How to securely overwrite deleted files with a built-in Windows tool

Most Windows users know that when you delete a file on a PC, it isn't truly gone and can still be recovered. In fact, those deleted files are actually just sitting there on your hard drive until they are overwritten with new data.

To truly wipe data, users often turn to apps like CCleaner or Eraser that wipe free space for you. But Windows also has a built-in feature called Cipher that will overwrite deleted files for you and may even free up some extra disk space in the process.




Commanding Windows

To use Cipher we have to dive into an area of your Windows machine that some hassle-free readers may have little experience with: the Command Prompt.

Don't worry, though. While the command line can be a scary place, Cipher is a fairly safe feature. That said, it's always best to make sure you have your data backed up before giving something like this a try.

Also, make sure you type the command correctly to avoid any unintended consequences. Cipher isn't just a tool to overwrite deleted data it can also be used to encrypt data, which is not what we want in this case.




Dump the deletions

To get started you have to open a command prompt. To do this in Windows 8.1, hit the Windows key + S and type command prompt into the search box. Wait for the results to show up and then click the command prompt option. In Windows 7, it's easiest to click on Start > Run and then type cmd into the box and press enter.

Now for the easy part. If you have a standard Windows installation type or copy and paste the following command: cipher /w:C

What this tells Windows to do is to start the Cipher program. The '/w' switch says to remove any data from the available unused disk space, and C tells Windows to carry out this action on the C:\ drive.

If your data is on a different drive such as a partition labeled D:\ simply substitute C for the correct drive letter. For most people, however, C will be the right choice.

Now, just sit back and wait for Windows to do its magic. This is one of those tasks you should run when you're not using your PC. Consider running it overnight or during downtime on the weekend.

Windows will also advise you to close as many running programs as possible to help the machine do a better job of clearing up your hard drive.

Not only will cipher clean up your drive, it may also have the added benefit of returning some extra disk space to you

Article by Ian Paul

Clean up files on your Android device

Whether you bought your Android device last year -- or last month -- you can benefit from a little spring cleaning.

 

Files you've downloaded, photos you've taken, as well as data stored by apps, are major contributors to unnecessary clutter on your Android device. By cleaning out a few things, you gain space for new apps, system updates, or maybe a larger portion of your music collection. Here are a few suggestions for taking back your internal and SD card storage:

Downloaded files

Your Android device contains a lot of personal information about you -- maybe even more than anything else you own. How about those work documents that you grabbed from an email, or the photos you saved from that text? These types of files should be relocated to cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox.

 

 

If you're not sure what's lurking in your storage areas -- internal or SD -- a file manager app can be used to explore your data. Some Android devices, like the Samsung Galaxy series, have a file manager app built-in. It's nothing fancy, but it can get the job done.

 

 

Not a fan of your stock file manager? Then try ES File Explorer. This app can integrate with cloud solutions such as: Google Drive, Dropbox, SkyDrive, and many others. Files can even be sent directly to your Windows desktop, if you like.

Photos

 

 

This is an easy area to regain some storage. Each image, depending on your camera specs, can take approximately 3 MB of space. Several of the cloud services will back up your entire Gallery as you add photos. Unless you need the originals at your disposal, it's time to delete some of them. If you don't have an automatic backup in place, you can also just connect your USB cable and move photos to your computer, or you can send the ones you want to keep to a cloud service individually.

App data clutter

When you install an app, it usually creates a folder that stores information like preference settings, images, or activity logs. However, that's not all that gets stored on your device from apps. For instance, each time you watch a video on Instagram the data is cached (stored) on your device, which allows the video to load quickly if you try to view it again. But how many times are you going to watch the same video (unless it's ridiculously funny or cute)? Bottom line: you can clean out this space and even schedule it to be cleaned up regularly on your device.

 

 

• 1Tap Cleaner offers a widget to clear all cached files at once. With this app, you can see how much each app is storing in the cache, and you can clear your call and text logs. Additionally, you can uninstall apps without needing to use the Google Play Store.

 

 

• Clean Master helps you delete cached files, along with miscellaneous files that are larger than 10 MB. The Memory Boost option closes apps you're not using that are still running in the background.

