Where do deleted files go when they are permanently deleted from the recycle bin on the Macintosh?

Answer 1

They don't go anywhere, they are still on your hard disk (or fragments of them). When a file is deleted, some or all parts of it are still retrievable in Microsoft Windows. The subject of much anger amongst users who value privacy and security, including me. Go here for more information... http://www.microsuck.com/content/ms-hidden-files.shtml You'll find out all sorts of frightening things about the ubiquitous Windows operating system. It's a real eye-opener. Even if a file is deleted properly, it can still be retrieved using specialist software. Forensic and data recovery specialists are used by large corporations, governments and law enforcement agencies to retrieve valuable data lost by human error, physical disaster, or mechanical failure. So-called deleted files are really not deleted. The pointer to the file's blocks on the hard drive is added to the free-space list in the file directory, and this space, ''may'', eventually, be re-used for new files. Note the "eventually" part: forensic tools can easily recover deleted files with little or no damage. And you thought they were really gone. Nope. There are programs you can use to securely delete specific files or the free space on your hard, such as * Eraser, * BCWipe (http://www.tucows.com/preview/195710.html), * PGP, * Norton Utilities' WipeInfo, or * Cerberus System's Document Security Manager (See http://www.cerberussystems.com/INFOSEC/products/docusec.htm, especially ). Make sure to empty the Recycle Bin first before running these utilities. Oh, and don't forget the '''swap file'''...full images of anything you have run or viewed may still be in the Windows swap file. You need to securely clean that, too. Cerberus has a good tutorial on that: http://www.cerberussystems.com/INFOSEC/tutorial/leaks.htm

Answer 2

ANSWER: Files that you choose to delete from your hard drive are first sent to the Recycle Bin (unless you hold shift while choosing delete, which skips the Bin entirely, use this with caution). Once you've accumulated a few files and folders in the Recycle Bin you may want to free up some space. Browsing to the Recycle Bin and giving it a right click will give you the option to empty the Recycle Bin. This removes the files and it is marked as free space on the hard drive. Using specialized recovery software you can still restore a file even at this point.

Answer 3

When a file is emptied from the Recycle Bin on the computer it goes to an area of the hard drive that can be reused. The file might stay on the computer indefinitely unless space is needed. When space is needed the computer will write over this file, but bits and pieces may still remain.

Answer 4

When files are permanently deleted, they vanish. Two ways exist to delete a file. One is to remove its address from the directory. The information remains on the hard drive. That information can be recovered. It is difficult, but as long as it is not written over, it can be recovered. The other way is to write over the actual material. That permamently deletes the material. It is equivalent to taking a magic marker and writing over a page of type on a book.

Answer 5

The recycle bin is a temporary space for holding deleted files. Once you empty it, the entries for the files are removed from the filesystem. Any files are not physically overwritten immediately, so there is a chance of recovery. However, since the file's space is now marked as unused, any future writes could overwrite what is in that location.

Answer 6

you cant get it back unless you download it again but if it is not able to be downloaded then you are in deep water! :) sorry

Answer 7

Files that have been restored from the Recycle Bin are put back into their place of origin. For example, if you restored a file from your desktop it would go back to the desktop.

Answer 8

Once something is deleted out of your Recycle Bin, the file is destroyed. There is no way to bring it back.

Answer 9

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