Right click SHRED for individual files

[c627627]

This program gets a perfect 10 but if there was a right click option to shred individual files we right click on, that would make it an 11!

[Alan_B]

This program gets a perfect 10 but if there was a right click option to shred individual files we right click on, that would make it an 11!

 

Already available.

 

Right click has a "Send To" option which moves files to chosen destinations.

I believe you only have to create a "Shred_bin" folder and add this to your set of "Send To" destinations, and it will go.

You also need to add "Shred_bin" (or any name you chose) to the CCleaner -> Options -> Include,

then it will get shredded with everything else you put there.

 

For some people a large inconvenience of the right click context menu is that it takes time before it appears. One of the many reasons is the quantity of destinations, and Windows takes an unhealthy interest in the purpose of EVERY destination before it allows you to choose, and this means that if a destination is "CCleaner.exe /Shred_This %1" etc. it will take longer to evaluate than if the destination is "C:\Shred_bin" - and this longer evvaluation of all possible destinations will impact every right click - even if you simply wanted the "copy" or "Send to Mail" option.

 

If you want to know how to add a destination, I apologize in advance, I cannot remember,

but some-one else may advise, or just Google for "send to" - you will get 1,520,000,000 results.

nb http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310270 could be very useful, but others may be simpler !!!

 

Regards

Alan

[c627627]

Thank you for your reply. I'll try to figure it out, then edit the first post with detailed instructions so that search engines hit this when others ask for it. But I'm not there yet.

 

 

Following your instructions, I added Shred_bin folder to the SendTo menu and also added the Shred_bin folder to the CCleaner > Options > Include > Add Folder > add Shred_bin folder to list

But all this does is COPY files to the Shred_bin folder which is then cleaned of COPIES.

 

 

I also tried adding a "Shred" link to the SendTo menu with the following Target:

"C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner.exe" /Shred_This %1

but all that does is open CCleaner.exe which then does not clean the file you right clicked on.

 

 

 

This also doesn't seem to make sense since even if files where CUT instead of COPIED, that would defeat the purpose of shredding the originals, right?

 

I agree with you about the right click commands possibly slowing down all other right click commands, SendTo option would be OK if it can somehow give command to CCleaner to shred the folder or file you right click on *only* and immediately at their original location.

[Augeas]

I agree that a right click secure deletion would be handy (and has been requested before). But as I understand it a cut and paste or a file drag, as one would do if moving a file from one folder to another, modifies only the directory info for the from/to folders, leaving the original file data where it was on the disk. So a move to a rubbish folder and then wiping this folder (by right clicking on Included Folders) would do the trick, if rather laboriously. On the other hand you can collect all your to-be-wiped files in one place and then kill all those birds with one stone, as it were.

[c627627]

Yeah, if files are on the same partition. If not, they're copied, defeating the purpose.

 

 

The program already wipes data. Does it take a lot to simply include an *option* (it doesn't have to be by default) just an option to tell the program with a right click to wipe a specific file or folder, since the actual function is already there?

[Augeas]

Well, I guess you would set up a separate rubbish bin on each partition. As for why this option isn't included, I have no idea.

[Alan_B]

Following your instructions, I added Shred_bin folder to the SendTo menu and also added the Shred_bin folder to the CCleaner > Options > Include > Add Folder > add Shred_bin folder to list

But all this does is COPY files to the Shred_bin folder which is then cleaned of COPIES.

 

I also tried adding a "Shred" link to the SendTo menu with the following Target:

"C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner.exe" /Shred_This %1

but all that does is open CCleaner.exe which then does not clean the file you right clicked on.

 

I agree with you about the right click commands possibly slowing down all other right click commands, SendTo option would be OK if it can somehow give command to CCleaner to shred the folder or file you right click on *only* and immediately at their original location.

 

Sorry, my Bad.

 

I remember recently seeing advice to place within the "include" section a specific Shred_Bin folder for dumping files to be shredded, and I thought that right click was a way to make a file go there. Unfortunately I cannot remember where I saw this, and I cannot now track it down.

 

You correctly understood my intention that adding a right click command might delay response to other commands.

Sorry I failed to explain that "C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner.exe" /Shred_This %1 was only intended to illustrate the sort of thing which I feared might cause a delay - I never intended you to try it !!!

 

CCleaner may, either now or in the future, accept a command line argument, but probably not the off-the-top-of-my-head "Shred_This"

 

Final suggestion - don't right click, just delete it. That should move it to the Recycle bin, then when CCleaner next runs, if you configured it to Shred the Recycle bin it will be gone for good - with a bit of luck !!!

 

Warning, shredding may need a bit of luck.

If you modify/delete a "system" file from a location that is monitored by System Restore,

then System restore will place a copy into the current Restore Point.

Most of C:\ is monitored.