Which area will you tackle first to create more space on your Android device?

Article by Nicole Cozma

The secret to saving a wet phone or tablet

Rice? Hair dryer? Find out which reliable solution works, and how to prevent a phone or tablet from getting waterlogged in the future.

Most of the old wives' tales about saving wet phones just don't work. The bag of rice, a sunny window sill, a hair dryer, and the horrid oven method will quickly get you (and your phone) nowhere.

Having suffered through several waterlogged phones and sacrificial experiments, I've found only one unexpected method to be reliable.

If you're lucky enough to be reading this before any mishap, be sure to stock up on the supplies so that you're ready when your phone takes a dive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOPpAOP9o34

Step 1. Without wasting time, turn off your phone. Do this within seconds of the accident -- even before you dry it off with your t-shirt. The goal is to cut the power before any water has a chance to hit the circuitry and short circuit it.

Step 2. Dry the outside of the phone with a lint-free towel, paying close attention to any ports, speakers, and microphones. Disassemble any parts -- like the SIM card and battery -- and dry them, too.

Step 3. Place the device and parts in a zip-top storage bag, along with a handful of silica gel packets. These are desiccants often found in new products (like shoes and bags), along with some grocery items (like beef jerky). They're designed to be very efficient at absorbing moisture.

Collect them as you find them for emergencies like these. Or, you can order silica gel packets online.

Step 4. Wait 72 hours. This is probably the hardest part, but rest assured that you'll be OK, even if you haven't checked Instagram in three days.

Step 5. Power your phone on. Three days have passed, giving the desiccants ample time to absorb the moisture. If you did everything right, your phone should be back in business.

A few important notes

Here's the deal: Much of this method relies on chance and a little luck. The most important part is that you rescued your phone quickly, and that it was powered off before any liquid hit the circuit boards.

Know that even if you were able to revive your phone, there's a chance that any water contact (or worse, chemical- or salt-laden water contact) will corrode the parts over time. So if a year later, your phone begins to die a slow and painful death, you'll know why.

Finally, your warranty is void. All phones have a water indicator that tells the manufacturer it went for a swim. The iPhone 5S's water indicator, for example, can be found inside the SIM card slot. When it gets wet, it changes color from white to red.

How to Stalk a Cheater Using Satellites and Cell Phones

Waiting around for your lover's cheating heart to tell on them won't get you anywhere. But with these sneaky tracking apps and GPS tokens, you'll know exactly whose bed their boots have been under.

Be warned, however, getting caught stalking your partner's movements can end a relationship just a quickly as being caught in the arms of another. And given that many states consider installing tracking tools on a device without the owner's consent or knowledge a crime, doing so could even land you in hot water with the law. Know what's kosher where you live before you start playing P.I.

Also, this goes without saying, but you're being a creep.

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Software Solutions

Modern smartphones make for excellent tracking devices. They're always with us, always on, and constantly pinging cell towers and GPS satellites to determine their location. The following apps leverage that flow of geodata to provide you with reports as to where the device-and presumably its owner-are in real-time.

mSpy 

Marketed as a means of keeping tabs on your wandering kids or slacker employees, mSpy logs virtually everything that the target device does, from current GPS coordinates to SMS, voice, and Skype transcripts-it even includes a keystroke logger. It can also be used to block incoming calls, access the target's address book and calendar, monitor its web usage, or remotely lock and wipe the device.

All of these functions are handled via a web-based control panel. The mSpy software can be installed on devices running Android, iOS (you'll have to jailbreak the phone first though), Blackberry, and Symbian OS platforms. The company also sells preloaded phones including the HTC One, Nexus 5, Samsung Galaxy S4, and iPhone 5S if you prefer to deliver your trojan horse as a gift. Once installed, operates invisibly, giving no indication that the target device has been compromised.

mSpy does charge a monthly subscription fee for its service: $40 a month for the basic plan which logs voice, GPS, email, and SMS data and provides access to the device's gallery, calendar, and address book. For the full suite of spy tools, you'll have to fork over $70 a month or $200 annually.

