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Q: I’ve heard on several occasions that deleting files from your computer does not actually delete them.  Sounds a lot like one of those urban legend type things to scare people into frantically scanning their computers for those files and pictures they prefer no one knows they have.

But, no one has been able to explain this to me anyway, and I’m not too concerned either.  Not that I have anything to hide, but now I was wondering about it again.  Where do files go when you delete them from your computer’s hard drive?  And are they still there after all, where only trained professionals know how to dig up every single file, picture, document, etc. you’ve ever downloaded or created? 

It seems to me that hard drives would crash or become full if data is never deleted – just like a real filing cabinet – you have to throw out some things as you put more in it.

– Nate F.
Fort Walton Beach, FL

A: Well, Nate, like most questions about computers (and particularly about Windows) the answer is “it depends”.  When you select a file and choose “Delete” in Windows, the file is not actually deleted, but merely moved to the system’s Recycle Bin, where it can be recovered any time you like, unless the Recycle Bin gets emptied.  In that regard, yes, you could fill up a hard drive with “deleted” files that aren’t really deleted.  The “urban legend” stuff you’re talking about has to do more with files that are deleted without being placed in the Recycle Bin, or, after the Recycle Bin has been emptied.  The honest truth is that all that stuff is true — the contents of these files do indeed live on, whether it be on a hard drive, memory stick, or other media.  Here’s how: In order to be efficient, Windows only deletes the directory entry, and marks the disk space as unused.  The actual file content is left alone, and yes, a trained professional can go back and dig up old files – at least until some new file comes along and occupies the same physical space on the drive, which then overwrites the old stuff.  There are utilities available that write sequences of 1’s and 0’s repeatedly over deleted files in order to destroy the information once and for all.  Google “disk wipe” for more information.

Q: I have a Dell computer with Windows XP.  After my son used it for 6 months I tried to use System Restore to get rid of anything he had put in but it came back that it couldn’t restore no matter what date I put in.  I redid all the software with the disks I got when I purchased it.  All went well. System Restore though, worked only once.  Now I am back to the same thing.  It won’t work although every thing else seems fine.

– Jerry H.
Ponce DeLeon, FL

A: Jerry, System Restore is designed to restore your system settings, such as registry entries, user-specific profile information, and some technical mumbo jumbo that Windows uses.  It does not un-install software, nor does it delete files, or restore deleted files.  You can view a pretty decent FAQ on System Restore here: http://tinyurl.com/2d8qla.