delete

We've seen many file-deleting utilities. Most are freeware offering "secure" file deletion by overwriting files on your disk multiple times until the data is unrecoverable. Kevin Solway's Delete Doctor is a bit different. It's designed to delete those files that just don't want to leave your system, such as viruses and malware, files in shared folders, and files currently in use. To that end, it offers four different methods for removing files from your system. This simple freeware also has drag-and-drop capability.

Delete Doctor's interface is compact but efficient, beginning with an entry … Read more

Chances are that you've deleted a file by accident. Sometimes you're lucky enough to still have it lingering around in your recycle bin, other times you panic after realizing you emptied it three days ago.

Undela is a Windows application that seeks to give you a second chance with your deleted files. Much like a similar app named Recuva, this app will attempt to analyze your free disk space for deleted data and display a result list of its findings. Once you find the file you're seeking in the list, you're just a … Read more

Duplicate files can take up a lot of room on your hard drive, and they can accumulate faster than you might expect. Importing and renaming images, inadvertently downloading files twice, and other run-of-the-mill activities can result in a computer clogged with files you don't need. Fortunately, there are plenty of programs out there that can help you root out and delete duplicates. PackIt is a basic rendition of this software, with some useful features and a few drawbacks as well.

PackIt's interface is quite plain, and it wasn't immediately clear how to get started; there was an … Read more

For many Mac users, the Finder provides plenty of functionality. But if you're looking for more powerful control over your files and desktop, Path Finder can be an attractive alternative. This standalone file browser complements and improves on the Finder, with scores of useful integrated features.

The program lets you quickly access favorites; view the contents of almost any file in a preview drawer; and move files more easily using the Shelf and Drop Stack. Other features include the capability to compress and decompress files; mount disk images; view invisible files, securely delete files, and work from the command … Read more

With the announcement of Facebook's acquisition of Instagram, some Instagram users are worried about information being passed on to the larger social network.

When you delete your account with Instagram, your photos, friendships, comments, and everything you've done with the service will be deleted. Before you pull the trigger, you can save your Instagram shots by using Instaport, an online app that lets you download your images or move them to other social networks. Simply log in to your account, give permission to Instaport to access your files, then start the download.

Now that you have your photos … Read more

When Apple launched iCloud and its Photo Stream service, there was a glaring omission: Apple didn't include the ability to delete photos that had been uploaded to Photo Stream. This was a problem that could potentially lead to some embarrassing situations.

There was actually a roundabout way of deleting photos from Photo Stream, but it required you to delete your entire Photo Stream, which wasn't very convenient. When the iOS 5.1 developer preview was released, the ability to delete individual photos had been added. There was hope!

With the release of iOS 5.1 and … Read more

It's official, Google's new unified privacy policy is now in place, allowing all of your data to be shared across the various Google services. This is definitely going to make some users uneasy. If you're one of those users, and have been thinking about ditching Google, you will want to make sure you back up your data first, then delete your account. Here's how to carry out both of these tasks.

To begin, you will need to visit Google.com/settings.

You will want to back up your account data before you delete the account. To … Read more

If you thought the New Folder virus was an unfortunate tendency to pepper your system with empty New Folders (not to mention New Folder (2), etc.) then you're probably lucky. But if you've got new folders popping up all over the place faster than you can delete them, your system has been infected by the New Folder virus, also called Iddono. Help is available from Security Stronghold's Newfolder Removal Tool. This simple, standalone freeware removes all instances of newfolder.exe and related viruses with a single click. It also immunizes removable drives against the virus, a useful … Read more

Once upon a time, duplicate files were so evil that no expense and effort was spared to hunt them down, terminate them, and erase every trace of their existence. Hard drives grew, and duplicate files became less of a problem. Then came digital cameras, MP3s, and video, and suddenly duplicate files are once again threatening to take over the world, but today's duplicates are sometimes bigger than entire hard drives were back when dupes were space-sucking villains.

Fortunately, the duplicate file finders have kept pace, and today's tools are far better than yesterday's at identifying and filtering … Read more