delete

Files that are deleted in Windows are not really deleted--just the links to where the files are located on your hard drive are removed. Despite allowing you to use the space for other files again, the actual information is still lurking on your disk space. In other words, a knowledgeable computer user would be able to locate enough information to restore a file you wanted to keep private. Luckily, the ever-useful program CCleaner provides a method to permanently remove any deleted data from your hard drive.

Step 1: Download and install the latest version of CCleaner.

Step 2: From … Read more

Ever find it frustrating trying to copy or move files in Windows? Then some long-overdue improvements in Windows 8 should be welcome news.

Admitting that file management or the "copy jobs" feature now in Windows can be confusing, Alex Simons, a program management director on Microsoft's Windows engineering team, yesterday revealed four enhancements destined to surface in Windows 8.

Contributing to the latest installment of Microsoft's ongoing "Building Windows 8" blog, Simons said that copying, moving, renaming, and deleting files are the most heavily used features in Windows Explorer, accounting for 50 percent of … Read more

Flash cookies are tiny pieces of software that Web sites place in your PC to store log-on data, passwords, and other personal information to save you the trouble of re-entering it all every time you visit the site. Many Flash cookies also store information about your Web browsing habits and other private data you may not want to share. Flash Cookie Cleaner is a small piece of portable freeware from ConsumerSoft. It identifies Flash cookies in your system and gives them the opportunity to delete them, if you want to. Of course, some cookies are good for your system, and … Read more

Forget which password you saved in Google Chrome for that random Web site? Wouldn't it be nice to take a peek at what it is, in case you need to log in from somewhere you can't sync your Chrome browser? How about when the wrong password gets saved and you're forced to type in the correct one every time you log in? Managing passwords in Chrome can be a speedy process--once you know where the tools are and how to use them.

Step 1: Click on the wrench icon in the top right corner and choose Options.… Read more

Google Contacts has plenty of room for storing the addresses and information for all your friends and business associates. Unfortunately, it isn't too choosy about who it adds, leaving you with info you didn't plan on keeping around. So you start deleting contacts and suddenly delete the wrong one from your address book. Luckily, Gmail Contacts has a restore feature nestled into one of its "more actions" menus.

Step 1: Log in to Gmail and click on Contacts in the top left corner.

Step 2: Click on the "More actions..." menu, just above your … Read more

As a new Mac user, you are taught to uninstall an app by dragging it to the trash. While this method does uninstall an app for your computer, often associated files are left behind. These files can add up and hog space on your Mac.

There are much more efficient ways to uninstall an app on your Mac. Here we round up three apps that help you uninstall software on your Mac. … Read more

Deleted files aren't completely deleted when you send them to the Recycle Bin. Even when you empty the Recycle Bin, deleted files aren't wiped from the disk. A secure file deletion tool can scrub every trace of a deleted file from your disk drive, but that means more steps and opening another piece of software. We looked at DeleteOnClick, a secure file deletion utility that integrates with context menus in Windows. DeleteOnClick lets you right-click files and delete them securely with a single click. It overwrites files to destroy them on the disk so they can't be … Read more

When is a deleted file really gone from your device? Only when the last bit it used for storage has been overwritten. This is generally not an issue for most users, but if you're an international superspy or (somewhat more likely) you're selling or trading in your old device, it's important to scrub it in order to prevent outsiders from learning more than you want them to. ShreDroid is a free app that overwrites free space, though it has caused problems with some Motorola devices (see below). Here's how to clean your Android machine: 

Install ShreDroid from the Android Market… Read more

When you delete a file from your hard drive, the system will by default just remove that item's directory entry but will leave its data structure on the drive intact. This allows the file's data to be overwritten, but it also means that until this happens, the file's data can be read and reassembled if needed, as is done by various file recovery utilities. To prevent files from being recovered, OS X comes with a secure erase option that overwrites the location of files on the disk with random data, which interferes with the file's data … Read more