Shred Files

Introduction

When you delete a file on your computer, it is put into the Recycle Bin. Even a computing beginner can recover the deleted file from the Recycle Bin, so most users empty the recycle bin regularly or delete the file directly, bypassing the Recycle Bin.

As you may or may not know, Windows doesn’t actually delete a file when you choose the Windows delete command. The file remains on your hard disk and Windows only removes the entry to it from the FAT (File Allocation Table) so that the system doesn’t see the file. But with the right tool (such as Super Undelete), these files can be found and recovered again as long as they haven’t been overwritten by new data yet.

Shred Files ensures that files you delete via Shredder can’t be recovered by hackers. The tool uses a method developed by the US Department of Defense to ensure that files are permanently removed from your hard disk. This is done by overwriting the files with redundant data, destroying any previous data that was there before.

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How to Use

In the XP Tools startup screen switch to the category Privacy Protector and click on "Shred Files" to launch the program.

Deleting Files or Folders

After the launch of the module a wizard is loaded. On the initial screen it queries whether to delete individual Files or a whole Folder.

Files: If you choose this option, in the next step you are presented with an empty list to which you can add files for deletion.

Folders: If you choose this option you can select a folder for deletion in the next step. The folder will be deleted with all contents and subdirectories.

Make your choice and click Next to continue.

Deleting Files

You can add files to the destruction process by clicking the "Add" button and choosing them in the emerging dialog. After you have added all files, press "Next" to continue.

Deleting Folders

Enter the complete path of the folder to be deleted in the text box Folder or, alternatively, click the button Select in order to choose the folder from a tree structure.

Click on "Next" to confirm continue.

Deletion method

Next you have to select the way Shredder should delete the files. To do this, choose one of the following two options in the Deletion method section.

Quick delete: Overwrites the files with a single character. After being deleted, the files no longer contain the original data; instead they contain a single character repeated over and over.

Secure delete: Deletes the files using a method described in the US regulation DoD 5220.22-M. The file is deleted by overwriting it many times with alternating bit patterns.

Choose how often to repeat the deletion by entering a number in the Repeat the delete operation field. Click "Next" to begin the deletion process.