Perform Secure File Deletion to keep files secret and permanently delete them.

Traditional Deletion vs. Secure File Deletion

Firstly, Windows cannot delete files permanently. The information that is deleted is only inactive on your hard drive. However This information remains intact on your drive. After some time the information can be written over. This is a traditional delete. However, this "deleted" information can be recovered easily by most recovery programs. Hackers, identity thieves and officials have long since discovered that your deleted data holds a wealth of information that they may use for their benefit. A secure delete gives you the ability to make this permanently deleted.

How does secure file deletion work?

It works by first encrypting your data. This action turns the normal information into a scrambled code that cannot be unlocked with out advanced software and knowledge of encryptions. Multiple point encryption will almost guarantee its secrecy. Step 2 is to delete the information. This encrypted and deleted data remains on your drive. However, if recovered, it cannot be read. The final step is to overwrite the data. This naturally occurs over time, however privacy programs can speed up the secure file deletion procedure.

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STEP 1: ENCRYPTION
Depending on the sensitive nature of the data, the higher encryption level you may need. Encryption refers to algorithmic schemes that encode plain text, pictures, video and all files into non-readable form or cypher thus providing privacy. The encrypted data uses a "key" to decrypt the cypher which will return it to its original form. The key is the trigger mechanism to the algorithm. So the more times you encrypt a file, the more keys will be needed to unlock the cypher. There are great free programs that will encrypt your data such as Trucrypt. However, Windows tools also offers encryption tools. Follow the direction below to encrypt your files.

How to encrypt a file or folder

1.Open Windows Explorer or simply right click the file
2.Right-click the file or folder that you want to encrypt, and then click Properties.
3.On the General tab, click Advanced.
4.Select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box.

STEP 2: DELETION
This is an easy step. You can simply delete the file by right clicking and clicking delete. However, you must remember where your computer has designated your deleted files to end up after deletion. You can view deleted files by opening the recycle bin.

STEP 3: OVERWRITE
Windows XP and Windows 2000 Administrators can use Cipher.exe to encrypt and decrypt data on drives that use the NTFS file system and to view the encryption status of files and folders This tool can also be used to overwrite data that you have deleted so that it cannot be recovered and accessed.

How to Use the Cipher Security Tool to Overwrite Deleted Data

To overwrite deleted data on a volume by using Cipher.exe, use the /w switch with the cipher command. Use the following steps:
1. Quit all programs.
2. Click Start--> click Run--> type cmd, and then press ENTER.
3. Type: cipher /w:driveletter:foldername, and then press ENTER. Specify the drive and the folder that identifies the volume that contains the deleted data that you want to overwrite. This permanently removes the data. This can take a long time if you are overwriting a large space.

SPECIAL NOTE:

The U.S. Department of Defense endorses the secure file deletion procedure as the only method that can permanently remove data from your hard drive. This procedure can be done in minutes and with secure deletion software. However, ensure that these product can actually perform a secure delete and not simply a traditional delete.