Eraser?
Posted on Wednesday, February 08, 2006 at 10:20 PM by Randall
Sometimes you really need to get rid of a file completely (so it can't be "undeleted") or you need to completely wipe your data off of a hard drive before passing your old computer on to someone else (after all, they don't need to see your email and bank records). There are a number of expensive commercial programs to securely erase files and drives. Or you can try Eraser. Eraser is open source software, so you can even see for yourself that it actually does what it claims.
Eraser features (as listed on its web site):
Works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP and DOS. It works with any drive including IDE, SCSI and RAID. Also CD-RW's.
Uses the Guttmann (Default), Pseudorandom Data and US DoD 5220-22.M methods.
Erases Files and Folders.
Erases Files/Folders that were only previously 'deleted'.
Erases all hard drives using 'Darik's Boot and Nuke' method.
Erases Index.dat on Reboot
Erases Encrypted Files and Drives.
Erases FreeSpace on 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP and DOS.
Erases contents of the Recycle Bin.
Erases Compressed Files and Drives.
Erases Network Files, Floppy Disks, CD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW.
Erases Windows Temporary Files.
Erases Internet Cookies.
Erases Paging (swap) file.
Erases Internet Cache.
Appears as an 'Erase' option on the Context Menu of Windows Explorer and Recycle Bin.
Comes with an Eraser Scheduler that allows you to create user-defined tasks.
Defeats File Recovery software applications Hardware tools.
Supports FAT32 and NTFS Files Systems.
Eraser is easy to use and comes with a dedicated support network.
This program can be slow, especially if erasing large hard drives, but if you have patienvce, it will finish. It's user interface could be a bit more intuitive, but it seems to do its actual job well.
Rating: 4 Stars
Operating System: Windows (and DOS)
License:
Open Source (GPL)
Price: Free
Version Reviewed: 5.7
Web
Site: http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/default.php
See
Screenshot
