On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 18:24:04 -0800, Amber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On 20-Mar-05, at 6:10 PM, Ken wrote: > > > in os x under finder: secure empty trash > > Okay - thanks ! I was kind of aware of this option but still am not > sure how secure it really is.
Depends on how secure you want it to be. I imagine that the ordinary "empty trash" flags the file allocation tables on the hard drive to indicate that file does not exist anymore--but the data's still there, and any decent hard drive utility set should be able to recover the data. I imagine "secure empty trash" writes over the data, which makes it trickier to read the old data. However, there's always a ghost of the data there, and a determined person may be able to locate the data. You can try reformatting the hard drive, but even a low-level format will retain a trace of the data. The only *sure* way to destroy the data is to destroy the drive. So, you need to assess the risks of someone recovering the data somehow, and adjust accordingly. Lil -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
