File Shredder

File shredder runs under the Windows operating system (XP and later) to delete files on a hard disk drive in a manner that is intended to make any recovery of the data impossible.

To install File Shredder copy File Shredder.exe to your desktop, or other folder, on a computer using a Windows operating system.

To shred files select them and then drag and drop them onto the icon. The first time you run the program it will present you with the licence agreement, once this is accepted you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to delete the files and, if you confirm this, it will begin to shred them. Alternatively you can double click on the program icon to open it. Here too, on first use, the licensing agreement will be presented and, once the terms and conditions have been accepted you can select how the program runs through the Options menu on the menu bar. You can choose between one of three 'Modes':

'Silent' meaning the program begins to shred files that are dragged and dropped onto the icon immediately without even asking for confirmation that you wish to delete files; 'Request confirmation' means that you will be asked to confirm that you wish to delete the files. 'Verbose,' the default mode, is where you will be asked to confirm that you wish to delete the files and then a window will inform you of the progress the program is making.

In addition you can choose one of two 'Methods':

'Hide files before deletion,' where the files will be transferred to a temporary folder before they are deleted, here if you log off during the run or the computer crashes any files that remain will be deleted when you next use your account. 'Delete selected files directly,' the default method, where files are removed one by one from wherever they happen to be.

Your selections, along with the coordinates of the various windows will be recorded in the Windows registry ready for next time.

The program overwrites the data in each file with: its inverse, all zeros, all ones, followed by two passes of random nubers seeded individually. Each pass of data is written using commands found in the Windows API, rather than using those native to C++ so that all file buffers are be flushed to disk before the next pass is initiated. When fstream was used buffering by Windows was a problem.

Alan Entwistle, Entyware

This program was developed using Bloodshed Software Dev C++ version 4.9.9.2 and random numbers are generated using a Mersenne Twister © 2003 written by Richard J. Wagner, building on work by Makoto Matsumoto, Takuji Nishimura, and Shawn Cokus. All files were scanned with and up to date copy of AVG ant-virus before uploading.