Erasing

rctneil · 26 Aug 2009 at 20:05

Hey,
I ahve a folder full of old backed up files on an external HDD.

I DO NOT wish to erase the entire contents of the HDD but I wish to erase the folder. It is sooo large now that deleting it using windows would take forever. Is there any small free app available that can erase that one folder more efficiently?

deadite66 · 26 Aug 2009 at 20:42

i find dos or linux much quicker for deleting a large amount of files, dos could be a problem if you are using ntfs though.

rctneil · 26 Aug 2009 at 21:01

I'm looking for a free app to do the job. Any suggestions? - The app must be used on windows

ns400r · 26 Aug 2009 at 21:08

Just delete what you don't want. Been an hour since your first post, would have gone by now!

rctneil · 26 Aug 2009 at 21:09

I have been busy since then but I want to get going on doing that sort of stuff tommorow but I need a good free erasing application anyway. Please just help instead of trying to offer me alternative things to do

Nanobot · 26 Aug 2009 at 21:25

I'm only speaking theoretically now, so not sure if it is the same as deleting in dos or not but...thinking whether you could copy an empty folder with the same name over the existing folder using robocopy with the /purge switch. As I say, I'm not sure if robocopy's purge switch is the same as a dos del command.
Its just a thought, maybe it will trigger some brain storms!

The Mad Rapper · 26 Aug 2009 at 21:52

Just Google for Eraser.

Install it, then navigate to the directory you want in Windows Explorer. Right click and choose 'Erase' from the context menu.

Job done.

*Edit*

Here's the link: http://eraser.heidi.ie/

ns400r · 26 Aug 2009 at 22:20

Just can't see how deleting a folder within Windows is so troublesome.

rctneil · 26 Aug 2009 at 22:24

Sometimes delting folders using windows itself, fails or takes hours and hours to complete. I have used programs (3rd party) in the past which you specify which folder or folders you wish to ahve deleted and it deletes them quicker and more securely than windows would. Thsi is all I am asking for. This topic could have been closed ages ago if you had just helped me out with what I was looking for.

ns400r · 26 Aug 2009 at 22:39

I don't have a suggestion on which utility to use. But I am curious as to why one would be needed. I don't ever remember having trouble deleting folders on a PC in the last 20 old years but am still willing to learn from others that have.

rctneil · 26 Aug 2009 at 22:52

Just installed Eraser so will give that a try tommorrow sometime.

J.B · 27 Aug 2009 at 13:29

I've never heard anyone using a third party app to delete something.

PiKe · 27 Aug 2009 at 13:32

I'd rather have a program that plays Erasure every time you deleted something.

Moredhel · 27 Aug 2009 at 14:28

rmdir /s x:\path\to\directory

Do this from a command prompt. job done. Although I have recently deleted an 800GB folder with files 1 and 2kb in size (Literally millions of files) and it took maybe 5 minutes, that's the longest I have seen windows try and delete something. Methinks you're making a bigger issue of this than you needed to.

There are many programs that will delete more securely than windows, but they will do this more slowly than windows could 100% of the time, because they do this by overwriting the data anywhere up to 35 times (depending on the settings and the app in question) whereas deleting in Windows will just unlink the file from the file table and essentially mark that cluster (or clusters) as free.

The Mad Rapper · 27 Aug 2009 at 14:35

PiKe said:
I'd rather have a program that plays Erasure every time you deleted something.

Only homos like Erasure