Data Wipe

More often than not, hitting the delete key and emptying your Recycle Bin is usually not enough to erase sensitive data safely and permanently from your computer. Given the plethora of recovery tools out there, anyone with basic technical skills can restore and access the files you think you erased for good.

Data Wipe is a lightweight piece of software that allows you to securely and permanently erase documents, folders and drives, so that they cannot be recovered.

The program comes with an outdated and unpolished interface, but it is also well-organized and intuitive, so it addresses all users of all expertise. Upon launch, you are provided with three options that are also representative for the functions the application can operate.

Regardless of the selected option you will be glad to learn that the procedure is similar. You can preview and select the volumes, directories or files that you want to erase. You should know that during the wipe, no damage is done to your hard disk or storage device.

It is worth mentioning that the utility comes with three data erasing tools for individual files, partitions or folders. While permanently deleting a volume is recommended when you want to sell or recycle a drive, file deletion can come in handy for the times when you are forced to work on someone else's computer or when attempting to get rid of a virus infection for instance.

You should know that the application works with both local and external drives, including those that you are using for your smartphone, tablet or digital camera. Considering that once erased the data in unrecoverable, it is advisable that you create backups of the files that you want to access later on.

Irrespective of whether you want to ensure that private records do not end up in the wrong hands or you are only trying to clean your computer by deleting persistent malware, perhaps Data Wipe could come in handy.