When a file is deleted, the operating system eliminates the first letter of the file name from the file allocation table. It then considers the deleted data as space available for storage of new data. The actual deleted information is still there unchanged. It will remain there until new data is stored in its space or in part of its space. The process of assigning new data in the space of deleted data is called overwriting. There are millions of potentially available sectors on a hard drive containing deleted data. It isn’t common for all sectors with deleted data or available data storage space to be overwritten with new data during the typical course of computer use. So, portions of deleted data that haven’t been overwritten can be recovered and made available from the available data storage space long after the original file has been deleted.
The end user should know that deleted information on a computer’s hard drive can be available for the life of the hard drive, which could be a considerable amount of time after they believe they got rid of the file and even the computer. This should be a major concern to every computer user. Computer users don’t purchase one computer and keep using the same computer for the remainder of their life. People can lose, replace, sell, borrow or lease personal computers. Computers can even be stolen. The personal laptop and home computer contain not only personal online preferences like where you shop, family pictures, people you know or your interests and hobbies, but they also contain your personal information like credit card numbers, account information and banking information that can be used for identity theft and other criminal purposes when it is in the wrong hands. The computer user needs to be vigilant in protecting their information when they decide to abandon the particular computer for whatever reason.
The physical security of personal computers should be just as important as internet safety, personal safety and personal health. Act responsibly when you dispose permanently of your personal computers. Protect yourself by maintaining a clean hard drive on your active computer and also when you lease, share or borrow personal computers. Use a product such as Cyberscrub with a Windows operating system to clean the hard drives of active everyday computers and those you lease, borrow or share. You can install a software GPS tracker in laptops and personal computers such as Adeona. This will give you the option to provide law enforcement with the physical location of your computer.