Emptying recycle bin


Lawnmower74

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If I change recycle bin properties from custom size to dont move files to recycle bin where do they go are they completely removed from PC or do they go into some hidden folder
 

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If I change recycle bin properties from custom size to dont move files to recycle bin where do they go are they completely removed from PC or do they go into some hidden folder
Without the recycle bin the files are permanently deleted, so having the bin is a way to prevent accidental deletion of important files
 

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are they completely removed from PC
As @BrianInEngland says they are permanently deleted and should be treated as such.

The only caveat I would add is that the files are still recoverable after deletion (using software designed for such purposes) providing that no other data has overwritten the disk clusters used by the deleted files after the files were deleted.
 

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As @BrianInEngland says they are permanently deleted and should be treated as such.

The only caveat I would add is that the files are still recoverable after deletion (using software designed for such purposes) providing that no other data has overwritten the disk clusters used by the deleted files after the files were deleted.
That's not always the case. I have had files that were accidentally deleted and were unrecoverable. My recovery programs were already installed and my trying to undelete them was the very first thing I did.
 

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That's not always the case.
Perhaps I should have said 'may be recoverable" instead of "are still recoverable". Another caveat. :-)
 

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    Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor
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    16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAM
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    Intel Arc 140T onboard graphics
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    1TB SSD
But fact is, that deleted files stay on your 'disk' (either HDD or SSD) until they are overwritten. Even if you yourself did not manage to retreive them by some program, they (indeed) may still exist on the drive. That is not bad as long as you are using that drive, but if ever you are disposing the device (or in case of portable devices they are stolen or lost), someone else who has the right software could under circumstances reach data that you would not like they can see.

That's why I always destruct my drives mechanically before I dispose them. Hard drives I take apart and put some deep scratches on the disk surfaces. SSD-pcbs are crushed between a vice...

And data on portable devices should always be encoded in some way!
 

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Build by vendor to my specs
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AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
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That's why I always destruct my drives mechanically before I dispose them.
Yes, that's what I do. A big hammer and chisel works.
 

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    Windows 11 ProAMD Ryzen 9 8945HS32GB DDR5 SO-DIMMIntegrated AMD Radeon 780M (4.00 GHz)
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    Windows 11 Pro
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    Manufacturer/Model
    GMKtec K11
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS
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    32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM
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    Integrated AMD Radeon 780M (4.00 GHz)
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    1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
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    Windows 11 HomeIntel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAMIntel Arc 140T onboard graphics
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    ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED 14" Laptop - UX3405CA-QL192W
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor
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    16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Arc 140T onboard graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 (16:10 WUXGA resolution) OLED Touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD
But fact is, that deleted files stay on your 'disk' (either HDD or SSD) until they are overwritten. Even if you yourself did not manage to retreive them by some program, they (indeed) may still exist on the drive. That is not bad as long as you are using that drive, but if ever you are disposing the device (or in case of portable devices they are stolen or lost), someone else who has the right software could under circumstances reach data that you would not like they can see.

That's why I always destruct my drives mechanically before I dispose them. Hard drives I take apart and put some deep scratches on the disk surfaces. SSD-pcbs are crushed between a vice...

And data on portable devices should always be encoded in some way!
I'm not that paranoid, if I'm selling a used SSD I just run the Samsung secure erase or similar before removal
 

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Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB (gen 5 x4, system drive/games)
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Yes, that's what I do. A big hammer and chisel works.
Or a big ass magnet if you fancy spicing things up! Ofc only work for HD not ssds etc
 

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11[email protected]Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhzGigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
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Custom
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I'm not that paranoid
I never sell old drives, as for me they are not worth the trouble posting an advertisement. I often just store them for 'just in case that'.
I don't erase them either, because it simply takes too much time. I just write a note on it what's on it for possible future use.

But at the time I decide to clean my storage room, they are old, often very old and their capacity not anymore usable. Example: SSD drive 128 GByte, used in a PC from 2013 until 2020. Not worth the trouble selling it. Could erase it, but that demands to put the drive into a working PC and connect it to the motherboard. Why would I do that, if I just can crush the PCB in a vice? I am sure it is not paranoid do that, because I know where they are disassembled often if recycled and I don't trust those places! Better safe then sorry.
 

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Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 5700GKingston FURY Beast 2x16GB DIMM DDR4 2666 CL16MSI GeForce GT 730 2GB LP V1
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Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8457
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PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Build by vendor to my specs
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AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
MSI PRO B550M-P Gen3
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Kingston FURY Beast 2x16GB DIMM DDR4 2666 CL16
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MSI GeForce GT 730 2GB LP V1
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Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX
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Samsung S24E450F 24"
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
1. SSD Crucial P5 Plus 500GB PCIe M.2
2. SSD-SATA Crucial MX500-2TB
PSU
Corsair CV650W
Case
Cooler Master Silencio S400
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Cooler Master Hyper H412R with Be Quiet Pure Wings 2 PWM BL038 fan
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Cherry Stream (wired, scissor keys)
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Asus WT465 (wireless)
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70 Mbps down / 80 Mbps up
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Firefox 130.0
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F-Secure (Internetprovider version)
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Router: FRITZBox 7490
Oracle VirtualBox 7 for testing software on Win 10 or 11
I never sell old drives, as for me they are not worth the trouble posting an advertisement. I often just store them for 'just in case that'.
I don't erase them either, because it simply takes too much time. I just write a note on it what's on it for possible future use.

