where do data go when the recycle bin is emptied?

[sandra]

Hello folks,

i'm wondering what happens when i empty my waste/recycle bin? Where do the data go?

And how can i picture these data in the first place? I mean what do they look like?

Sounds like a very stupid question, but somehow i think it isn't...

[Karnac]

Some of your questions are answered here.

http://www.geekgirls.com/windows_recycle_bin.htm

[kpac]

Most files are zipped a number of times and then go into the $Recycler$ or $SystemVolumeInformation$ folder on the C:\ drive so they can be recovered if needed.

[BC_Programmer]

The files are never zipped...

once the recycle bin is emptied the files are deleted.

[kpac]

Now, what happens if you empty the Recycle Bin? Surely that's the end of the file's existence? To all appearances, yes. The file will appear to have been completely annihilated. But that's only because Microsoft reckons once you've deleted a file and emptied the Recycle Bin, you and the file have both had enough chances. But with an undelete utility there's a good chance you can resurrect the file yet again for its third go at life – good news for those of us whose fingers work faster than our brains.

[Broni]

once the recycle bin is emptied the files are deleted

Not really true. The files are still there. The space, they occupy is simply marked by the computer as a free space, so it can be overwritten. As long, as there is no computer activity, they are easily recoverable.

[alexK]

I doubt if files/data on the PC are completely deleted/erased. All bits of these files/data would have to be set to Hex "0" or  "1" and that may take all long time to do.

I will always remember the practise of "Pre-Allocating" space on the Mainframe at the beginning of a job so the space would be there at the moment when actually needed. Thus grab 500 Cylinders of free space and catalogue them as a single file. Sometimes I took a peek what the contents was. And yes for sure, there would be Payroll or other sensitive data displayed. Until I reported this to the System Guys, then they put a patch into the "Pre-Allocation" to actually "Clear" the contents.

As far as I know, Data in the Recycle Bin is NOT deleted/erased, just the Pointers to that Data have been removed and it becomes "Free" space. To show that, an actual coredump of "Free" space should be done.

Broni is correct!
 

[BC_Programmer]

Not really true. The files are still there. The space, they occupy is simply marked by the computer as a free space, so it can be overwritten. As long, as there is no computer activity, they are easily recoverable.

well of course- I mean, deleted as in what would occur via shift+delete, whereas one would require a recovery program of some sort to retrieve the file.

I was merely omitting the rest for brevity's sake 

[Broni]

I was merely omitting the rest for brevity's sake

LOL...