Removing Files from Hard Drive

The Ultimate Boot CD is a freely available utility CD that includes four different tools for wiping drives.

http://ultimatebootcd.com/

If your data isn't worth a huge amount of money, using any of those utilities will be sufficient to ensure your files are unrecoverable. Facilities will millions of dollars of special equipment could likely still read the data though, or at least portions of it. If your data is worth *that* much, do as the Pentagon reportedly does - shred the drive into a powder, then burn the powder in an incinerator. :)

Blowing it into pieces with a sufficiently large caliber gun can be a good time too. :)

hi bob when i download software like norton and i do not want it any more when i del it ,is it still on my hard drive i got nod32 now when i scan it showing norton still there wot can i do plz help

EDITOR'S NOTE: Wow... did you lose your Shift and "." keys? Anyway, my advice is do nothing and ignore it. I tried to remove the remnants of Norton from a machine once (after uninstalling) and it fouled it up forever. Had to reinstall the operating system. Norton gets its hooks in deep, won't let go, and that's why I don't recommend it.

Hello Mr. Bob Rankin: I'm a complete novice, pertaining upgrading my system. I have a huge dilemma. I need to clean my Hard Drive. I'm running completely out of space. I need your expertise advise. Help...help....

EDITOR'S NOTE: First go to My Computer, rightclick on the hard drive icon, select Properties, then Disk Cleanup. Next, use Control Panel Add/Remove Programs to get rid of programs you don't need.

Bob.Cannot system restore.When I try to boot in safe mode I get stop:c0000218 (registry file failure) The registry cannot load the hive (file):\systemRoot\system32\config\SECURITY or its log or alternate. It is corrupt,absent or not writable. Using Windows XP with SP2.None of the KB articles I looked at seemto help. Any ideas as to how to rectify this problem.....it just at a stroke negates System Restore. Mant Thanks. Dan

EDITOR'S NOTE: This may help: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545

I am trying to remove the contiguous files that are not being removed, how would I do that?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Contiguous files are GOOD. Fragmented ones are bad. What are you trying to accomplish?

I need to clear files from my hard drive without clearing the programs. Thanks.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Have you tried Windows Explorer (Start / All Programs / Accessories) to find and delete the files?

my hard partition affected by virus which damages my two drives out of 4 drives now I want to recover the data from them. Only mbr is damaged I tryed to recover it by using fixmbr but it showing file allocation talbe wrong. pls help me out.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I always recommend TESTDISK in these situations. It can analyze the disk and recreate both the partition table and the boot record. See http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

hiya, please can you help me. i sent some pictures of myself to my computer. i deleted the files from my computer but how could i delete them completely so they can not be retrieved from my hardrive?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Check out the Hard Disk cleaning tools mentioned in the article...

I have a pc that the power supply went out on it. I got a new pc and wanted to remove the Hard Drive from the old and retrieve information from it, wifes cooking recipes, some addresses, photo's is there any way to do this?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sure... the easiest way is to remove the old drive, and attach it to the new computer with an external USB drive kit. You could also install it in an empty drive bay inside the new computer, but then you have to fiddle more with the innards of the computer. You can find the kits at Radio Shack and other places, and they are very easy to use.

If you want to completely get rid of Norton, you have to use the Norton Removal Tool found on their website.