Copyright: © 1994-2001 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.
Citation: © 1994-2001 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.


Choose how Wipe Info handles files with the read-only attribute. For the default setting, Prompt Me, Wipe Info displays a message asking you to confirm the wipe. If you choose Always Wipe, Wipe Info wipes the file with no prompting. If you choose Never Wipe, Wipe Info does not wipe any files with this attribute.


Choose how Wipe Info handles files with the hidden attribute. For the default setting of Prompt Me, Wipe Info displays a message asking you to confirm the wipe. If you choose Always Wipe, Wipe Info will wipe the file with no prompting. If you choose Never Wipe, Wipe Info does not wipe any files with this attribute.


Choose how Wipe Info handles files with the system attribute. For the default setting of Prompt Me, Wipe Info displays a message asking you to confirm the wipe. If you choose Always Wipe, Wipe Info will wipe the file with no prompting. If you choose Never Wipe, Wipe Info does not wipe any files with this attribute.


When this option is selected, Wipe Info always deletes hidden files without asking you.


When this option is selected, Wipe Info never deletes hidden files.


When this option is selected, Wipe Info always asks you before deleting or ignoring hidden files.


When this option is selected, Wipe Info always deletes Read-only files without asking you.


When this option is selected, Wipe Info never deletes Read-only files.


When this option is selected, Wipe Info always asks you before deleting or ignoring Read-only files.


Select files or folders to wipe. See Help for details on adding files to the Wipe Info list.


The Wipe Info list shows the location of files that you want Wipe Info to delete permanently. Drag a file to this list and then click Wipe All. See Help for more details on adding files to the Wipe Info list.


Select options for how Wipe Info handles read-only, hidden, and system files, and the type of wipe to use. See Help for more details on these options.


Permanently erase all the files listed in the Wipe Info list. See Help for details on adding files to the list.


Select files or folders to wipe. See Help for details on adding files to the Wipe Info list.


Permanently erase all the files listed in the Wipe Info list. See Help for details on adding files to the list.


Select options for how Wipe Info handles read-only, hidden, and system files, and the type of wipe to use. See Help for more details on these options.


Return all options to their original installed settings.


This option wipes files using the fastest method. Wipe Info overwrites files by writing the hexadecimal value in the text box one time.


In the text box, type a hexadecimal value. If you type a decimal value, Wipe Info converts it to hexadecimal. Wipe Info uses this value to overwrite files for the Fast Wipe type. For more information about hexadecimal values, click the Help button.


This option uses more secure wipe technology. Wipe Info uses hexadecimal values in a 4-pass process that can be repeated up to 100 times.


In the text box, type a whole number between 0 and 100, to indicate the number of times you want Wipe Info to repeat the wipe process. This process only refers to Government Wipe.


In the list, type a number or hexadecimal value. If you type a decimal value, Wipe Info converts it to hexadecimal. Wipe Info uses the hexadecimal value to overwrite files for the second stage of the Government Wipe. This is a four-stage process. For the first pass, Wipe Info writes the hexadecimal value, FF on the file area. For the second pass, Wipe Info writes the hexadecimal value OO on the file area. For the third pass, Wipe Info writes the hexadecimal value of your choice, by default, AA, on the file area. For the fourth pass, Wipe Info verifies that there were no errors during the third wipe. You can have Wipe Info repeat this Government Wipe process up to 100 times.


In the text box, type a whole number between 0 and 100, to indicate the number of times you want Wipe Info to repeat the Government Wipe process.


Introducing Wipe Info

Wipe Info is designed to let you permanently erase files on your computer. When you use Wipe Info to erase a file’s content, you are assured that file does not remain on the disk.

In the Wipe Info process, the file itself is eliminated from the disk.

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Wipe Info options

Wipe Info options let you specify how Wipe Info handles files with read-only, hidden and system attributes.

On the General tab, select how Wipe Info responds when you add files with read-only, hidden, or system file attributes. You can have Wipe Info:

Prompt you. This lets you confirm that you really want to wipe the file. If you don’t want to wipe the file, you can remove it from the list.

Always wipe. Wipe Info wipes without prompting.

