At the Task window, type a name for your task. Click the down arrow next to Erase Schedule and select New Task. Answer Yes, and then the file is deleted. Eraser asks for confirmation to erase the file. Hover over the Eraser command in the pop-up menu and click Erase ( Figure A). Right-click on a file you wish to remove. After installation, open the program, select Settings, and make sure the option to Integrate Eraser Into Windows Explorer is enabled if you want to remove files via Explorer. You can also set up various tasks to run manually, run each time you load Windows, or run on a scheduled basis.ĭownload and install Eraser from its website. The program adds itself to File Explorer so you can easily select a file, a folder, or a drive to erase. SEE: How to get users on board with essential security measures (free PDF) (TechRepublic) EraserĮraser can securely delete individual files, whole folders, entire disk drives or partitions, and even unused space on a disk. All three programs are compatible with any desktop version of Windows from XP to 10 Eraser, File Shredder, and Freeraser also work with Windows Server.

In this article, we'll look at three free products: Eraser, File Shredder, and Freeraser. Many such tools (free and paid) are available. To remove files, these programs support various erasure methods or algorithms, including ones defined by the US government. You can turn to a third-party deletion or shredding tool that fully deletes a file by overwriting it multiple times with random data so the file is virtually impossible to recover. You may want to completely and securely delete a file if it contains sensitive information, or if you plan to dispose of your computer and want to be sure no one can access or view the file.

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Can t delete file from desktop