please clear up the version problem question 4 me

[himagain]

Hi there,
I upgraded my old version - been using happily for a long time - and got into all the troubles reported here and on C/Net.
Worse - there you cannot go back to older versions.
Please explain what has happened to this previously good program.
I use XP and it has caused me a lot of trouble to get rid of the later version I upgraded to.....
Does the fact that I use XP mean a different version to suit?
Which version is really safe to use?
The "public" vote seems to be for 5.8.8.
OR have things really been sorted out in the latest version?

ALSO This from C/net :
Great Program for Erasing Non-System Storage Media!"
by klegca on February 10, 2010

Pros: Works fine on non-system hard drives. Completely removes all traces of a file. User Manual is well writen and easy to understand.
Cons: Will not remove file traces from unused, open space on the hard drive containing the system files. Runs like it is working and takes hours to complete the task, but when finished, the deleted files can be restored with "undelete" softyware.
Summary: If you store all of your data and document files on external hard drives or other media, or on internal hard drives that are not on the System Files Hard Drive, This is a good program.
---------------------------------------------
I hope this writer only had a setup problem???

Cordially,
Himagain
BTW: There is a setup error in the registration - it preloads email details, not user name - wasted a bit of time till I twigged....

 

[DavidHB]

This is a user response: Joel or whoever can speak for the programmers. But I do regularly use both versions on different machines, so I get to compare them on a daily basis.

I've never had a problem with uninstalling either version of Eraser. If you want to revert to Version 5 (which, IMO, is currently the better option if you are still running XP), and you are still having problems after uninstalling Version 6, delete the Version 6 install folder and any traces in your user program Data folder, and run a registry cleaner program.

There were good reasons why Eraser needed to be rewritten; security changes in Vista and now Windows 7 and the messiness of the code base have been cited as the main ones. I may be in the minority, but I prefer the cleaner user interface of Version 6. But (1) version 6 still lacks features of Version 5 (notably the portable version and DBAN), and (2) it is not yet fully stable under, for example, Windows 7 x64 (with which you need to use a nightly build rather than the 'stable' release). The continuing development of version 6.2 will hopefully fix the stability problem, and have Eraser running as a service, which should mean that it co-exists rather better with the OS.

I'd be very grateful if you could record the precise steps which led to your conclusion that Eraser

Will not remove file traces from unused, open space on the hard drive containing the system files. Runs like it is working and takes hours to complete the task, but when finished, the deleted files can be restored with "undelete" software.

As you will see from this thread, this may be a function of the particular sequence of events, rather than the working of Eraser as such. If, however, there are circumstances in which Eraser should be working and isn't, we need those to be openly documented.

Hope this helps,

David

 

[himagain]

I'd be very grateful if you could record the precise steps which led to your conclusion that Eraser

Hi David,
That quote was from C/Net user comments on the product, not me.
I tracked v6 down as the culprit on my machine, but uninstall did work.
I've just gone back to 5.8.8 and it is working fine under my XP.

I'm just used to keeping programs up to date!
But, for now I'll stick with 5x as there do seem to be full erasure problems with the 6x version. I was quite happy with it!

Cheers!

 

[DavidHB]

I'm not in the business of defending Eraser come what may, but I have yet to see a properly documented and reproducible case of Eraser failing to wipe free space as it is supposed to; we cannot discount the possibility that reports we read are misinformed. The problem is that Windows is a fundamentally insecure OS, and is entirely careless about where it leaves bits of 'deleted' files lying around. The sequence of actions has to be correct for the OS to identify as free space things that Eraser should be erasing. And that is without considering the page file and other system files that Eraser cannot touch on a running machine.

All security is to some degree a game of chance. The point of using a program like Eraser is that significantly improves security, not that it proves the impossible 100% assurance.

David

 

[himagain]

I'm not in the business of defending Eraser come what may, but I have yet to see a properly documented and reproducible case of Eraser failing to wipe free space as it is supposed to; we cannot discount the possibility that reports we read are misinformed. The problem is that Windows is a fundamentally insecure OS,
David

Oh, I agree. It is fundamentally difficult to get to the truth in anything today - especially to do with the Web.
As you can see, I'mm doing what used to be a sound requirement and now is VITAL: due diligence.

Cheers,

 

[DavidHB]

I'm doing what used to be a sound requirement and now is VITAL: due diligence.

... which Windows makes increasingly difficult with each version.

David