Tag Archives: Task Scheduler

Review: SDelete deletes files securely from the command line

Sometimes, you don’t want to carefully sort your files; you just want to delete them, and be sure they really are gone for good. For those times, the simplest, most bare-bones options is SDelete, a free command line utility directly from Microsoft’s Windows Sysinternals.

You can use this 81KB download to delete specific files, but you can also have it wipe all free space on your hard drive to securely remove all traces of old files. After running it with the -c (“Clean free space”) option, your drive should be pretty much impervious to attempts to recover deleted files (as long as they’re not in the Recycle Bin awaiting easy retrieval, of course). SDelete can work well as a scheduled task, periodically cleaning your drive. Because it is so minimal, you’ll have to set up that task manually, using the Task Scheduler built into Windows.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor’s site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Review: Eraser removes files safely and permanently

Secure deletion utility Eraser is free, comes with a beautiful GUI, can do just about anything when it comes to secure file wiping.

Eraser includes its own interface into the Task Scheduler, letting you set automated disk sweep schedules from within the application. You’re not limited to wiping free space, either: Eraser can be set to securely delete the contents of any folder on a set schedule. That sounds like a scary proposition for me (remember, there’s no way to recover files securely deleted), but for braver souls, the option is there. Also, if you’d like to have your recycle bin regularly and securely purged, Eraser can help you there.

Last but not least, Eraser integrates with the file context menu built into Windows, so that you can right-click any file or folder and get an Eraser submenu. From there, you can securely wipe the file or folder either now, or the next time your computer reboots. All in all, if you’re serious about wiping files on a regular basis, Eraser is a very solid tool.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page will download the software to your system.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld