If only people understood how hard it can be to totally delete data from a hard drive they would really be a lot more careful, especially in these days of identity theft and identity fraud. Data recovery companies are well skilled at restoring data, but then so are the computer criminal specialists, and if all you have done is a simple reformat or deletion then your personal data can be much more exposed than you would like to believe.

So what lengths do we need to go to in order to ensure that our data is securely removed?

To put it simply there is no safe and easy way of ensuring that data is permantly eradicated from a hard disk or any other form of storage medium in reality. That doesn’t mean however that it can’t be done.

In order to completely erase data on a drive it is best to overwrite the original several times but not necessarily using the same methodology on each rewrite. Using a method that involves numerous passes over the data either using specialist software or with a manual process that adheres to recognized data erasure standards will under most circumstances guarantee that the data has been successfully erased.

There are many companies that can provide such data elimination services, and there are also a number of software applications that can serve the process including Evidence Eliminator, M-Sweep Pro Data Eliminatior and R-Wipe software from the company behind R-Studio Data Recovery Software.

There are also more permanent methods of data destruction, few data recovery companies can retrieve data from a hard drive where the disk’s platters have been physically destroyed.

While it would not be recommended DIY data destruction is an option you could try but this would mean that you would need to totally dismantle the drive, remove the platters and physically damaging as much of the disk as possible including destroying (shattering ) the disk as well.

Always remember deleting a file does not remove your data beyond the point of recovery. Formatting a hard disk, even full formats/low level formats do not guarantee complete data erasure. Re-installing an operating system does not get rid of your data either. The only reliable method is the multi-pass method.

Not all data will needs to be totally destroyed using the above methods and if you are happy that none of your data is personal or sensitive (both business or personal) then simply dispose of it in an enviromentally responsibly way, but if you are at all unsure don’t take the risk.

Your local data recovery services company will be able to advise you on safe data disposal methods and will probably have a local service. Data recovery and disposal should always be left to professional operators who are happy to certify their work.