| When the XP prompt gives you the options to | | | | file types or enter keywords instead of |
| Standby, Turn Off or Restart, holding down | | | | scanning the entire hard drive to make |
| the Shift key gives you another option | | | | searching quicker. |
| instead of Standby: Hibernate. Should you | | | | |
| Standby or Hibernate? It depends on how long | | | | Just because a file is deleted and removed |
| you will be away from your computer. Standby | | | | from your Recycle Bin doesn't mean it's gone. |
| is good if you won't be gone for hours. It | | | | Windows does not destroy deleted files, but |
| conserves energy by running your computer on | | | | keeps them until they are overwritten. Here |
| low power. Hibernate is better if you will be | | | | are three freeware to help you get rid of |
| away for a while but do not want to wait for | | | | your sensitive data such as classified |
| a total restart. It writes the contents of | | | | documents and make them unrecoverable. |
| the memory onto a file. Now that you know, | | | | |
| you have no excuse to keep your screensaver | | | | Sami Tolvanen's Eraser 5.87 Beta 1 overwrites |
| running. | | | | data several times with multiple passes of |
| | | | pseudorandom data along with several data |
| These DOS commands are very useful for | | | | pattern writes. Kevin Solway's Delete Doctor |
| Windows XP users when they cannot be bothered | | | | 2.2 is much simpler, aiming to remove files |
| to manually shutdown the computer after | | | | that resist deletion, such as corrupted file |
| downloading or after certain system scans or | | | | names and leftovers of viruses and Trojans. |
| commands. To set automatic shutdown, go the | | | | At just 148 KB, you'll barely notice it's |
| the Run icon on the Start menu of Windows. | | | | there. Simple File Shredder 3.2 is the core |
| Type in 'cmd' and press enter to open the | | | | product of Scar5 Software. Its main feature |
| window. Type 'shutdown' to display all the | | | | is the System Shredderwhich locates browser |
| commands if you are not familiar with them. | | | | cache, cookie, and history files for |
| The most useful commands are 'shutdown' | | | | shredding. |
| followed by -l to logoff, -r for restart, -t | | | | |
| xx to set a time (xx standing for number of | | | | If file duplication is bugging you, there's a |
| seconds) and -a to abort the shutdown. | | | | solution for your woes. Easy Duplicate File |
| | | | Finder makes finding and removing duplicate |
| presents their award-winning freeware Recover | | | | files on your computer fast and trouble-free. |
| Files. As you could guess, it undeletes | | | | It is free software designed to efficiently |
| erased files. Be it a file lost through an | | | | compare files and find exact contents. It |
| emptied Recycle Bin, a file deleted from a | | | | searches your hard drive and scans files |
| portable drive or an image erased from a | | | | byte-by-bytes, flags duplicates for removal |
| memory card, Recover Files can get it back | | | | to the Recycle Bin or permanent deletion. It |
| soon after deletion. The simple interface | | | | also renames duplicates to test which ones |
| tells you what files can be detected, file | | | | can be deleted and lists them in an HTML or |
| information and the chances of recovering it. | | | | TXT file. Look no further for a user-friendly |
| "Very Good" status means that you can still | | | | interface and full unicode support. Easy |
| recover a file; "Overwritten" means the file | | | | Duplicate File Finder works in all Windows |
| is corrupted or unrecoverable. You can filter | | | | OS, including XP and Vista. |