| Author | Message | ||
     brotherjoe Username: brotherjoe Registered: N/A |
One of the main reasons I purchased WinHex is it's initializing feature. It's been quite a long time I've been using another popular freeware secure deletion utility, but I wanted to combine it with Winhex for even better privacy. After initializing my hard disk's free space with CSPRNG and three passes I was quite surprised to find out (using Winhex search feature) that some of my long time ago "securely deleted" files are still there! How can that be? I thought that Winhex initializing beats forensic software but now I am confused. Any suggestions? | ||
| Stefan Fleischmann Username: admin Registered: 1-2001 |
When you wipe free space, you wipe free clusters. You do not wipe slack space, unused FILE records, $LogFile, or other locations on a drive. | ||
| brotherjoe Username: brotherjoe Registered: N/A |
But I did wipe also obsolete MFT records. | ||
| brotherjoe Username: brotherjoe Registered: N/A |
Stefan, please, can you explain the most secure procedure to sanitize my PC? What should I do to make sure my PC is spyproof, safe and sane? What bothers me most is that even my TrueCrypt-encrypted filenames are exposed there. How can I fix it? | ||
| Patricia Monica Delbono Username: pato Registered: N/A |
It's very important for me to undestand how can winhex work to sanitize a disk, too. You explained me in another topic that i cannot erase folders but the files in it. I understand that once I erase these files those doesn't appear. Once of my services with winhex is to erase secure the information of my clients. So your answer is very important for me too. Patricia | ||
| Stefan Fleischmann Username: admin Registered: 1-2001 |
In WinHex you can - securely erase an entire hard disk - securely erase an entire partition - securely erase ranges of sectors - securely erase clusters on a drive letter that are free according to the OS - securely erase slack space on an NTFS/FAT volume - securely erase unused MFT FILE records on an NTFS volume - securely erase unused directory entries on a FAT volume - securely erase the contents of selected files (not copies of the same contents elsewhere) Which of these feature you would like to use and for what purpose is entirely up to. What you would like to do manually in addition to the above (e.g. erasing portions of the registry, erasing portions of $LogFile or other NTFS system files) is entirely up to you. Whether the result is still a functioning file system or operating system installation depends on what you do. > Stefan, please, can you explain the most secure procedure to sanitize my PC? Wipe the entire hard disk, while that hard disk is attached as a secondary hard disk to a computer. (Thereby you lose all the data on the hard disk.) > What should I do to make sure my PC is spyproof, safe and sane? I don't know. > How can I fix it? If you still find remnants of the data, then please find out where that is, you have an ideal tool for that in your hands already, how would I be able to guess that from remote?!? Maybe you simply forgot to take a new volume snapshot and that's why WinHex still lists the files when opening the volume. > So your answer is very important for me too. I can only tell you what functions are available in WinHex. How you do your job is entirely up to you. Because of the complexity of today's file systems and operating system often the only 100% secure option is to erase the entire hard disk. | ||
| Ian MacArthur Username: nuqian Registered: N/A |
I have a related problem. I wish to completely wipe a disk before disposing of it so as to ensure it cannot be read by a subsequent owner. Disk is locally attached and appears as HD2 or E: there should be no files open or in use. Tools | File Tools | Wipe securely only allows me to erase files - see Patricia's comments above. I wish to completely wipe the disk but cannot find out how to do this. I can do this though not as securely using Partition Magic but it seems sensible to use Winhex's claimed more secure methods. | ||
| Kjeld Carlsen Username: kjeldc Registered: N/A |
Maybe - File - Fill disk sectors - is what you neeed | ||
| Stefan Fleischmann Username: admin Registered: 1-2001 |
Tools | Open Disk | HD2 Edit | Fill Disk Sectors | ||
| Ian MacArthur Username: nuqian Registered: N/A |
Thanks - just what I need. That feature was well hidden!! Any chance of explaining that in the Help file? | ||
| Stefan Fleischmann Username: admin Registered: 1-2001 |
> That feature was well hidden!! Hidden? It's accessible right from the main menu, and for a program with 1,000 or so features as prominently placed as it gets. > Any chance of explaining that in the Help file? It is mentioned and explained in both the program help and the user manual. Can easily be found through the menu reference or through a search for "wipe" (as well as many other related keywords) in the manual as well as a full-text index of the program help. | ||
| Ian MacArthur Username: nuqian Registered: N/A |
Obviously a case of RTFM, Ian Thanks again |