Everyone has one or more files with sensitive data that they do not want anyone else to see. Such sensitive files should always be destroyed once they are no longer of any use, as they may fall in wrong hands if not carefully disposed off. Fortunately, there are a large number of applications for Windows that promise the secure erasing or shredding of your sensitive files so that nobody can recover them at any later time. Some of these applications are free while others are paid commercial software. The EraseDrop program for Windows is also such an application that can erase your files securely beyond any possibilities of removal.
The EraserDrop application is a portable program and it has a drag-n-drop interface for conveniently deleted files. When you launch it for the first time, it will place an icon on your desktop window. This icon always stays on top of other windows. You can right-click on this icon to choose the basic secure erasure settings.
It supports many erase methods like Gutmann (35 passes), US DoD (7 passeS), Schneier (7 passes), DoD (3 passes) and random overwriting (1 pass). All these methods should be used carefully. For example, you should avoid using multiple pass methods (like the Gutmann method) when securely erasing data from your SSD disk drive (as it may reduce the life of the disk).
You can also choose many other options from the right-click menu of the EraserDrop icon like making it always stay on top, show a warning before erasing, show erasing report, animate the tray icon and so on. It also places an icon in the system tray of Windows, right-clicking on which you can choose to terminate any running secure-erasing jobs.
When you are ready to erase one or more files, then you can select them, press the left-shift key, drag-n-drop them on to the EraserDrop icon. This will show you a warning message asking you whether you really want to erase these files. Upon your confirmation, the selected files/folders shall be deleted using a secure-erasing method that you had selected earlier. When the task is complete, a report window will be displayed showing you how many files/folders were deleted and how much data was shredded.
Conclusion: EraserDrop is a simple, portable application that allows you to securely delete your sensitive files through a convenient drag-n-drop interface. It supports all the standard secure erasure methods like Gutmann and US DoD to ensure that your deleted files cannot be recovered.
You can download EraserDrop from http://portableapps.com/apps/security/eraserdrop-portable.