But at the time I decide to clean my storage room, they are old, often very old and their capacity not anymore usable. Example: SSD drive 128 GByte, used in a PC from 2013 until 2020. Not worth the trouble selling it. Could erase it, but that demands to put the drive into a working PC and connect it to the motherboard. Why would I do that, if I just can crush the PCB in a vice? I am sure it is not paranoid do that, because I know where they are disassembled often if recycled and I don't trust those places! Better safe then sorry.
100% agree, im in one of those lucky camps where, you could steal everything from my pc right now, and i wouldnt really lose much other than some game installs and stuff lol! Guess i aint got important shiz like some people on they're pcs! Guess i aint important enough haha!
 

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11[email protected]Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhzGigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
OS
11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom
CPU
[email protected]
Motherboard
Gigabyte Gaming X Z490
Memory
Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS 4k HDR, Two 1080p Benq and Samsung
Screen Resolution
3840x2160/2560x1440/1920x1080
Hard Drives
Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1tb
Samsung EVO 870 500GB
PSU
Corsair RX 650
Case
NZXT h510
Cooling
CM HYPER 212 RGB
Keyboard
Razer Ornata Chroma
Mouse
Steelseries Rival 710
I have seen reportages where old PCs were taken apart in 'recyling' centres somewhere in the 'third world' (don't want to mention the country here). There they put the drives that they took out in a working PC and read all available data out. Especially e-mails were interesting as well as name lists / family overviews. With those data they started chats, emails or telephonecalls to family members to tell them stories about (for example) children having troubles abroad and needing money. They really were proud about the results they had, not even trying to hide themselves behind faded faces or something like that. Why should they, they are almost uncatchable in those countries!

That did confirm the need for erasing your data (which I already did before) on computers you don't use anymore and bring to the recycling station, even if that data does not seem to contain very important facts!
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 5700GKingston FURY Beast 2x16GB DIMM DDR4 2666 CL16MSI GeForce GT 730 2GB LP V1
OS
Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8457
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Build by vendor to my specs
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
MSI PRO B550M-P Gen3
Memory
Kingston FURY Beast 2x16GB DIMM DDR4 2666 CL16
Graphics Card(s)
MSI GeForce GT 730 2GB LP V1
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S24E450F 24"
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
1. SSD Crucial P5 Plus 500GB PCIe M.2
2. SSD-SATA Crucial MX500-2TB
PSU
Corsair CV650W
Case
Cooler Master Silencio S400
Cooling
Cooler Master Hyper H412R with Be Quiet Pure Wings 2 PWM BL038 fan
Keyboard
Cherry Stream (wired, scissor keys)
Mouse
Asus WT465 (wireless)
Internet Speed
70 Mbps down / 80 Mbps up
Browser
Firefox 130.0
Antivirus
F-Secure (Internetprovider version)
Other Info
Router: FRITZBox 7490
Oracle VirtualBox 7 for testing software on Win 10 or 11
I have seen reportages where old PCs were taken apart in 'recyling' centres somewhere in the 'third world' (don't want to mention the country here). There they put the drives that they took out in a working PC and read all available data out. Especially e-mails were interesting as well as name lists / family overviews. With those data they started chats, emails or telephonecalls to family members to tell them stories about (for example) children having troubles abroad and needing money. They really were proud about the results they had, not even trying to hide themselves behind faded faces or something like that. Why should they, they are almost uncatchable in those countries!

That did confirm the need for erasing your data (which I already did before) on computers you don't use anymore and bring to the recycling station, even if that data does not seem to contain very important facts!
ive never threw away any parts of pc's before, i did however smash a laptop into about 83823494 pieces, the hard drive was a good few of those pieces, then it got tossed right in the bin
 

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At a glance

11[email protected]Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhzGigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
OS
11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom
CPU
[email protected]
Motherboard
Gigabyte Gaming X Z490
Memory
Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS 4k HDR, Two 1080p Benq and Samsung
Screen Resolution
3840x2160/2560x1440/1920x1080
Hard Drives
Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1tb
Samsung EVO 870 500GB
PSU
Corsair RX 650
Case
NZXT h510
Cooling
CM HYPER 212 RGB
Keyboard
Razer Ornata Chroma
Mouse
Steelseries Rival 710
about 83823494 pieces
83823494 is a precise number? It seems like you counted the pieces so the 'about' doesn't seem to fit? Just joking.
:-)
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProAMD Ryzen 9 8945HS32GB DDR5 SO-DIMMIntegrated AMD Radeon 780M (4.00 GHz)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    GMKtec K11
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon 780M (4.00 GHz)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 2250HM
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeIntel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAMIntel Arc 140T onboard graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED 14" Laptop - UX3405CA-QL192W
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Arc 140T onboard graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 (16:10 WUXGA resolution) OLED Touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD
83823494 is a precise number? It seems like you counted the pieces so the 'about' doesn't seem to fit? Just joking.
:-)
Its about as i may have lost a couple when counting em all out D: Weirder thing is...it took me 8382349 to count out how many i had!
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

11[email protected]Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhzGigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
OS
11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom
CPU
[email protected]
Motherboard
Gigabyte Gaming X Z490
Memory
Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS 4k HDR, Two 1080p Benq and Samsung
Screen Resolution
3840x2160/2560x1440/1920x1080
Hard Drives
Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1tb
Samsung EVO 870 500GB
PSU
Corsair RX 650
Case
NZXT h510
Cooling
CM HYPER 212 RGB
Keyboard
Razer Ornata Chroma
Mouse
Steelseries Rival 710
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