 

Family Tracker

A less clandestine alternative to mSpy, Family Tracker allows users to ping the target device at regular intervals for its GPS coordinates. You can also "stealth ping" the target device at will to receive real time location updates. However, unlike mSpy, Family Tracker does not delve into the target device's personal content, nor does it operate invisibly. The app appears on the target device's home screen and app menu though it does not have to be actively running to transmit data.

This information is then logged for review through both a web portal and the Family Tracker app installed on your phone. It's compatible with iOS and Android phones and tablets.

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Cellular Solutions

If you'd rather not have to nick your partner's phone to install a local tracking app, the major cellular companies all offer family tracking plans. Again, these are designed for monitoring the whereabouts of young hellions. However, they can just as easily be co-opted to keep tabs on anyone that's party to the cellular family plan.

Sprint's Guardian bundle allows the subscriber to find, in real-time, the precise location of any phone on the plan via GPS, either at will or, with the Safety Checks feature, at preselected times and days. This could be used to know when or if your child gets home from school or, alternately, be used to learn where your spouse goes every morning after you leave for work that leaves them smelling of ammonia and polystyrene. You can even text the target phone while you track it, potentially catching your lover in a lie.

AT&T's Family Map works much the same way. The GPS-based Family Map service displays the location of the target device on an interactive map with the option to call or text the target. You can also set up automatic check-ins so that the target device will text you whenever it arrives at a pre-selected location. And because the service operates through a web app, familymap.att.com, it's accessible from any mobile device or computer with a web browser. The service costs an additional $10/month on top of your existing family plan and iPhone 5 users will also have to install the AT&T Check-In companion app in order for it to work.

Verizon's Family Locator can be installed on up to 10 devices per account for $10 a month, though really, you'll need just one. You'll first have to activate the service through your My Verizon control panel, then follow a series of SMS instructions to add the Family Locator app on the target's phone (you may want to borrow the target device to avoid tipping them off) and sync the newly-installed app with Family Locator through the My Verizon control panel. Once the system is set up, you'll be able to actively monitor the device's location and receive notifications at scheduled intervals as well as whenever the device departs from or arrives at a specific location.

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Hardware Solutions

Mobile snooping apps are effective, but only so long as the device they're installed to is turned on and in your spouse's possession. If the phone were left, say, back at their office while your spouse was getting busy in some seedy motel, you'd have no way of knowing that. But with a properly-planted GPS tracking beacon-discretely deposited in a coat pocket or purse, sewn into a jacket's lining, or hidden in their car-there's a better chance of the signal being true, even if your spouse isn't.

 

Pocket Finder

Weighing just 1.4 ounces, the palm-sized Pocket Finder boasts the "Longest Battery Life for any Personal GPS Tracking Device" on the market. It pings its GPS location every two minutes (adjustable out to once a day) and sends that data either to the company's monitoring web portal or to the free iOS and Android apps. Every ping logs the beacon's exact address, its distance from you, speed, direction, and altitude. It also keeps a 60-day record of its travels. The Pocket Finder retails for $100 with a recurring $13 monthly fee for the reporting service.

 

LandSeaAir GPS Beacons

LandAirSea offers a pair of GPS trackers: one active, one passive. The Silvercloud Active GPS Tracker pings its satellite every 30 seconds, transmitting that data to the LandSeaAir monitoring website with displays the information on Google-powered maps with detailed travel reports. This data can also be exported to other sites-say, a Facebook wall-if you're of a mind to publicly shame your spouse. It certainly beats renting a billboard. The Silvercloud itself retails for $300 plus $30-$35 monthly for the service.

The passive GPS TRACKing Key, which has been featured on AMC's Breaking Bad, pings once a second but, instead of transmitting it to a remote server, it logs the data locally. While that means you'll have to retrieve the unit and plug it into a PC (sorry, no Macs) before you can see where it's been, it also means that the device can operate for up to a month between chargings. The TRACKing Key retails for $140 and does not incur monthly fees.

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With these resources at your disposal , proving romantic infidelities should be quite easy. Dealing with the fallout-especially when you reveal how you know what you know-is an entirely different matter. Maybe just try asking first, instead?

Article by Andrew Tarantola