file that are stored in the system, such as date of creation, title, and other such details. Altogether, file shredding typically takes longer than mere deletion, since shredders actually write on the disk itself.

The best part of these file shredding programs are that they are user friendly having graphical user interfaces to make them accessible even to casual computer users. The file shredding process has become as easy as just selecting the files to be shredded, choosing the right options, and executing the program.