Deleted Files: Where Do They Go?

No one knows where broken hearts go. But do you know where deleted files go? Sure, your deleted files go to the recycle bin. Once you right click on a file and choose delete, it ends up there. However, that doesn’t mean the file is deleted because it's not. It’s simply in a different folder location, one that’s labeled recycle bin. From there, you can easily restore the file anytime you want to.

Emptying out the recycle bin doesn’t necessarily mean that your files are permanently deleted. It might seem like it but that’s not exactly the case.

When a computer deletes a file or the Recycle Bin is emptied, it is removing the reference to the file on the hard drive. Once the file header, or reference, is removed, the computer can no longer see the file. The space the file took up is no longer reserved for that file, and any new file can be stored in that location.
What does this mean? The file is no longer readable by the computer. However, the file is still on the hard drive, at least until another file or part of another file is saved to the same location.

(Via: https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001463.htm)

The files deleted from the recycle bin are still in the computer. Although they can’t easily be accessed, they’re not actually removed or deleted. That’s really something to think about. That is, if you really want to delete a file. After all, not everything in your computer is worth keeping. Some files are probably just junk or maybe just bad memories that you want to forget. Even worse, some files are probably deep, dark secrets that you don’t want anyone to know about.

The point is, some files are probably not bringing you joy anymore. According to “KonMari,” the popular method of tidying up, if something does not give you joy, get rid of it. Just in case you’ve been living in a cave and you haven’t heard of the “KonMari” method, here’s what it tells you to do.

It asks you to choose what to keep, not what to throw away. Holding each item you possess in your hands, ask yourself if it “sparks joy.” Yes? Keep it. No? Discard it.

(Via: https://www.thespruce.com/the-konmari-method-4138610)

The same method could easily be applied if you want to tidy up your computer. The thing is, it takes some time to really get rid of a file. Even after you've deleted it, it’s still there. The hard drive of your computer stores it until another file overwrites it.

The storage space that was once the file you deleted is seen by the operating system as free space that can be used for storing new files. If the free space that was once a file happens to be used by the operating system to store new data, the content of the original deleted file is overwritten. In that case, there is little chance to recover the deleted file.

(Via: https://www.digitalcitizen.life/simple-questions-what-happens-deleted-files-why-can-they-be-recovered)

It takes some time to really get rid of deleted files. That could be good or bad for you, depending on the situation. If you need to recover a file, then it’s good for you. However, it might be bad for you if you want to sell or simply get rid of your computer.

If files you’ve deleted could still be unearthed by experts that means anyone who steals your computer or buys it legitimately could potentially restore the files you thought you had deleted. That could lead to some costly incidents. To protect yourself, remove the hard drive from any computer you’re planning to sell. That’s the only way to ensure that no one can find and restore data that you have tried to delete.

(Via: http://www.geekrescue.com/blog/2014/03/04/are-deleted-files-really-gone-forever)

All the bits and pieces of data are in the hard drive. Whether they’re deleted or not, they are all stored in the hard drive. In case of data loss, the hard drive is the key to salvation. Unfortunately, hard drive recovery is not that easy. It’s better to leave it to the experts at https://www.harddriverecovery.org/, who can provide professional https://www.harddriverecovery.org/data-recovery-services.html.

Deleted Files: Where Do They Go? is republished from http://www.harddriverecovery.org

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