User Guide
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Using McAfee Shredder
Using McAfee Shredder
McAfee Shredder
protects your privacy by quickly and safely erasing
unwanted files.
Deleted files can be recovered from your computer even after you empty your
Recycle Bin. When you delete a file, Windows merely marks that space on your
disk drive as no longer being in use, but the file is still there.
Why Windows leaves some file remnants
To permanently delete a file, you must repeatedly overwrite the existing file with
new data. If Microsoft Windows securely deleted files, every file operation would
be very slow. Shredding a document does not always prevent that document from
being recovered because some programs make temporary hidden copies of open
documents. If you only shred documents that you see in Explorer, you could still
have temporary copies of those documents. We recommend that you periodically
shred the free space on your disk drive to insure that these temporary copies are
permanently deleted.
NOTE
With computer forensics tools, tax records, job resumes, or
other documents that you had deleted, could be obtained.
What McAfee Shredder erases
With McAfee Shredder, you can securely and permanently erase:
One or more files or folders
An entire disk
The trails that your web surfing leaves behind
Permanently erasing files in Windows Explorer
To shred a file via Windows Explorer:
1
Open Windows Explorer, then select the file or files that you want to shred.
2
Right-click your selection, point to
Send To
, then click
McAfee Shredder
.
Emptying the Windows Recycle Bin
If files are in your Recycle Bin, McAfee Shredder offers a more secure method of
emptying your Recycle Bin.
To shred the contents of the Recycle Bin:
1
On your Windows desktop, right-click the Recycle Bin.
2
Select
Shred Recycle Bin
, then follow the on-screen instructions.
