Secure Overwrite Option

Recuva
1

I downloaded Recuva free to evaluate the program for future use. I tried to use the secure overwrite on a file marked "unrecoverable", as follows:

1) hi-lighted the file from list view

2) right-click, Secure Overwrite Highlighted

3) message box "Are you sure you want to overwrite these 1 file(s)? Clicking Yes will mean they are gone forever." - clicked Yes

4) Message box Operation Completed - "Overwritten 0 files in 0.01 sec." with an OK button - absolutely nothing else written in the message box. - clicked OK

The status of the file in question has not changed - no additional information added to the list grid. The file is still there.

Is there something else I'm missing here?

Thanks

Meant to add - this is an USB connected, Maxtor 112GB external hard drive with corrupt FAT1 I'm working on.

2

When you run Recuva in Normal mode the display panel will show a list of deleted files taken from the File Allocation Table (or MFT in NTFS). Each file entry in the FAT points to a number of clusters on the disk. When you run Recuva secure delete on a file the clusters the file entry points to are overwritten. The file entry in the FAT is left untouched, which is why you can still see it.

If you are in Recuva Advanced Mode you can select a file then click on Header on the right hand panel. Before secure deletion you should see data from the file. After SD you should see all zeroes. (Use one-pass deletion.)

Recuva cannot overwrite the file entries in the FAT or MFT.