<=- Wipe v2.12 -=> Copyright (c) 1996, Enver J. Berkes Please note that WIPE is most effective on uncompressed drives. WIPE is a data security utility that can erase data from a disk in such a way that it is extremely difficult to recover the data. Wipe can delete files that are up to 4 gigabytes in size, and can delete multiple files with one command. Wipe can also delete a file that is invisible or is protected by the computer. <=- System Requirements -=> To run Wipe, you must have at least: - Any IBM compatible PC - MS-DOS or PC-DOS version 2.0 <=- Operating Modes -=> Wipe can operate in two modes: 1. Quick deletion 2. Full deletion These are explained in detail below: (1) QUICK DELETION This is a fast deletion method that will delete a large file just as quickly as a small file. If a file is undeleted after Wipe deletes it using this mode, the file's length will appear as 0, and it will contain nothing. However, advanced disk management utilities may be able to recover the file's original data because it is not actually overwritten. This is Wipe's default mode. (2) FULL DELETION In this mode, a large file will take longer to delete than a small file because the data is actually being overwritten. On a slow computer and a large file, this can take large amounts of time (a couple of minutes). During full deletion, you will see a percentage display indicating how much of the file is deleted (note: percentage increments are not always 1%). The advantage to using this mode is that even a powerful disk management utility will not be able to recover the original data in the file. <=- HOW TO USE WIPE -=> You should first copy WIPE.COM to your C:\DOS or C:\ directory. Then type: WIPE [drive][path]filename.ext [/Noprompt] [/Full] [/Hide] [/Keep] [drive:][path] You may specify a pathname for Wipe to delete files in. However, as a result of a programming quirk, a root directory specification like A:\*.* is not allowed, but you can get the desired result by using A:\\*.*. filename.ext This is the file that you want to delete. You can delete multiple files by using a wildcard. For example, you can use the name TEST.FIL or the wildcard *.FIL, which means all the files ending in the FIL. /noprompt If you don't want Wipe to ask you if it's OK to delete each file, you can type /noprompt after the file name. You can shorten this to /n. Deletion confirmation is automatically enabled if you don't use this switch. For each file to be deleted, Wipe will tell you to type in Y (yes), N (no), or A (yes for all files). Pressing any other key is the equivalent of 'no'. /full This tells Wipe to use full deletion instead of quick deletion. It can be shortened to /f. /hide When this switch is used, the names of the files you are deleting will not be shown anywhere on the screen. May be shortened to /h. /keep Does not scramble the file's name before deleting it. Unless this is used, all file names are destroyed. May be shortened to /k. <=- Examples! -=> Here are some valid uses of Wipe: wipe c:\temp\*.* /n /f /k wipe *.bak /n /k wipe a:\\*.exe wipe c:\examples\test\*.* /f wipe \here\*.all wipe a:*.bak /n wipe c:\\*.* /f /n Here are some INVALID uses of Wipe: wipe c:\files.bak wipe c:\test *.* <=- Legal Stuff -=> YOU USE THIS PROGRAM AT YOUR OWN RISK! THE AUTHOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DATA LOSS THAT WILL BE CAUSED BY WIPE. THE AUTHOR ALSO ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR INCORRECT USE OR TAMPERING OF WIPE THAT MAY LEAD IT TO ACT IN AN UNEXPECTED MANNER. REVERSE ENGINEERING OF WIPE IS PROHBITED BY THE AUTHOR. YOU MAY DISTRIBUTE THIS UTILITY FREELY AS LONG AS THE RECIPIANT IS AWARE OF THE CONDITIONS STATED ABOVE AND/OR HAS READ THIS INSTRUCTION FILE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check for virus infections or tampering! File info for Wipe version 2.12: File name: WIPE.COM File size: 1,586 bytes File date: 06-11-96 (June 11, 1996) File time: 7:00 pm If you find this program useful I would appreciate a small $10 donation sent to: Enver J. Berkes 185 Waverley Street Winnipeg, Manitoba R3M 3K4 Canada