Where do files deleted from the recycling bin on your computer go once you delete them?
by 
theallknowing
ANSWERS: 3
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They really don't go anywhere. The information is generally still on your hard disk and could be retrieved by a skilled person. It will remain there until something overwrites it or it is formatted. This is why you never give a computer hard drive away without properly formatting it, since it could still have personal info on it.
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to limbo, where it plays amongst the angels. until the files are re formatted that is.
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They don't go anywhere. All that essentially happens is the OS (such as Windows) alters the file's entry in the table that stores folder and file data. This causes the OS to basically ignore the file's existence and act as if the space the file occupies is now available for other files. But the file data is still there. It's kind of like putting a 'this space now available' sign on your office door while you're still sitting at your desk pondering why none of your co-workers will talk to you anymore. But file recovery tools see through this ruse and can bring deleted files back. Let's be clear - you can only use file recovery tools to salvage files when the space those files once occupied hasn't been re-occupied by new files. To make a long story short - the longer you wait to try and recover a deleted file, the less likely you will succeed. By the way - formatting a drive will NOT make the files unrecoverable. But I've said too much already. If you want files to be 95% unrecoverable, you need to use government grade disk cleansing tools. If 100% is what you're after, it must be pulverized or melted.
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