Delete Permanently - Skip the Recycle Bin

Ever wanted to delete something and not want it to go to the recycle bin — but still want to have the recycle bin available for the stuff you don't want to immediately delete permanently? It is pretty easy. Instead of just highlighting and pressing delete, simply press SHIFT + DEL when you delete them, at the prompt just say yes and it will delete stuff without sending it to the recycle bin.

Please don't think that this is a secure method to delete files or folders. It isn't. All it does is mark it as deleted so that the operating system can use that space for new files later on. The reality is that the content still sits there until something writes over that space. They can still be seen, opened, and marked as no longer deleted by people who are adept at disk drive manipulation - which is how file recovery software works in case you're curious.

If you are interested in securely deleting files and writing over the deleted sectors with gibberish then see here:
  • Secure File Deletion

OS: All Platforms > Tips / Tweaks
Date: 01/02/07

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