Erasers

Any time you erase a file, EraseData needs to know which eraser to use.  (see the warning below)

What Is An Eraser?

To understand an eraser, you first need to understand a little bit about how EraseData erases a file.

In the introduction we compared files with chapters in a book. When your computer deletes a chapter (file), it simply scratches the chapter out of the Table of Contents and Index, but leaves the actual pages untouched.

To permanently erase this chapter (file), EraseData types over every word and space in the chapter. It can do this many different ways.

The most secure way to do it is to type over every single letter in the chapter multiple times with random characters, making it virtually impossible to tell what was originally there.

EraseData's erasers are different options for overwriting files. For example, the default "Department of Defense DoD-3" eraser types over everything with zeros, then types over everything again with ones, then types over everything a third time with random characters. This is more than adequate for anything but the most sensitive situations.

Eraser Algorithms

All of EraseData's erasers are listed as Eraser Algorithms. To see a detailed explanation of what each algorithm does, select it on the list and read the Description.

To assign an algorithm as the default eraser in EraseData, select it on the list and click Set as Default. Note that any time you erase, you have the option to use a different eraser than the default.