Destroy Your Hard Drives: Or Why Deleting Isn’t Deleting

Destroy Your Hard Drives: Or Why Deleting Isn’t Deleting

File format is EPS10.0.

To the Recycle Bin!

Many people out there get a false sense of security from simply deleting files. Chuck it in the trash, you might say of an old document or picture. With great satisfaction you select the file and press delete. It’s gone now, but you want to be extra sure it’s really gone as it had some sensitive information in it. Clicking over to the recycle bin, you enter, to see the aforementioned file sitting there as if in challenge to your wishes. I have you now, you declare while clearing the bin. The sun shines through the clouds and birds sing, you’ve made sure your private information is lost to time forever.

But have you?

No. No you haven’t.

So What Happens When I Delete Something?

Really not a lot as it turns out. The first part is no different from moving files between different folders. Hitting delete simply moves the selected file to the recycle bin from wherever you had it stored, leaving its contents intact. From there deleting out of the recycle bin does do a little more, but not much. The contents are once again left intact but the file name entry is removed from the folder, or recycle bin, and the file in question is no longer linked to that name.

The space the file was taking up and its contents are still exactly where they were in the system. This data, while beyond the basic computer user, is within easy reach for the right software or users who know their way around a computer. One other thing changes after deleting from the recycle bin; the space being taken up is marked in the system as available, meaning eventually it will get over written if you continue using that particular hard drive. Until then however, the data is still very much in the system, and even that’s not a sure thing. It is in this way that a deleted file can be recovered if completed shortly following deletion.

Here’s a slightly more technical explanation for those of you who are interested.

How Can I Get Rid of Files for Good?

 Like we’ve mentioned a few times before, the only way to really be sure your data is beyond retrieval is through professional, hard drive destruction. The act of physically destroying the hard drive ensures the data is deleted permanently. Don’t take a chance with private information; choose to have it destroyed properly instead.

PROSHRED Tampa offers this service with our fleet of mobile shredding trucks. We’ll come directly to your location and ensure your data is disposed of properly, giving you the peace of mind you deserve.

Give us a call: 1-813-864-6433