What Happen When Deleting A File

What happen to a file when deleting it from Windows? The native Windows OS delete function simply remove the file entry (complete path and filename) from directory entries. The file's data content, however, is still remain untouched in the storage area. That is why to copy a file of few hundred megabytes take some minutes while deleting it takes just few seconds.

Disk formatting isn't different. Unless low level format or Zero Fill is performed, an advanced undelete utilities able to recover data from a hard drive formatted with high level or native disk format utilities. With low level format, the entire hard disk is then filled with "zero", hence overwrite any data reside in the hard disk!

Note, it is better to use low format utilities from the respective hard disk manufacturer instead of generic low formatter (such as the BIOS built-in function) to avoid the hard disk unusable later!

Related information:

• How to undelete a file from Windows
• How to delete a sensitive file securely
• SDelete command line utility used to delete sensitive data securely
• Sure Delete Window GUI utility used to delete sensitive data securely
• Create File - Windows 2000 Resource kit used to generate empty file of arbitrary size up to 4GB (when running on Windows XP)
• WipeFree command line utility used to generate dump file to fill up free disk space where the deleted file reside
• Search more related info with Google Search engine built-in