will removing documents really remove them - hardrive?

[Kari]

When you delete a file permanently or empty the Recycle Bin, the file stays in your hard disk until space it allocated is overwritten with new data. Basically, all Windows does is it removes the first character from file name and removes it from FAT, File Allocation Table, thus making the file "invisible" to Windows.

Undelete, unformat and file recovery tools can find these files, normally showing a $-sign replacing the first character.

There are only two ways to be sure a file is completely wiped from disk:

• a disk reinitialization, often misleadingly called Low-Level Format or LLF
• repeatedly overwriting the space deleted file allocated, normally done with so called file shredders (here's a free one: File Shredder)

So to answer your question: yes, it is possible to tech support to "dig out" your sensitive, deleted data if it is not effectively overwritten or the disk is not reinitialized.

Kari

 

[Frostmourne]

If the cops want your data, chances are, they will get it even if you try these methods.

 

[rerice]

How about replacing the HDD with a clean ( new ) Drive long enough to
get it serviced.

 

[genxie]

Win32_PnPEntity.DeviceID="PCI\\VEN_10DE&DEV_0543&SUBSYS_30CF103C&REV_A2\\3&2411E6FE&1&0B"

The above is the device that performance log says is missing a driver...in troubleshooting I click on configure a device and it searches for the problem and presents me with a missing driver form NVIDIA ( away mode driver ) that I need to download. so I do but when I go to - generate a system health report - it says the device was STILL not installed properly or no driver exists for my device. is this essentially a problem of the guy who sold me the computer doing whatever he did and taking out vista and installing windows 7 ( it says vista right on the console but windows 7 is installed and he said he re-installed the OS ) when possibly the laptop/chipset I have doesnt support windows 7? his fault or no ones fault? get him to put vista back?