on 17/02/03 11:32, James at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Hi, > > I recently read the following: > > "The problem with simply trashing a file is that the information previously > stored in the trashed file is still physically located on your disk until > another file happens to overwrite that information. Simply trashing a file may > allow someone to obtain information that you thought you had removed." > > "......While a file is shredded, the information is purposely overwritten with > selected bit patterns before being removed from your disk. This ensures there > is no way to undelete or recover shredded files." > > Safeshred version 2.0 > > I assume shredding is much better for personal and operating system health > reasons? When it says that the trashed file is still physically located on > your disk until another file overwrites it, does that mean that the original > file then becomes deleted forever when it is written over? How can I tell if a > certain file has been overwritten? Can I permanently delete a file without > using a product like Safeshred?
>From an operating system point of view, there are no reason to "shred" files that are deleted. For personal reasons, you might however want that a file be overwritten on the disk so that nobody would ever be able to recover it, usually when the file contains sensitive information. But, other than this personal consideration, there is no need to have a file shredded. When a file is deleted, the directory that holds that file simply removes (more or less) the entry for that file signaling the OS that this space is now available for writing. -Laurent. -- ============================================================================ Laurent Daudelin AIM/iChat: LaurentDaudelin <http://nemesys.dyndns.org> Logiciels Nemesys Software mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] elder days n.: The heroic age of hackerdom (roughly, pre-1980); the era of the PDP-10, TECO, ITS, and the ARPANET. This term has been rather consciously adopted from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings". Compare Iron Age; see also elvish and Great Worm. -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
