I have a veracrypt container but want to delete some files in it to free up space. I have an SSD, and the only way to delete is to move to the recycle bin. But that means that there will be traces of my sensitive files and defeats the purpose of having had them in the container in the first place. So, how does one securely delete a file stored in a veracrypt container?
Thanks
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I don't see any reason why you couldn't use a program like Eraser to secure
delete the files. It's free. Also, if you're on a Mac, there are various
secure delete patterns available via the Terminal Window.
When you open the Recycle Bin in Windows, the display makes it look like the files are all stored in a single location, but that's just a matter of presentation. Actually, they still reside on the original drive from which they were "deleted." You should be able to prove this by deleting a test file from your encrypted container, and checking that it shows in the Recyle Bin. Then unmount the VeraCrypt container and open the Recycle Bin again. The file will no longer show up, correct? This simple test should give you a little more peace of mind concerning the privacy of deleted files.
And getting back to your original goal of freeing up space, open the Recycle Bin while your container is mounted and sort the entries by "Original Location." All the files from your encrypted container will then be contiguous in the list, and easy enough to pick and choose what to delete.
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Hello ,
on SSD when you delete file , file can be recovered by recuva for example until next trim command issued by windows
you can make the folloxing test:
create a file aaa.txt <with some text in it, then delete it with shift+del
start recuva , you can restore aaa.txt
restart the same test, then start trim command (with windows volume optimisation)
start recuva , now you can't recover aaa.txt, trim has de allocate block at ssd level then erase it for future use
So i think there is no risk to recover unenccrypted data on SSD if after critical operations as encryption , deletion ..... if you immédiatly start trim command on your SSD, after few second data is unallocated at SSD controller level and erased for future reuse, and it is important on SSD there is no possibility to recover old block value , because it is electronic process with no géometric shift possible as for HDD
Best regards
Last edit: petitlou60 2021-02-02
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Hi,
I have a veracrypt container but want to delete some files in it to free up space. I have an SSD, and the only way to delete is to move to the recycle bin. But that means that there will be traces of my sensitive files and defeats the purpose of having had them in the container in the first place. So, how does one securely delete a file stored in a veracrypt container?
Thanks
I don't see any reason why you couldn't use a program like Eraser to secure
delete the files. It's free. Also, if you're on a Mac, there are various
secure delete patterns available via the Terminal Window.
EDIT: Removed over quoting.
Last edit: Enigma2Illusion 2021-01-26
With SSD or any memory stick, the device controller will not "erase" the original file due to wear leveling.
https://www.veracrypt.fr/en/Wear-Leveling.html
When you open the Recycle Bin in Windows, the display makes it look like the files are all stored in a single location, but that's just a matter of presentation. Actually, they still reside on the original drive from which they were "deleted." You should be able to prove this by deleting a test file from your encrypted container, and checking that it shows in the Recyle Bin. Then unmount the VeraCrypt container and open the Recycle Bin again. The file will no longer show up, correct? This simple test should give you a little more peace of mind concerning the privacy of deleted files.
And getting back to your original goal of freeing up space, open the Recycle Bin while your container is mounted and sort the entries by "Original Location." All the files from your encrypted container will then be contiguous in the list, and easy enough to pick and choose what to delete.
Use Shift+Delete to avoid deleting files from going into the Recycle Bin.
Hello ,
on SSD when you delete file , file can be recovered by recuva for example until next trim command issued by windows
you can make the folloxing test:
create a file aaa.txt <with some text in it, then delete it with shift+del
start recuva , you can restore aaa.txt
restart the same test, then start trim command (with windows volume optimisation)
start recuva , now you can't recover aaa.txt, trim has de allocate block at ssd level then erase it for future use
So i think there is no risk to recover unenccrypted data on SSD if after critical operations as encryption , deletion ..... if you immédiatly start trim command on your SSD, after few second data is unallocated at SSD controller level and erased for future reuse, and it is important on SSD there is no possibility to recover old block value , because it is electronic process with no géometric shift possible as for HDD
Best regards
Last edit: petitlou60 2021-02-02