Quick question for the gurus here. If I choose "normal" deletion over "secure," what happens to the deleted files? Are they sent to the recycle bin (doesn't look like CCleaner does that), or are they simply renamed like all other normally deleted files? Thus, would it be wise for me to run a freespace wipe?
Thanks,
Magickteapot
If you choose normal deletion, nothing happens to the files. They just lose their identity, so Windows sees them as free space. They could be recovered with a file undelete utility, so if there's anything you've deleted that way that you're really concerned about, a free space "wipe" would be in order. That would overwrite all the free space on the drive, a long slow process. How paranoid are you?
It would be much more efficient to use the secure deletion option in the first place, on sensitive files. Then you'd just be overwriting the specific files in question instead of all your free space, which could be a lot if you have a large HDD.
Thus, would it be wise for me to run a freespace wipe?
It would be more than wise to do so, if you got something to hide concerning your old "deleted" files, whatever they are and wherever they came from.
Since there is usually a certain Cluster-Volume reserved for any file that you produce under Windows, this Cluster-Volume has not always exactly the same size as the file itself. Logically that Cluster-Volume has always to be a bit larger than the file that you produce. Whenever you secure-delete a file, the rest of any fractional and previous deleted file will remain in those slack-areas, until by chance, they will be overwritten by another newly saved file. It is true to say, the larger the HDD, the more possible recoverable Slackspace you have.
Those File-Slacks, as far as I know, are not affecting System-Performance in a negative way, but they could reveal extremly sensitive information to authorities for instance, if your System has been seized, for any reason.
With CCleaner you can only delete or overwrite actual files but not the previous remains of old files in those Slack-Areas. (Cluster-Tips).
I would wish that such a feature will be integrated one day in CCleaner for convenience, as it is not always about being paranoid or having "Angst". The disposal of a company notebook for instance could justify such a measure and why not having an all-in-one-solution? (Deleting, Erasing and Wiping of free space).
Hope my bad English has done it
Oliver