CCleaner -> Recuva

[cyberdyne2]

Hi

I love CCleaner and have done for quite some time. I've used it for years, recommended it to many friends and always install it on any system I get my hands on.

I've always trusted it too, assuming my data was securely deleted and beyond the grasp of anyone mildly familiar with the process of recovering it.

 

My question is regarding both CCleaner and Recuva. CCleaner deletes my data and Recuva does the obvious - but under what circumstances does my data become UN-Recuva-ble ?

 

ie: I want to continue to use CCleaner with the same confidence that I've always had - that my data is gone - overwritten beyond the stage at which it was recoverable. However, can Recuva simply undo my overwriting ? I don't particularly want it to!

 

So, can CCleaner delete better than Recuva can ....recover?! That is the question.

 

Thanks

[Augeas]

The only difference between Recuva and CC deletions is that CC offers a 'Normal' deletion, just the same as if you'd done a shift/del, or emptied the recycler. As Recuva is dealing with already deleted files, it only offers secure overwriting. Both CC and Recuva secure overwriting are identical.

 

Any data on a disk is recoverable, in as much as you can read it by some means or other. However a singe overwrite of any data will render it useless to anyone wanting to extract the original underlying data.

 

Neither Recuva, nor any known software, can 'undo' overwriting, whether the data has been overwritten by CC, Recuva, or by just writing a new file on top of the old.

 

If you wish to make the files that CC removes 'unrecoverable' then use secure deletion, one overwrite. However CC will do just what you ask it to. It will not overwrite, or even know about, any copies of the files left behind by edits, defrags, whatever Windows does, etc. That's when Recuva can help.