Eraser error, can't handle cluster tips on symbolic links

[brink123]

Hi,

I've run the Eraser 6.0.8 cleanup of unallocated space on my C: drive with cluster tip erasure selected. However, in the log file afterwards there's an informational error about files in the c:\Users\Joe\Documents, c:\Users\Joe\My Music, etc. did not have their cluster tips erased because it is a hard link or a symbolic link.

I understand that these files are just links to the actual location of the data therein. But I just want to make sure that files in "documents", "Desktop", "Mymusic" are still being addressed by the cluster tip erasure, and that its only the symbolic link FOLDER that is not affected by Eraser cluster tip handling? Thanks for the clarification!

Also, I got an information error that said that certain files couldn't have their cluster tips erased because they were compressed, encrypted or sparse. They are compressed, so I guess Eraser can't erase cluster tips on compressed files, is there a security risk to not having compressed files have their cluster tips erased?

Best, Jonathan

 

[Joel]

Re: Eraser error, can't handle cluster tips on symbolic link

I understand that these files are just links to the actual location of the data therein. But I just want to make sure that files in "documents", "Desktop", "Mymusic" are still being addressed by the cluster tip erasure, and that its only the symbolic link FOLDER that is not affected by Eraser cluster tip handling? Thanks for the clarification!

Yes - unless the symbolic link points to some other drive, then you'll have to do cluster tip erasures for that drive instead. This is to prevent a situation of unintended modification of files. In your case, since it is a Documents and Settings hard link (for compatibility by Vista/7) it is really the Users folder on that drive which will be cleaned by the cluster tip erase.

Also, I got an information error that said that certain files couldn't have their cluster tips erased because they were compressed, encrypted or sparse. They are compressed, so I guess Eraser can't erase cluster tips on compressed files, is there a security risk to not having compressed files have their cluster tips erased?

No more than any other file, I'd say. Cluster tips only contain very little information (less than 4kb), if you are not against a high-level adversary and doing unused space erasures just as part of a comprehensive security regime, that'll just be a minor point. Of course, things are completely different if you are facing a strong adversary (of which most of us aren't!)