10 replies to this topic

[Cormac]

I have a lot of unrecoverable files in the list and i like to permanently delete this items to clean up the list and retain all the significant ones. I thried deleting it throug [delete highlighted / checked files] option to no avail. they are still on the list. i even tried changing the settings to 35 pases, to no avail. the list is still long and the unwanted files (unrecoverable) are still there.

I hope somebody could help me

[Augeas]

This has been discussed many times before so a search will help you. In essence the deleted file names that Recuva returns cannot be removed or altered, they are entries in the MFT. They will be overwritten as new files are created, but I don't think that the MFT ever shrinks so you will always have a long list. You can sort the list by state, naem, date, path, etc.

[Cormac]

Augeas, on Nov 8 2008, 12:39 PM, said:

This has been discussed many times before so a search will help you. In essence the deleted file names that Recuva returns cannot be removed or altered, they are entries in the MFT. They will be overwritten as new files are created, but I don't think that the MFT ever shrinks so you will always have a long list. You can sort the list by state, naem, date, path, etc.

Thanks! but is there a way to permanently clear those MFT files? it really bugs me to find a lot of garbage in the list.

[Augeas]

This is the same question, non? No, or more properly, not as far as I know. The MFT never recovers the 'deleted' entries (according to Microsoft) so will never shrink in size. It does of course reuse them. I believe that disk washers merely 'clean' the MFT by filling up the deleted entries with some other filename entry. There may be something that hacks the MFT before Windows initialises (there are no Windows APIs for the MFT) but I wouldn't use it.

They're only spots of magnetic flux, so don't worry so much.

[Steve Thompson]

Cormac, on Nov 11 2008, 09:47 PM, said:

Thanks! but is there a way to permanently clear those MFT files? it really bugs me to find a lot of garbage in the list.

I agree, the list once deleted should disappear. The left over filenames are misleading. There should be someway to make those files disappear even it's its by deception whether they're there or not.

Steve

[Yorkshireman]

Cormac, on Nov 12 2008, 02:47 AM, said:

Thanks! but is there a way to permanently clear those MFT files? it really bugs me to find a lot of garbage in the list.

I do agree with you. Seeing something that resembles files that aren't really there and not being able to remove them is irritating but the software made by Piriform is, in my opinion, the best of its kind so I am sure if there was a way, they would implement the way. Give it time.

[hotrod]

You can drastically reduce the number of named files from the recovered list if you first run eraser erase unused space first. You would have to schedule it, as 300G of drive space takes about 7 hours with 1 pass. I use eraser about once every two months to clear deleted customers details. I sometimes run Recuva after and then find no named files. Try it you will be surprised. If you do let us know how you get on...

[combot]

Cormac, on Nov 8 2008, 03:51 AM, said:

I have a lot of unrecoverable files in the list and i like to permanently delete this items to clean up the list and retain all the significant ones. I thried deleting it throug [delete highlighted / checked files] option to no avail. they are still on the list. i even tried changing the settings to 35 pases, to no avail. the list is still long and the unwanted files (unrecoverable) are still there.

I hope somebody could help me

try actif killdisk free version,this will delete all free space AND MFT FILES

[combot]

Cormac, on Nov 8 2008, 03:51 AM, said:

I have a lot of unrecoverable files in the list and i like to permanently delete this items to clean up the list and retain all the significant ones. I thried deleting it throug [delete highlighted / checked files] option to no avail. they are still on the list. i even tried changing the settings to 35 pases, to no avail. the list is still long and the unwanted files (unrecoverable) are still there.

I hope somebody could help me

try actif killdisk free version,this will delete all free space AND MFT FILES

[ale5000]

Can be added the possibility to overwrite filenames with random characters during the secure deletion?

[Augeas]

It's doubtful, otherwise I'm sure this facility would be already available. Killdisk is a Dos program, so can access any part of the disk with relative impunity. Recuva is a Windows application, and although I believe it can access the MFT in Vista, if not XP, it would be a brave programmer who took on modifying the MFT on the fly. Windows disk washers generally work by filling the disk and MFT zone and MFT with harmless files with harmless filenames, and then deleting them. In other words asking Windows to do the work for them.