Easy Ways to Show Hidden Files

If you would take a look at the many files that you have stored in your computer, you surely would be amazed at the hundreds upon hundreds of files you have saved over time. And there just might come a time when you would not remember where you stored a certain file. There would be more difficulty if you do not remember the exact location of your file, and the file in question is a hidden one. Thus, you would surely want to find an efficient way to show hidden files.

This is actually pretty simple, especially if your operating system is Windows. Just a few clicks of your mouse, and you can easily have in display all your hidden files in your system. First off, open your My Documents folder. Find the Tools tab at the top of this folder and click on it. A prompt would then pop out, giving you some options. You should then click on the Folder Options tab. Once this is expanded, click on the View tab, and click on the option 'Show hidden files and folders'. Click on the Apply tab at the bottom of the prompt, then hit OK. This will then reveal all hidden files in all of your drives. You can also perform the same operation using Windows Explorer. You will have to undergo the same steps to achieve the same results.

You also have to understand that the Windows operating system actually has reason for hiding some files intentionally. This is because the deletion of such files would most likely cause problems in running certain applications. Now, this scenario is actually a welcomed one, compared to the risks of causing an overall system crash. Yes, the deletion of certain files can indeed cause this. Of course, the person who deleted these files could be very well innocent because the deletion might be purely accidental. But just so that this could be avoided, Windows purposely hides these files from plain view.

There could also be times when you yourself intentionally hide these files because they have information that is sensitive in nature. These are the files that you do not want in public view, thus, you purposely keep them hidden. But what happens when you have forgotten the exact location of these files? Furthermore, what should you do if these files are password protected, and you just do not remember the password that you once set is?

There are actually a lot of software tools that you can download via the net, which can greatly help you in cracking passwords. These are freeware utility programs that you can get absolutely free of charge. They also come with a lot of useful features as well. As for your options to show hidden files here, it gets a little complicated. The simple method discussed above won't work because you do not really know where the file is specifically located. Thus, you would have to conduct a security scan of your system, to determine the locations of hidden files, and if these hidden files were indeed authorized by you or some other user. This is a utility that you will have to install on your system. Fortunately, there are also free versions that you can get on the web for this.

If you are interested in show hidden files, check this web-site to learn more about file search.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Miller

By Sam Miller

How To Permanently Delete Files - The Quick, Dirty, And Correct Way

You may or may not know that when you drag items to the trash on your computer, they aren't permanently deleted. Just watch an episode of your favorite CSI show, and you'll see that its possible to recover files that haven't been deleted properly. And while I'm sure you're not guilty of any CSI type crimes (or are you???), I'm sure you want to figure out how to permanently delete your files and keep your private things private -- after all everyone has to have some secrets!

Why emptying your recycling bin doesn't permanently delete your files

When you tell your computer to empty its recycling bin, your operating system only deletes the records it has of the files you want to delete. Yet the files still remain on the hard drive memory.

Here's an analogy: If you think of your files as books in a library and you decide you no longer have use for a certain book. Emptying the trash is equivalent to removing the entry in the library's card catalog. The book is still there but not easily found by everyday visitors. But if someone really wanted to find it, and had a clue where to look, they quite possibly do so since it is still physically there.

What it means to permanently delete a file

To permanently delete a file, you need to not only delete its record, but also overwrite the physical portion of the hard drive where it lives. A low level format is equivalent to replacing your private file with random bits (1's and 0's). Continuing with the library analogy you need to remove remove the book, shred it, light up in flames and possibly replace it with a different book

A simple way to permanently delete?

According to Microsoft, there is a keyboard shortcut in Windows to, quote, "permanently delete files". You do this by selecting your file and hitting SHIFT+DEL. Convinced? Neither am I. What they're really explaining is a shortcut from having to move the item to the trash and then emptying the trash.

Take it a step further

Here's a poor man's version of permanent deletion. Delete your files, empty your recycle bin, and run Disk Defragmenter located in the Start menu under Accessories/System Tools. What this will do is optimize your hard drive by rearranging (most) of your files, and in doing so will most likely overwrite the files you want permanently deleted. Nice!

Do it right and do it better

While performing a defragmentation will probably do the trick, it's really not a viable solution. Waiting for disk defragmentation is not something I'd do every time I wanted to do a permanent deletion. The defragmentation process is waaaaay too long. The right way to how to permanently and quickly delete files is to use a program specifically designed for that purpose. You're in luck too because most Windows operating systems have a command line tool called CIPHER to do the trick!

Here's how to use CIPHER:

1. After closing all windows, open up a command window.

2. Type the following: cipher /w:driveletter:\foldername where driveletter and foldername correspond to the drive a location of where your deleted file used to live.

3. Sit back and enjoy your freedom and privacy while your file is truly permanently deleted!

Here's an example:

I have a picture I want permanently deleted which stored on my computer at the following location:

C:\images\scandalous_picture.jpg

After deleting this picture and emptying the recycle bin, I would type the following (in a command prompt) to ensure that I can still run for senator (as long as they don't catch me in the airport bathroom):

C:>cipher /w:C:\images

I can then move on to my life of privacy and carefree surfing!

You can do better!

Although I'm comfortable working with the command prompt, you may not be. No worries, there are plenty of other graphical based software tools that perform true permanent file deletion. This article gives even more compelling reasons to delete personal files and refers a graphical based deletion tool called Evidence Nuke.

John Cao is a full-time software engineer that specializes in high performance computing. While spending most of his waking hours in front of a computer, John helps others enhance their computer experience by recommending the latest software, hacks, and shortcuts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Cao

By John Cao