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Rike
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Location: WA, AZ
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| Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 7:15 pm Post subject: "Cipher Command" to Wipe data from your disk |
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How to use the Cipher command to wipe data from your disk
As you probably know, when you delete files off your Windows XP or Windows Vista computer, those files aren't actually gone. The only thing that happens is that the "pointer" to the deleted files is removed and the space on the hard disk is marked as available to put new data. But until new data is put in the same location as the deleted data, the deleted data remains on the hard disk and can be recovered by hackers and other malicious users.
What you need to do is "wipe" the data off the hard disk. You can do this by using the cipher command that comes free with Windows XP and Windows Vista. Here are the instructions, compliments of Tom Shinder:
Close all programs.
Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER.
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. Data that is not allocated to files or folders will be overwritten. This permanently removes the data. This can take a long time if you are overwriting a large space. For example, if you have a deleted files in folder c:\SECRET, you would enter cipher /W:C:\SECRET
The wiping process can take a long time, so be patient. Once the files are wiped by the cipher utility, no one will be able to recover your deleted information from your hard disk.
(From WXPNews)
Rike
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Rike
"Time is what prevents everything from happening at once."
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Aloverssunset
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| Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting, when per-say, would it be needed to use this cipher wiper?
Will it remove important needed files?
I know how to do some "stuff", lol. But I don't know too much about the internal workings of my machine.
I know when I do a scan disk, to fix errors and stuff, that it verifies free space and many times deletes index entries of deleted files.
Thanks for any info you can give me
Sandra
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Rike
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| Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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Sandra, I'm like you - I don't know very much about how a computer works. I just copied the article from WXPNews. Like it says there, when you erase or delete something from your HD, it doesn't really wipe it off, it just removes the pointers. So if you have a file you want to be sure that it is completely gone from your computer, you can use this cipher wiper to eliminate it, rather than just doing a simple delete.
That's my take on it.
Rike
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Rike
"Time is what prevents everything from happening at once."
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Aloverssunset
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| Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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I see, like if I have a file with bank account numbers and pin numbers. If I delete it, it is not actually deleted? There is a way for someone to find it? Hmmm.
It may be a good Idea to do the cleaning.
Thanks
Sandra
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Repa
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Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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Indeed, that is true, Sandra. You can see for yourself by deleting a file you don't care about (create a phony one and delete it) and then look for it with Search and Recover 4. You can download a trial version at:
http://www.iolo.com/downloads.aspx
I forget how many times you can search for, locate and recover a deleted file before it will not let you execute it until you pay for a license, but it is several times.
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Repa
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pepperpot
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Location: Venezuela
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| Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:21 am Post subject: |
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Hi guys,
The other day I posted a link of a list of some great tools you can use to clean up the trash from your computer; there you will find tools to clean up from hard-disk, to Internet, etc.
http://www.freepowerboards.com/geeksmore/geeksmore-post-8106.html
This Cipher Command could be a bit tricky and I would not attempt at it, unless I’m certain of the file and folder it was in.
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janewm
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Location: Florida
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| Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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What you are saying is: I would need to know the name of the file I want to wipe clean? Of that is the case, I am done for. I don't remember any of those file names That would only work for me if I was deleting a file now. All previous deletions will stay in usable space.
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Rike
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| Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I wonder if it might come in handy when you're done with your computer and want to give it to a friend or relative. Then the operating system and some other useful programs could stay there, but it would be possible to wipe out the finance files, and some other personal stuff.
In the past, when I have given away a computer, I would take out the HD and keep it - they make great paperweights! But a person needs only a limited amount of paperweights...
Rike
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Rike
"Time is what prevents everything from happening at once."
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pepperpot
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| Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Rike wrote: |
I would take out the HD and keep it - they make great paperweights! But a person needs only a limited amount of paperweights...
Rike |
Oh boy  that is so true.... add to it that they are not eye candy either
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