Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

best way to delete files from a thumb drive

Aug 15, 2010 9:16AM PDT

I have a couple of USB thumb drives that I use to transfer files from home to work and I've discovered that even when files are deleted, there still there, only hidden. Formatting may work but I only want to delete files that I'm no longer using.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
That's strange.
Aug 16, 2010 4:26AM PDT

With me, they are deleted like any other file on any disk.

Kees

- Collapse -
Flash drives
Aug 16, 2010 11:35PM PDT

It depends on the flash drive, some have back up utilities and other trick items installed, these things can create issues. A FULL format ought to do the trick, otherwise some items linger in the shadows.

- Collapse -
flash drives
Aug 17, 2010 6:53AM PDT

The way I found out was that I bought a new TV that accepts a thumb drive for pictures and music. So I copied some family pictures onto the drive and plugged it into my TV. The slide show started and pictures from my work started showing up. No big deal, but, they are supposed to be deleted.When plugged into my PC,the drive looked clean and empty.
It probably is just like any other drive. I just realized that thumb drives can be lost very easily so I shouldnt keep any info on one that could be compromising.