Security

Choose the wipe method that matches your needs

File Wiper offers four different file wiping methods, each of which offers different trade-offs between speed and security. Before choosing the method that's right for you please read the descriptions in the Options topic carefully.

Make backups on completely separate drives or media

If you need to make backups of the data you are wiping don't store the backup copies on the same hard drive, even if the drive is divided into multiple partitions. For example, if your hard disk contains partitions C:\, D:\ and E:\, wiping a file on C:\ and making a backup on E:\ will not prevent anybody from accessing the data!

Ideally, backups of data you want to wipe should be made not only on a different drive but also on a completely separate computer in a different location, or on removable media that you can lock up in a safe place. You get the idea.

Only wipe files you really want to get rid of!

The most important security issue to bear in mind when using File Wiper is that you cannot recover wiped files -- that is the whole idea of the program! This means that you should be absolutely sure that you really want to wipe the files you have selected before proceeding.