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Securely Delete Sensitive Files

I have some sensitive data on a PC I'm donating to a local charity. I can delete the files, but I know there are utilities that can recover such deleted material. Can I destroy the files so they can't be recovered?

C. M. White, Newport News, Virginia

When you delete a file in Windows and empty the Recycle Bin, the physical space that the file occupied becomes available for other files. But until the space is overwritten, it still contains the old data.

You may already have a program that can overwrite data so it can't be recovered. For instance, Norton Utilities comes with a program called WipeInfo, which will securely delete a file, folder, or the free space on your drive. Or with Mijenix PowerDesk Utilities 98, you can render a file irretrievable by highlighting it and selecting File, Destroy.

If you don't have either program, download Jetico's BCWipe from the Jetico Web site. or from FileWorld (it's free for noncommercial users). BCWipe integrates with Windows Explorer. To wipe a file off of your hard drive, simply right-click it in Explorer and select Delete with wiping. To wipe off deleted files, right-click the drive and select Wipe free space. Wipe options include a level of cleaning that meets a Department of Defense security standard.

A quick-and-dirty way to overwrite deleted files is to run Windows' Defrag, which moves files around on your hard disk, thereby overwriting many sectors occupied by "ghost files." The success of this method, however, is not guaranteed, as it does not write over every sector.

SUMMARY

Norton Utilities 2000 List price: $50 Symantec 800/497-6180 www.symantec.com

SUMMARY

PowerDesk Utilities 98 List price: $40 Ontrack/Mijenix 800/645-3649 www.mijenix.com