Active@ KillDisk

It is a well-known fact that the files you delete in Windows end up in the Recycle Bin and, even if you empty the latter, there are still ways to recover erased files. To make sure that the files you want to get rid of cannot be retrieved, you can use an application such as Active@ KillDisk, which securely overwrites data on logical partitions and physical drives.

Active@ KillDisk presents itself as a professional disk eraser, which pretty much summarizes its array of functions. It comes with support for multiple storage devices, including standard hard disks, SSD, as well as M.2 and USB drives.

The application gets extra bonus points due to the well-organized GUI with accessible options. A list of all the available storage devices is displayed within the main window, each with its partitions and unallocated sections. Clicking on any disk sector reveals a plethora of information about it, including details related to the partition geometry and the stored volume, its capacity, integrity and metadata, all based on the S.M.A.R.T. parameters.

Going back to its main function, that of cleaning storage devices, you should know that Active@ KillDisk can erase data on a disk or wipe deleted and unused data on the selected partitions, volumes, unallocated space or disk area.

There are multiple erase methods available. In fact, Active@ KillDisk comes with support for over 24 sanitation standards, including powerful methods, such as US DoD 5220.22M and NIST 800-88. To put it another way, once this application does its job, recovering the deleted data should be impossible. Please be careful when selecting the sections or partitions to clean, as there is no turning back.

The erase process can be verified based on the S.M.A.R.T. parameters and custom sticky labels can be printed on each disk. A log file is automatically generated, storing information about all the actions taken by Active@ KillDisk, which comes in handy in case of an error.

The system volumes and MFT records can be scanned via the built-in file browser of Active@ KillDisk. As such, you can view the folders and files located on the drive, both existing and deleted ones. The application also displays sectors and file clusters and allows you to wipe free clusters and unused space. Various other cleaning operations are available.

There are more features to discover in Active@ KillDisk. In fact, the settings area conceals a few configuration tools that give you much more control over the disk sanitation process. For instance, you can set the number of read and write retry attempts, configure email notifications, or even create a bootable disk to host the Active@ KillDisk executable.

Simply deleting the files or even formatting the disk does not mean that the content cannot be recovered. With an application such as Active@ KillDisk, you can make sure that the data you delete is gone for good.