Deleting information from our hard drives and folders is not completely safe. For this reason it is possible to perform a data recovery that could affect confidential information. If you ask yourself how to delete or wipe data securely and permanently with Hardwipe, this article is for you.
What is Hardwipe?
Hardwipe is an application created under free software that allows the permanent cancellation information stored on the hard drive. This procedure prevents the recovery of deleted files and "cleans" directories and files.
What is Hardwipe used for?
Some users choose to format hard drives from Windows with CMD. However, Hardwipe accomplishes this task as it not only serves to clean hard drives completely, but also allows for the permanent deletion of individual files. In addition, Hardwipe makes it easier to clean up the recycle folder whose information remains despite being deleted.
How to securely and permanently delete or wipe data with Hardwipe
To delete or wipe data securely and permanently using the program Hardwipe, you need to follow a series of simple steps that we explain below.
Download the Hardwipe app
First, it is necessary download the Hardwipe program installation package available on hardwipe official website. Press the «Download» button and wait for the file to be downloaded to your computer. Then proceed with installing Hardwipe by running the installer you downloaded on your PC.
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Install Hardwipe on your computer
The installation process is very simple because Hardwipe has a wizard which will guide you to follow each step correctly. Press the «Next» button and accept the license agreements. Then, choose from the options presented by the program and press "Install" to start the installation.
Hardwipe is installed in English by default. Therefore, if you want the Spanish version, you need to download a package that matches this language. Unzip it and copy the file with the .lang extension into the directory «Langs» che si find in "Programs / hardwipe"
Usa Hardwipe
After installing the Hardwipe tool, it's time to use it. Open Hardwipe so that you can access the functions the application presents from its interface. In the left part of the window, you will see four options: clean disk, clean files, clean space and recyclers.
Discover the features of Hardwipe
The option "Clean up disk" permanently deletes all information stored on a disk. You can choose between a hard drive or a removable drive. Thus, you will be able to do a real cleanup of your disk to avoid the recovery of confidential data.
on your part, "Clean file" comes used to delete folders and files from any location on the disk and «Recyclers» performs a permanent deletion of all information that has been left in the recycle bin.
Delete all data permanently and securely
If you want to permanently delete data from a file or folder, you have to select the "clean file" option. Next, choose the directory or file you want to delete based on its location on your hard drive. It's important to note that you can also format an external hard drive that your PC doesn't recognize, but the procedure doesn't include using the Hardwipe tool in that case.
Next, it is necessary choose the cleaning algorithm, indicate the speed, mark "Shut down" or "start session" (optional), mark "Verify" if you want to verify the process and finally press the "Start cleaning" button.
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Choose the cleaning algorithm
Hardwipe has six cleaning algorithms to perform final data deletion. These methods serve a prevent third parties from recovering confidential information that have already been deleted from the hard drive.
The "Overwrite Zeros" algorithm performs a single pass but is inefficient, "Random Overwrite" performs a random pass, and "GOST R" performs two passes. On the other hand, "DOD 5220" takes three steps, "Schneier" takes seven steps and "Gutmann" focuses on thirty-five steps, slowing down the process.
Indicates the speed for secure erasing
Hardwipe has a chance to choose the speed to delete files and folders safely. The higher the speed chosen, the higher the priority of the application over the system.
So you have to take into account the priority of the other activities you do on your PC before choosing the speed for secure erasing. If you regret deleting the information because you still need it, don't worry as you can recover deleted files after formatting your PC hard drive with tools like Recuva or EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
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