When you delete a file from your hard disk, Windows only removes its record from the file tables. The actual contents of the file are not removed and can be recovered later using a software like Piriform Recuva. This is a serious security concern if you share your computer with someone else. Anybody with a readily available tool like Recuva can recover your delete private and sensitive documents easily. But if you use Hardwipe, then you can permanently delete files so that cannot be recovered later.
Hardwipe can be used to permanently erase data on disk and portable storage media to prevent personal and sensitive business information from ever being recovered. It can wipe entire drives, wipe files individually, and sanitize unused drive space. It supports right-click context menus within Windows file explorer, or can just be used as a standalone application. Here are some of the features of the Hardwipe :
- Ability to wipe free space as well as data.
- Easily wipe entire drives and portable devices.
- Wipe individual files or clean empty drive space of remnant data.
- Right-click within Windows Explorer for Hardwipe commands.
You can download Hardwipe from its web site. The download is available in the form of an MSI package. After the installation, you can start Hardwipe from its Start Menu shortcut. The main Hardwipe window has a left sidebar with buttons to select files/folders, empty space or entire drives to wipe. After selecting a targe (file, folder, empty space or drive), you can choose a wiping method to erase the target. You can choose from zero overwrite, random overwrite, GOST R, DOD, Schneier or Gutmann methods. You can choose the process priority for Hardwipe and then click on the Start Wipe button to start the wiping process.
You also have an option to automatically shutdown the computer after the disk wipe process is over. This is very useful if you have a large size hard disk drive as it may take a really long time to wipe a big hard disk. So you can choose to automatically shutdown the computer, set the Hardwipe in action and go to bed and the hard disk would be wiped over night.
Hardwipe is a very useful tool if you are selling your old computer (or hard disk) or just giving it away. You can erase all your sensitive information before you give it away so that nobody can snoop into your personal life using your old hard disk. You can download Hardwipe from http://www.hardwipe.com/.