Eraser 6 Public Beta (aka RC1)

[Joel]

Eraser 6 is unleashed. Along with the new website. http://eraser.heidi.ie/. Eraser 6 sports a completely revamped user interface, and Windows XP/Vista support out of the box. We've recruited Dennis van Lith to be in charge of UX (User eXperience) and aesthetic appeal for Version 6; here are a few screenshots:




I must admit: paradoxically, not all features of Version 5 has made it into this release, although new features have been added:

• Added a more flexible Task Scheduler (roughly as customisable as Outlook recurring appointments!)
• Unified Task List (no more separate On-Demand/Scheduled tasks: they are now all together)
• Tasks can now contain multiple targets (running a task may have a few things erased at one go; somewhat like a grouping mechanism)
• 8 new erasure methods (above Version 5's five)
• Customisable PRNGs (some complaints about ISAAC should be resolved with the new default of the RNGCryptoServiceProvider, which is a Windows CSPRNG); ISAAC is still selectable for those who prefer speed over security.
• Plugin support (currently quite immature, but the foundations are there)
• Built-in updater
• EraserL has been replaced by... Eraser. The same Eraser.exe can do both GUI and command line

Features removed:

• Erasures of Encrypted/Compressed/Sparse NTFS files (unlikely to be implemented, low-level undocumented APIs required)
• FAT32 FAT erasures (to be done in the rc-1/final period: you'll get an error for this)
• Shell Context menus (not completely implemented yet)

These are certainly just the tip of the iceberg. You'll find out more when you use the program: trust me, you most definitely will enjoy the new Experience.

Disclaimer: The security of the erasures has not been verified by internal or external entities. The code is still of beta quality and may not remove all traces of files with the confidence of Version 5. If you have security concerns, do use Version 5 while the security aspects of Version 6 are ironed out. It is however noteworthy that v6 uses only documented APIs for erasure and therefore the risk of corrupting your drives is lower than Version 5.

Unfazed, ye brave Software Warrior? Follow the instructions about using betas then Download it now.

[greyowl]

The link for Using Betas is not found.

[Joel]

Fixed.

[greyowl]

The link for the beta certificate is not working.

[Joel]

Darn, that will result in a lot of people getting errors during startup. Okay, I've fixed it.

Joel

[greyowl]

Darn, that will result in a lot of people getting errors during startup. Okay, I've fixed it.

Joel

Thanks, Joel.

I downloaded the certificate: EraserCA.cer

When I double clicked it, I got a message: "This file is invalid for use as the following: Security Certificate"

I also notice that the file size is 0 kb.

[Joel]

Okay, fixed that. Sorry for the error; the test and actual servers are different so I assumed it worked on the public server based on the fact it worked on my test one. Thanks!

Joel

[Joel]

Not yet, please report on Trac.

Joel

[Joel]

Nevermind, i'll handle it, I was in a rush then.

Joel