Can anybody recommend freeware to securely delete sensitive files? I got my Mom a new PC this Christmas, and she might want to donate her old PC, but she has files on it with bank account #s, etc, so we need to securely delete the files.
Thanks.
Darik’s Boot and Nuke creates a floppy disk that will wipe the entire drive. It’s distributed under the GPL license.
That sounds like an option, but I think I’d rather try one that only erases the files I tell it and empty space.
I always recommend sdelete for those that like simple, command-line tools. Option ‘-z’ clears free space.
I like the Eraser. You can have it overwrite files up to 35 times, 5x more than the DOD standard. Just expect to wait a while if you do so.
That’s what I’ve used for years now. Works very well.
I also use Eraser. It integrates into the Windows File Explorer allowing you to erase singles files or entire folders. It also will erase free space on your drive to ensure that previously deleted files cannot be recovered.
The only problem I have kad with it is that it does not erase files that have non-English characters in their file names.