Never wipe. Wipe Info leaves the file in the Wipe Info list for you to remove.

On the Wipe Type tab you can choose from two wipe types:

Fast Wipe, the default setting, writes a specified hexadecimal value in place of the previous file data.

Government Wipe is a 4-pass procedure that conforms to the method specified in DoD (Department of Defense) document 5220-22-M, National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, for the ultimate security level when eliminating viruses off your hard drive. This procedure writes three different hexadecimal values over the old file data, and then verifies that there were no disk errors during the third hexadecimal value writing process. You can have Wipe Info repeat this process up to 100 times.

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How Wipe Info works

Wipe Info offers the ability to remove all traces of selected files or folders from your hard drive. It has the ability to perform a Department of Defense compliant wipe of file data.

Wipe Info is designed to remove file data permanently. File data does not include file name, or other file attribute information, only the data portion of a file that is stored on your computer. Although Wipe Info can permanently remove the data portion of a file stored on a hard drive, it cannot permanently remove the file name or attribute information about that file.

Note: You should never store sensitive information in a file name or attribute. This data can be replicated throughout your system without your knowledge, for example, in a most recently used file list, a file name search, and so on. This type of embedded information can be extremely difficult to remove from all parts of a computer system.

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To change Wipe Info options

1	On the Wipe Info main window, click Options.

2	On the General options tab, click the options for Read-Only Files, Hidden Files, and System Files. This tells Wipe Info how to handle files with these attributes.

3	On the Wipe Type options tab, click Fast Wipe or Government Wipe.

4	In the text box, type a hexadecimal value between 00 and FF for Wipe Info to use when wiping the selected files.

5	In the Times to perform this wipe text box, type a decimal value between 1 and 100. Wipe Info repeats the overwrite this specified number of times.

6	Click Apply.

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To wipe files

To wipe files, add files or folders to the Wipe Info list using this procedure.

1	Do one of the following

 Click Browse>Folders or Browse>Files and click the folder or file to add to the list.

 With the Wipe Info window open, drag a file into the Wipe Info file list.

2	Continue until you have dragged all the files you want to wipe.

To remove a file, right-click the file and click Remove Item(s) from List.

3	Click Wipe All. All the files in the list are wiped.

After wiping the file, the file is reduced to a size of zero and the entry in the directory that points to the starting cluster is changed to zero.

4	On the File menu, click Exit to close Wipe Info.

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About the wiping process

Wipe Info has two choices for wiping.

 Fast Wipe writes the value 0, or any other value you choose, to replace the data being wiped.

 Government Wipe is a 4-pass procedure that conforms to the method specified in DoD (Department of Defense) document 5220-22-M, National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, for the ultimate security level when eliminating viruses off your hard drive.

The steps for a Government Wipe are as follows:

1	The data is overwritten with all 00s, and then overwritten by FFs.

2	Then a value you specify, from 00 to FF, is written.

3	The value written is verified to ensure that it was written correctly.

4	The entire process is repeated as many times as you specify, up to 100.

To be certain that you wipe everything off your hard disk, be sure to empty the Recycle Bin first.

 In Windows Me and Windows XP, the Windows System Restore function can restore files that have been wiped if they are one of the protected file types. By default, many document types, such as .DOC and .XLS files in My Documents are protected. Windows System Restore maintains a copy of protected files. Wiping the original file does not wipe the copy that System Restore maintains.

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About hexadecimal values

Wipe Info uses hexadecimal values to wipe files. Hexadecimal refers to the base 16 number system. This system is used to represent numbers in the binary system in a more compact and meaningful way.

The hexadecimal system consists of the numbers 0 to 9 and the letters A to F, used in combinations. For example, the decimal number 14 is represented as the letter E in the hexadecimal system.

In Wipe Info options, you can specify values from 00 to FF, representing numbers from 0 to 255 respectively. You can type the value using a number or a character from 0 to 9 and A to F.

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To remove a file from the Wipe Info list:
To remove a file from the Wipe Info list

Do one of the following:

 Right click the file and click Remove File(s) from list.

 On the Edit menu, click Remove File(s) from list.

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