Deleting a file on a computer rarely means it is gone. On traditional hard drives and many solid-state drives, what disappears from view often lingers in the background, recoverable with the right ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Even when an old computer won’t start up anymore, the hard drive ...

You can just toss that old hard drive in a drawer, which is the cheapest way to be sure nobody will access it, but if you’d just like to be rid of it, I’d recommend destroying it. Jim Rossman / TNS I ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Technically, you should assume that data is never truly removed from a hard drive. That's because, for the most part, when you delete a file ...