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nmxt t1_iy4fx21 wrote

Reply to comment by vo0do0child in eli5 How is computer memory deleted? by unlikemike123

Because writing them over with zeroes or anything takes considerable time. Basically deleting files would then be as slow as copying them. That doesn’t apply to modern SSDs though, they do reset the memory taken up by deleted files.

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vo0do0child t1_iy4h9ef wrote

Interesting, thanks. You’d think the OS would provide the user with the option to do a “deep delete.”

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Brayzure t1_iy4jx8i wrote

There's a built-in function to overwrite your "empty" hard drive space with random data. Problem is it takes forever (and isn't easily accessible). There's a reason why the option isn't available to the average user.

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