So you think those files that you deleted from your computer hard drive are gone forever?

They are not. In fact, in many cases, even if you delete a file, empty the recycle bin, and reformat your hard drive, it is still possible to recover the data.

This is good news if you accidentally delete important files and need to recover them. Using the right tool, you can probably recover the lost files without a problem.

On the other hand, this is bad news if you delete sensitive files and then sell your computer to someone who knows how to recover deleted files - especially if those files contain customer or financial data.

If you plan on disposing of your old computers, you'll definitely want to use a multi-pass file wiping tool (ie BcWipe or Eraser 5)to securely clean your hard drives first.

You never know who might end up with your old computers or what they might find if they look hard enough, so be sure the files you deleted, are really deleted.

Better to be safe than sorry.