REALLY deleting files

Hello. This may be a redudant thread. If it is, smack me. I'm sorry. I looked. I still need help.

I recently learned that the OS (in my case, XP home edition) doesn't delete files after you clear the recycle bin, but just chooses to ignore them. Since I regularly download, back up, and then delete large files, this means that the files I have "deleted" are still taking up space. How do I correct that? I'm sure there's a software, I've looked for it, but how do I find those "deleted" files and really wipe them from the hardrive? I've looked at lots of disk cleaners and registry maintainers, but I'm not quite sure if they're right for the job. So... I refer to your opinions, most humbly.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Crescendo

 

Yes, but by "ignoring" them, your OS (or any OS, really) is allowing new data to be written to those locations on your hard drive. So, in that respect, the space is empty. Now, if you were expecting an FBI raid, you could use a utility to write zeroes to all unallocated space in order to obliterate any traces of deleted data, but I don't think that's what you have in mind. Either way, deleted data or zeroes would be taking up that space, but overwriting new data to those spaces would not be prevented. Am I making sense?

 

Welcome!

Hey it was a great question and WELCOME to Major Geeks. It's a great place to ask questions, find answers, help someone else, and learn a thing or two.

Now that you asked this question, I've learned something I NEVER KNEW.
Thanks for the answer, TheDoug.

 

Go to this site and download Cleanup.

http://cleanup.stevengould.org/

 

For those looking for truely secure file deletion (DoD compliant or better):
Eraser

Fully integrates with the Recycle Bin context menu as well as the generic Explorer context menu. Also allows erasing of all unused portions of the drive, including (AFAIK) slack space.

 

Crescendo
It is also worth remembering
that the deleted file/s are still phiscally there and can be found using specialist software all that is removed is the actual address of the file/s so that the O/S cant find it ,it then thinks that there is no data there ,and in due course is then rewritten over a period of time.
eraser will phiscally remove the data full stop not ,both the o/s address of where to look and actual file/s