File recovery issue

[BobPape]

Hi Folks
This is my first post on this forum,
After a problem booting up I reloaded XP which should have deleted/formatted
the C:\ drive,
On the off chance I have used a file recovery program, I left it running all night,
on studying the resulting file names/types, I was gobsmacked, not only did
I find files that I knew nothing about I did not even know they were on the
computer
There was no visable record of them either in My Document or My Pictures
Some pictures were from Land Rover sites,others more random
whilst I have never ever saved any individual thing from any site,
I regularly run a registry cleaner and delete cookies, history etc.

Studying the recovered files suggests to me that the computer is storeing
files behind my back and not allowing me access by hiding the file names.

I would never have known this had I not run this file recovery program,
does anyone know what is going on.

 

[smajer]

Hello,

Even if you run cleanup tools , the files are still being deleted. So the recovery program is still recovering them. The files sound like they are internet junk from your browser.

 

[BobPape]

Thanks for that smajer
But how do I stop them loading onto my computer,
Is it a fault with the computer
Is it a fault with XP
Is it a fault with the WWW

 

[Hugh9191]

It's not a problem at all, it's just temporary files coming on to your computer from browsing the internet - not a problem. The reason the file recovery programme picked them up was because they had been deleted because they were temporary.

 

[BobPape]

Hi hugh9191
So one deletes the files because one does not want them, but all that happens is they
hide somewhere on the HDD with no accessable file name and clog up the system
OK I can handle that by using a drive erase program,but what about the files one did not
not download that never-the less appeared when running a recovery program.

Talk about Big Brother

Surely there is a fault with something,

I wonder do all operating systems for example Linux work the same way,

 

[TFT]

When you delete any file, it doesn't hide from you it's in the exact place it always was and the space is freed up. Normal file deletion simply removes the file name from the directory system and marks clusters as available for reuse, but until those clusters are overwritten a file recovery program will be able to claw them back.
If you have pics you don't recognise it will be websites downloading behind your back pics, popups etc and will live on your HD until overwritten. It's just the way it is.
Unless your paranoia dictates a secure deletion program that will write "zero's" where the deleted files are held.

 

[BobPape]

Thanks for that TFT.
But would you want a picture of Neil Kinnock in your files especially if you do not
remember ever going any where with him on it, there are of course other files photos
that I did not knowingly download,
Is there not a way of using RAM as opposed to the HDD to store internet files that way
the files would go when the computer is turned off,
I do use a program called Drive Erase Pro on occaision to overwrite the HDD but I do not
know of a program that will overwrite selectivly,

 

[TFT]

Believe it or not CCleaner (free) will do a selective secure deletion of history, cookies etc. The default is "normal" which deletes the directory pointer only for quickness but it has "Secure" options with up to 35 passes using the "Gutmann" mode. Obviously it's quite a slow process.