Failed to erase file names

Hi Beans Baker

I am sorry to learn that you are still experiencing problems.

I have not noticed anyone else writing to the forum with the same problem as yourself yet. Don’t feel paranoid though, there always has to be someone on their own reporting this stuff first !

Do you have any backup software on your computer ? Another user found that they were unable to Eraser files created by backup software recently and it made me think of you.

Are you still able to perform a complete error free wipe when in safe mode ?

I know this is not ideal but at least you are able to clean your drive now and then until there is a solution to your problem.
 
Overwriter said:
Hi Beans Baker

I am sorry to learn that you are still experiencing problems.

I have not noticed anyone else writing to the forum with the same problem as yourself yet. Don’t feel paranoid though, there always has to be someone on their own reporting this stuff first !

Do you have any backup software on your computer ? Another user found that they were unable to Eraser files created by backup software recently and it made me think of you.

Are you still able to perform a complete error free wipe when in safe mode ?

I know this is not ideal but at least you are able to clean your drive now and then until there is a solution to your problem.
Click to expand...


I have no problem with erasing individual files or their file names. I ONLY have a problem with erasing file names when erasing unused disk space, although I can still do so in Safe Mode.

Anyway, on a tangent to that, you earlier raised the issue of whether one can even effectively erase all traces of a file when running Vista with System Restore (and Shadow Copy) enabled. I've now done some research into that interesting question, and while I'm still not *totally* sure, I am now of the impression that--unless one turns off System Restore entirely--both deleted and erased items will still exist in the form of recoverable shadow copies *until* the limitation of alloted HD space for them (15% by default) causes them to eventually be aged out.

And this means that Vista's Shadow Copy (also called Volume Snapshot Service or VSS) can, indeed, represent a data security risk that cannot possibly be overcome by judicious use of an erasing tool--which leaves one with the alternatives of full-drive encryption, turning System Restore off and leaving it off, or simply *never* having *any* sensitive data on one's HD at all.
 
Hi Beans Baker

I am now of the impression that--unless one turns off System Restore entirely--both deleted and erased items will still exist in the form of recoverable shadow copies *until* the limitation of alloted HD space for them (15% by default) causes them to eventually be aged out.

And this means that Vista's Shadow Copy (also called Volume Snapshot Service or VSS) can, indeed, represent a data security risk that cannot possibly be overcome by judicious use of an erasing tool--which leaves one with the alternatives of full-drive encryption, turning System Restore off and leaving it off, or simply *never* having *any* sensitive data on one's HD at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah, as I said, I was worried about this myself, I think you are right. Unfortunately you are going to have to choose.

As for whole disk encryption that is all well and good but in some countries (now the UK) if you refuse to hand over your password or encryption keys then you can receive up to 5 years in prison. You need to seriously consider you own personal situation before making your decision.

Anyway thank you for getting back to me and I would be interested to hear what you decide to do.
 
Overwriter said:
Hi Beans Baker

I am now of the impression that--unless one turns off System Restore entirely--both deleted and erased items will still exist in the form of recoverable shadow copies *until* the limitation of alloted HD space for them (15% by default) causes them to eventually be aged out.

And this means that Vista's Shadow Copy (also called Volume Snapshot Service or VSS) can, indeed, represent a data security risk that cannot possibly be overcome by judicious use of an erasing tool--which leaves one with the alternatives of full-drive encryption, turning System Restore off and leaving it off, or simply *never* having *any* sensitive data on one's HD at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah, as I said, I was worried about this myself, I think you are right. Unfortunately you are going to have to choose.

As for whole disk encryption that is all well and good but in some countries (now the UK) if you refuse to hand over your password or encryption keys then you can receive up to 5 years in prison. You need to seriously consider you own personal situation before making your decision.

Anyway thank you for getting back to me and I would be interested to hear what you decide to do.
Click to expand...

Since my "sensitive" stuff is very minimal, I'll probably just continue erasing such stuff whenever I wish to get rid of it. (I like the free Cryptainer LE for encrypting sensitive files when they're not in use.) Then, due to the Shadow Copy issue, I'll probably completely turn off System Restore periodically when everything is running fine, and after a couple of reboots, I'll run Eraser on my unused disk space. (But I have to do this in Safe Mode, due to my problem with Eraser failing to erase my directory entries when erasing unused disk space in Normal Mode). Then, I'll probably turn System Restore back on for a time again.
 
Hi Beans Baker :)

I understand what you are saying about system restore. Have you thought about “Ghost” ? You could get your system running exactly how you like it then make an image of the drive, this way if anything goes wrong you just reinstall your image and your drive is as good as new. Much better and more reliable than system restore.

As for encrypting a small number of files have you considered the following ?

AxcryptOne file at a time encryption.

TruecryptEncrypted volume with plausible deniability !

I like both of those programs they work well and both have an excellent reputation. You need to give Truecrypt some time as there are many very useful features that take some understanding.

If you did ever decide on whole disk encryption the Jetico Volume Encryption seems very good, to me anyway.
 
Overwriter said:
Hi Beans Baker :)

I understand what you are saying about system restore. Have you thought about “Ghost” ? You could get your system running exactly how you like it then make an image of the drive, this way if anything goes wrong you just reinstall your image and your drive is as good as new. Much better and more reliable than system restore.

As for encrypting a small number of files have you considered the following ?

AxcryptOne file at a time encryption.

TruecryptEncrypted volume with plausible deniability !

I like both of those programs they work well and both have an excellent reputation. You need to give Truecrypt some time as there are many very useful features that take some understanding.

If you did ever decide on whole disk encryption the Jetico Volume Encryption seems very good, to me anyway.
Click to expand...

Since I have Vista Ultimate, I don't need Ghost. Vista Ultimate incorporates a "Complete PC Backup" feature that I use regularly to backup my whole system to DVDs. It works extremely well and I have used it to restore my system quite a few times, always very quickly and with total success.

And yes, I know of the encryption alternatives that you mentioned, but Cryptainer LE suits my modest needs perfectly, so I have no real need to try other options. Thanks for the suggestions, anyway.
 
OK Beans Baker, good luck with your search for privacy and I hope you will keep an interest in Eraser ! :)

Please post back here on the Eraser forum with any feature requests or user help you may have !

Thanks. :wink:
 
@Beans Baker. Be warned though, Complete PC Backup will NOT WORK if your disk size change (i.e. migrate up from small disk to large disk or vice versa). It wil REPARTITION your drive before attempting to back up, which I feel is extremely restrictive. I will stil lrecommend Ghost if you seriously need to back up well (unbeatable as of now, though CloneZilla is a promising alternative.)

Joel
 
Yep, seems okay to me. Never really tried it yet though.

Joel
 
I have Ghost but sometimes it doesn’t have drivers, particularly for new lap tops so I was looking for something else like Ghost but which was updated more frequently.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top