When it comes to your computer, security takes a number of forms. There is the threat of viruses and spyware to consider, the importance of securing accounts with strong passwords and there is also the security of your files to bear in mind. You might think that when you delete the files you no longer need they are gone forever, but there are a variety of tools can techniques that can be used to recover data that has been ‘removed’. Hardwipe is a free tool that can be used to boost your security by overwriting files multiple times to dramatically reduce, or even eliminate, the ability to recover files.
The program can be used in a couple of ways, either to wipe a drive in its entirety or delete selections of files. When it comes to wiping a drive, you must use the main program interface to select the drive you are interested in as well as selecting the options that should be used, but when it comes to deleting individual files and folders, Windows’ right click menu provides access to the wiping option.
Files can be overwritten anything from once to 35 time depending on the sensitivity of your data or your level of paranoia, but you should expect most of the multi-wipe options to take quite some time -- although it is possible to adjust the priority at which the program runs. Whether you are wiping a drive completely or just deleting a large number of files, you can opt to have Windows automatically shut down so you do not need to sit at your computer waiting for the process to finish.
Another handy option is the ability to wipe free space that has already been created by deleting files in the usual way or using other software. This option to clean up the potential security risks from the past is a nice touch, as is the feature that makes it possible to wipe data that has been stored in Windows’ swap file.
Hardwipe is not the only secure deletion tool that is available – in fact there are quite a few to choose from – but it benefits greatly from the fact that it is not only free of charge but also incredibly easy to use. If you want to protect your privacy if you are passing on hardware to another owner, this is a great way to keep your data secure.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the Hardwipe review page.
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