Use with caution. This option permanently erases all data beyond recovery.With DriveScrubber, you can completely wipe all the contents from a drive or device, you can securely delete selected files and folders, or you can erase just the remnants of previously deleted files.
Wiping the free space is ideal if:
You want to perform regular security maintenance for your computer and permanently delete private files.
You are planning to sell or give away a computer and want programs and the operating system to remain on it. Personal data you have deleted is completely wiped, but the files you have not deleted are left intact.
Use the Wipe free space of a drive wizard to erase data remnants left by files you have deleted. By wiping only the free space on a drive, the remnants of deleted data are erased; the used space is not touched and the existing files, programs, and operating system are left intact.
Wiping existing data is ideal if you need to securely delete selected files or folders on-demand.
Use the Desktop File Incinerator. With the Incinerator enabled, the ability to permanently delete selected files and folders is integrated into the Windows operating system. Simply select the files or folders and then click Send to Incinerator from the Windows right-click menu to securely delete the data.
Use with caution. This option permanently erases all data beyond recovery.
Wiping all the contents of a non-system drive is ideal if:
You want to erase all data from removable media, such as a flash drive.
You want to wipe certain drives or drive partitions, while keeping the system drive and the operating system intact.
You want to start with a "like new" drive, such as after virus damage.
Use the Wipe all contents of a drive wizard to wipe secondary drives and removable media, without having to restart your computer. Every sector and track of the drive is overwritten and all data and files – any existing files and installed software – are permanently erased.
Wiping all the contents of a system drive is ideal if:
You are planning to sell or give away a computer and want absolutely no data to remain on it.
You want to start with a "like new" computer, such as after virus damage.
A DOS-based program is used to wipe drives. The program does not run on an installed operating system so that all drive contents, including the operating system, can be erased. To start the DOS-based application, you will use a bootable disk.
Use with caution. This option permanently erases all data beyond recovery.
If you have a DriveScrubber installation CD, this CD is also a bootable disk. Simply put the CD in the drive and start/restart your computer.
If you do not have an installation CD, you can create a bootable disk with the Create DriveScrubber boot disk. You will need a blank floppy disk or CD (recordable or rewritable).
Note: A boot disk is required to wipe a system drive, but any type of drive can also be wiped with the boot disk.
Related topics:
Technical overview of data wiping