"system" files have a vast range of extensions other than exe and dll.

 

You may need to boot into Safe Mode to possibly avoid interference by System Restore - pretty sure I read that some-where !!!

 

Regards

Alan

[Alan_B]

I think it is best to simply delete files to the recycle bin, and then have CCleaner shred the recycle contents, but if you want to easily MOVE (or to copy) a file to a chosen destination, I just found this :-

 

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vis...ght-click-menu/

 

It is supposed to work for Vista and also XP.

 

I have not tested it myself - but I never alter the registry unless I have a brand new disc image available in case it goes wrong.

 

I do trust the daily ERUNT backup to restore the registry,

but it will not repair any consequential file/folder/system damage between a registry whoops and recognising a problem.

 

I have a theory that if I think of something that could go wrong - it wont,

its the things that sneak up unexpected that will hit me - so I do nothing without triple backup plans.

 

I am still looking for extra security on top of belt and braces for my trousers !!!

 

Regards

Alan

[c627627]

That is certainly a workaround, simply delete, then run CCleaner options to set the 'Secure file deletion' option. Thanks for the suggestion. Of course this applies to all contents of the Recycle Bin and may it may take significantly longer to wipe all contents *all the time*.

 

 

But I think we're clear with the conclusions that CCleaner can shred a file or a folder but only through a long process of manually setting the shred option for the Recycle Bin then turning it off when done.

 

 

Automated execution with one click is what we're looking for and I hope the programmers consider adding this useful feature in future versions! Thanks again.

[Alan_B]

That is certainly a workaround, simply delete, then run CCleaner options to set the 'Secure file deletion' option. Thanks for the suggestion. Of course this applies to all contents of the Recycle Bin and may it may take significantly longer to wipe all contents *all the time*.

 

 

But I think we're clear with the conclusions that CCleaner can shred a file or a folder but only through a long process of manually setting the shred option for the Recycle Bin then turning it off when done.

 

 

Automated execution with one click is what we're looking for and I hope the programmers consider adding this useful feature in future versions! Thanks again.

 

How about free-ware DPWIPE, available at http://www.paehl.de/english.php

You simply drag and drop a file (or folder) into its "input field" and it is shredded, up to Gutmann 35.

 

Not only convenient, but also safer if you only run it when needed.

 

If you have a shred option in the context menu a slight twitch of the mouse when you only wanted to rename the file could be a tad inconvenient !!!

 

Regards

Alan

[c627627]

...except there's a confirmation dialog asking you to confirm before you nuke a file or a folder

 

As a matter of fact I do have have Shred in my right click, and I did accidentally click it a few times but the confirmation dialog prevented any accidents.

 

The right click Shred is a leftover from CCleaner's rival program Window Washer. The only reason I still haven't uninstalled it yet is that it has right click Shred option which CCleaner lacks....

[c627627]

Changes in CCleaner v2.15.815:

- Added command-line secure deletion. e.g. CCleaner.exe /delete "folder\*.*|MyFile.txt"

 

 

Well there we go! So now all we have to do is create a shortcut with that command line.

 

What is the command line for recycle bin so that when you double click on a shortcut, it shreds the recycle bin (which affects all drives.)

[c627627]

P.S. An option (not enabled by default) that inserts a right click Shred command (with confirmation dialog) is what we really need.

[Augeas]

Last post but one: We already have this by opening CC and then right clicking on the recycler, or any component that's in CC's clutches. It's not quite the same, but almost....

 

Last post : Yup.

[Giga]

...Why not just drag your file to the recycle bin? CCleaner already deletes everything in there.

[ee0u30eb]

If you want a simple method you could do the following:

 

Open notepad and type

 

 

c:\progra~1\ccleaner\ccleaner.exe /delete "%1"

 

 

Now save that as a batch file (eg shred.bat) in your sendto folder. The Send to folder being in documents and settings for XP and for vista goto start, run, shell:sendto

 

Now you can right click and send to this batch file which will shred it via ccleaner.

 

If you want to make a temp folder to fill with stuff to delete, you could use a batch file in the same way but add a move command:

 

 

move /y %1 c:\shredFolder\

 

 

Note: Make sure the shred folder is already created, otherwise it will rename files shredFolder!

[ee0u30eb]

Actually that is a bit lame, I have just devised an even better method.

 

Copy the following into notepad and save it as a .reg file. (wrap in quotations to stop it being a text file.... "myfile.reg")

 

 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Shred]@="Shred with CCleaner"[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Shred\command]@="c:\\program files\\ccleaner\\ccleaner.exe /delete \"%1%"

 

 

Execute the file and it will add a registry entry that will create a "Shred with Ccleaner" option!

 

If you wish to do that manually, then run regedit and add the values seen above, where the @ symbol represents the default string in the key.