When you delete files on your computer, they don’t actually go anywhere. The pointers to the files are simply removed. Until something else gets written over top of the pre-existing data (and usually even after that) the data is still there and can be retrieved. Free data recovery tools exploit that myth in file deletion. What do you do when you want to get rid of that spreadsheet about your secret Swiss bank account?

First, call me and wire me all the money from it, I’ll handle it for you. No one will ever find it. It will be gone in 24hours. Unless your areacode is 419, in which case I’m not helping you inherit a fortune.

Second, you can look at a piece of freeware appropriately called Eraser. Eraser has a list of features as long as your arm and can take care of most data removal tasks. Just a few features include:

• Works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP (32/64),Vista (32/64), Windows Server 2003 and DOS.
• It works with any drive including IDE, SCSI and RAID, and CD-RW’s.
• Uses the Guttmann (Default), Pseudorandom Data and US DoD 5220-22.M methods.
• Erases Files and Folders.
• Erases Files/Folders that were only previously ‘deleted’.
• Erases Windows Temporary Files.
• Erases Internet Cookies.
• Erases Paging (swap) file.
• Erases Internet Cache.

All of this for free and they have an active support forum to go with it.