Documents and Pictures Context Menu - Shredder; What does it do? How?

....this is in all likelihood questioning the bleeding obvious, but when I
right-click on either a Document or Picture File, the Context Menu displays one
line with Shredder as it's function.

In the Snip below, I have highlighted the line and expanded it to show the
Sub-Context Menus as well;



Of course I realise that it is obviously a type of File destroyer, but have no
knowledge of how it does this, let alone of the method followed to complete
the task.

Incidentally, when is it best to use this Context tool, as I'm presuming that
once a File is Shredded it is no longer recoverable?

The Sepoys will welcome any expansion to my knowledge base.....

When a file is deleted it is normally placed in the recycle bin, which is a reserved area of your hard drive. The file isn't actually deleted, but it's placeholder is removed so that the file can't be seen.

A file shredder or eraser goes further than plain deletion. It uses mathematical algorithms to overwrite the data and make it unreadable.

As far as I'm I'm aware, the Shredder listed in your context menu must be a third-party utility - I've checked the context menu on my system and I don't have it.

This Windows Seven Forums thread provides links to some free file shredders:

https://www.sevenforums.com/software/57088-good-windows-7-file-shredder.html

Thanks for the quick come-back Andy,

....and that does give me the simple answer I was after.

It also made me look a little closer at my system where I discover that you're correct on the third party assumption - in this case it is a part of my Acer Laptop OEM setup - the Egis Tech Shredder.

I also have one further shredder that was loaded in with SpyBot Search & Destroy software - the SD Shredder.

Little by little the Sepoys are learning ...

Cheers

You're very welcome, sassofalco.

Don't let the Sepoys learn too much, they'll be overunning the pace! :)