How to delete files from CF card permanently?

[Hurd]

Hello,

Is it possible to delete "recovery files" in CF cards? I want to delete any files that CF includes. I try to rescue files and it still finds old photos even though the card is empty in the explorer.

[hfgarris]

overwrite the card with a bunch of programs in your computer!

If you have a Mac, use "Disk Utility" and perform a secure erase on the card (that writes a string of numbers to every location on the card). The single pass should do it. Then no one will be able to "recover" your old photos.

There are probably PC programs that will do the same.

-howard

[Jon]

You'd need to overwrite the card with a "disk eraser" program like you'd use in sanitizing a hard disk before turning it over to anyone else.

[Seamless]

:idea: Coincidentally--

>:(>:(>:(>:(

I come home and some how my dog got my cf card out of my computer and bit into it. a 16g sandisk extreme III. I put it in the camera hoping for the best and it comes up as "CHA" on the display.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=817888

[xcel730]

I use this: http://eraser.heidi.ie/

[PacAce]

Hello,

Is it possible to delete "recovery files" in CF cards? I want to delete any files that CF includes. I try to rescue files and it still finds old photos even though the card is empty in the explorer.

If you're running Windows, you should be able to format the card with the "Quick Format" UNchecked to wipe the whole card clean.

[dpark]

Formatting doesn't actually overwrite much file data. It makes recovery harder, but not impossible.

If you really want to "delete permanently", you need to actually overwrite the data that's on the card. You can use a "secure delete" program to do this, or you can do it yourself by filling the card with other data. You could, for example, fill the card with copies of some random MP3 (or any other data). You just need to fill up the card completely to ensure that the original data is overwritten.

[Tdragone]

But remember cards have a finite set of read/write cycles. It is necessary to ONLY write 1's or 0's ONE TIME. The multiple read writes are based on hard drives being able to read between tracks and recover data thought gone.. this is NOT necessary with SSD cards.

[Hurd]

Formatting in Windows doesn't actually work, it still have found files in recovery. I used a program called "Disk Doctor Data Sanitizer" and it made the job done.

Thanks for the help guys.

[tvphotog]

I use this: http://eraser.heidi.ie/

I use that, too. Acronis has a wipe disk fuction in it's disk imagaing software package.

[PacAce]

Hmmm, RescuePro must not be a very good recovery program then because it can't recover any of my files when I format my CF cards under Windows 7. :|

[dpark]

But remember cards have a finite set of read/write cycles. It is necessary to ONLY write 1's or 0's ONE TIME. The multiple read writes are based on hard drives being able to read between tracks and recover data thought gone.. this is NOT necessary with SSD cards.
It's not necessary on hard drives, either. The idea of needing to overwrite HDDs multiple times with various patterns, random data, etc. is a myth. Writing over the data once is sufficient.

http://www.h-online.com/newsticker/news/item/Secure-deletion-a-single-overwrite-will-do-it-739699.html