Deleting files can free up space, remove viruses, and protect sensitive data. However, deleted files can often be recovered, so secure deletion methods should be used. Overwriting a disk with random data or physically destroying it are effective options.
File deletion is the practice of removing files from a computer’s storage device. Some users delete files because they no longer need them or have multiple copies of data, while others delete files to erase confidential data and to improve security. While deleting files is usually intentional, problems can happen when someone accidentally deletes a file. Each operating system has its own way of deleting files, so you need to consider the best way to delete a file based on the reason for deletion. Deleted files are often recoverable with third-party tools, which raises additional security concerns.
Reasons for deleting files may include the need to free up disk space, remove virus infected files, remove outdated versions of programs, and remove sensitive data before disposing of a storage device. Although users usually delete files themselves, the operating system and its programs also delete files in the background of the computer. Some examples of this background deletion include a Web browser that is configured to delete temporary files when the user closes the application, and the operating system’s swap and page files, which the operating system constantly deletes and rewrites.
When you delete a file or folder from a computer’s hard drive, the data usually doesn’t disappear entirely without the use of third-party drive erasing tools. The operating system usually first moves the file to the trash or trash, which is a folder that contains deleted items for possible recovery. While this concept is useful when something is accidentally deleted, it can create security issues if the user doesn’t empty the folder’s contents. Datum still doesn’t completely disappear after one empties the folder due to the way computer file systems work. Over time, more files are written over the deleted data, but the remnants of the files remain and can often be recovered with computer forensics or data recovery programs.
The best solution for securely deleting files is to use a secure deletion method. The most common method involves overwriting a disk one or more times in zeros and ones, which places random data on the storage device. The more times the disk is overwritten, the lower the chance that someone can recover the data. If deleting a drive’s files is so important that there should be no chance of recovery, physically destroying the drive by fire or shredding may be your best bet.
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