What does Eraser do?

When you use the ordinary Delete command to remove files from your disk, they are not actually deleted, even though they no longer show in the lists of files in My Documents or My Pictures, etc. Even when they are emptied from the Recycle Bin, they are really still on the disk. Only the reference to them has been altered.
This means that confidential information is still accessible by anyone who has the skills of retrieving deleted files.

If you sell or give your computer to someone else, then your information goes with the machine. Apart from smashing the disk into small pieces, the only safe way of protecting your privacy is to use a program like Eraser.

Eraser permanently erases files from a disk by writing sequences of characters over the top of the selected file(s), and it can repeat the shredding task several times. It can do this to files that are still available for you to see, or to "deleted" files that are on parts of the disk that are shown as being "unused".

How to obtain and install Eraser

1. Download the setup file from www.heidi.ie/eraser.
   Save it into your Downloads folder, or into a Downloads folder that you have made within My Documents.
2. From the desktop go to Start » Computer » Downloads. Locate the EraserSetup file and double-click on it.
3. Follow on-screen directions to install the program, accepting the settings suggested. However if you are prompted to accept any additional items you don't want (e.g. internet search toolbars) decline to get them.
   To make the program fully active you may need to close down and restart your computer.
   

How to overwrite unused space on a disk

At least some of the "unused" space contains supposedly deleted files, or remnants of them.
Overwriting them with patterns of meaningless characters ensures that they can never be retrieved.

1. Click on Start » All Programs » Eraser » Eraser to open the program.
   By default you should be in the "On-Demand" mode as indicated on the title bar.
   If not, click on the On Demand button on the left panel.
   
   
2. Click on File » New Task
   or click on the New Task button on the Toolbar to open the Task Properties dialog box.
   
   

Select the radio button "Unused space on drive" Click on the down arrow at the right of the text frame and select the disk to be processed. Click OK to return to the main window.

6. Back at the main window the chosen disk is listed in the main panel.
   Click once on it to select it.
   
   
7. Select Task » Run or click on the Run button on the Toolbar.
   
   
8. A warning message appears. Click Yes to continue, or No to exit.
   
   
9. When you continue, a progress window opens, and on completion of the task it is replaced by a report window.
   Click Close to close the report window, and Close again to close the main Eraser window.
   The task has been completed.

How to completely erase a group of files

1. Open My Documents and locate the files(s) you wish to erase.
   (To do this double click on the My Documents icon on the Desktop
   or select Start » My Documents.)
2. Locate and highlight the file(s) you want to erase.
   (To highlight several files, hold down the Ctrl key while you click on the filenames.)
3. Right-click on any one of the highlighted files and from the drop-down menu select Erase.
   The Confirm Erasing window opens. Click on Yes.
   
4. The progress window opens and displays a graphical diagram of progress with the deletion(s).
   When it has completed the task, the Erasing Report is shown.
   Successful deletions are reported in the top panel.
   If any files were unable to be erased, this will be detailed in the lower panel.
5. Click on Close.

How to completely erase a folder or a group of folders

• Use the same procedure as for erasing files (see above).
  
  
• Be sure to have the chosen folder(s) displayed in the right-hand panel of Windows Explorer. You sometimes cannot erase folders by selecting them in the left-hand panel.
  
  
• The Confirm Erasing window will indicate that folders as well as files are to be erased.
  

Help files

Eraser has a good set of help files that will advise you about other capabilities of the program, such as how to schedule regular clean-ups.
When the main window of Eraser is open, click on the menu item Help.

How to Uninstall Eraser

If you want to remove Eraser from your computer,
click on Start » All Programs » Eraser » Uninstall Eraser.