Are Deleted Files Really Gone?

I have an old computer at home which I am giving to some relations. I have done some personal work on it. I have deleted it all but I have been told that deleting the files will not stop people accessing them, can the information still be accessed and viewed? Is there any way to make sure my old information on the PC is well and truly gone?

Chris

It's true, by deleting files you're not actually removing them, it just marks the space where the old file was as unused on the file system table until a new file takes its place, it's the same as placing a new poster over and old unused poster on a notice board, you see the new poster but you can still see bits of the old poster behind the new one. So any files you have had on the computer could still be lying around in there somewhere, but it's not a matter of someone using the computer seeing the files and opening them, they won't be able to see them, you would need the right software, and an idea of what you're doing to get access to the old files.

There is ways to make sure your data is well and truly gone, there is a lot of free software out there to do the job such as Eraser Secure Data Removal Tool (www.heidi.ie/eraser).

This great free piece of software removes files from your computer by overwriting them with completely random data. So there's no need to worry about anyone seeing it once you pass on your computer.

It's always good practice to make sure you use a program like Eraser when passing on or throwing out an old computer. Especially on a computer you've worked with some personal or private material on. It's also a good idea to use the program I mentioned above to delete any internet history, or related files from the computer. This is a feature built into the program, so it makes it easy to do.

How do you make sure your files are gone? Do you worry about this? Let me know with a comment.