Techno Thursday: File Shredder

File shredder is a handy and important program to have on your computer – especially if you need to get rid of sensitive or personal information. I don’t remember where I first heard of this program, but I’m already getting a lot of usage out of it!

This is what it says on the File shredder’s website:

“With File Shredder you can remove files from your hard drive without fear they could be recovered. There are quite a few software tools today for retrieval of deleted files under Windows OS. Those tools, often referred to as “file recovery” software, are taking advantage of shortcoming of WIndows “delete” command that we all use regularly to delete files. Actually, the “delete” operation in Windows only removes bits of information from files so they appear deleted in OS. It is easy to retrieve those files using aforementioned specialized file recovery software.

In order to remove, or shred files permanently from your system you have to use a program that is capable of rewriting the files with random series of binary data multiple times. This process is often called shredding. That way, the actual content of the file has been overwritten and the possibilities to recover such a shredded file are mostly theoretical.”

It also has 5 different shredding settings and a disk wiper that wipes  unused desk space. It is easy to use, has a simple user interface and best of all, it’s free. (Who doesn’t like that!)

This program is great for when you end a business relationship with a client. After giving your ex-client back his or her files and information, you can use File Shredder to ensure that you no longer have traces of your ex-client’s “stuff” on your computer. It’s an extra step in protecting your client’s (or ex-client’s) privacy.

The downside of this program, is that it’s not supported nor does it have regular upgrades. There is a decent help page though. If you want regular support and upgrades, or need something more robust, you may want to go with a commercial file shredding program, some of which are recommended on the File Shredder site.