Make Files, Folders, Partitions Magically Disappear for Free

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 04 Feb 2009

The simplest means of making a file disappear would be to set it as “Hidden” or to delete it, but you will admit that this will not prevent anyone from accessing that particular file. What you need is a specialized software program that will hide files in such a manner that no one else apart from you can sneak a peak inside, something like Hide Folder and My Lockbox .

Eventually you will want to delete a particular file, but simply sending it to the Recycle Bin or pressing Shift + Delete in Windows will not get rid of that file; until that data is overwritten, recovering it is a very simple process. You will want to know about DP Shredder and Hard Drive Eraser.

Hide Folder, which comes free-of-cost and runs on the Windows-based operating system, allows you to set up a list of files and folders that you want to keep private. All the files will become hidden, and access to them will be granted only after providing a password. Getting to understand how the program works is a pretty straightforward process, but actually using it is a little bit cumbersome. The other annoyance is that it is not hotkey enabled, you have to access it through the Start menu icon, which is a problem in itself because it lets other computer users in on the fact that you have something to hide.

My Lockbox, which also comes at no cost whatsoever, is similar to Hide Folder in that it can hide and password protect files. The difference is that you get to choose one folder that will be obscured from sight and protected (just password, not encrypted). Simply click on the My Lockbox icon, provide the correct password and you are immediately taken to the folder where you have stored your confidential, private data into.

DP Shredder is you virtual equivalent of the traditional paper shredder. You put papers with sensitive data on them through the shredder, don’t you? Well, this program performs a similar function: it employ DoD-grade methods to permanently and definitely delete a file, folder or disk. The deleted data is overwritten 49 times, just to put things in perspective. Hard Drive Eraser performs the same task, it even encompasses the same DoD (Department of Defense) 5220.22.M ECE 7X protocol (alongside three other) to delete files, just that it does it at a greater scale – deletes the entire HDD, partition by partition.

If you would like to get Hide Folder, a download location is available here.
If you would like to get My Lockbox, a download location is available here.
If you would like to get DP Shredder, a download location is available here.
If you would like to get Hard Drive Eraser, a download location is available here.


Latest News


Sony's 'Attack of the Blockbusters Sale' Slashes Prices in Half for a Ton of PS4 Games

17 Aug 2017

How Samsung's New T5 Compares to the Old T3 Portable SSD (Infographic)

17 Aug 2017

See all