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Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware

USB Drive Fresher automatically tidies your flash drives

On my service bench, we've got a handful of USB flash drives that get cluttered up on a daily basis. By the end of the day, they're often loaded up with drivers, backups, thumbs.db files - you name it.

Yesterday, I found USBDriveFresher. It's a free utility designed to clean up flash drives with minimal fuss. You can create your own cleanup routines. Cleanup can even be done automatically, which is useful if you constantly need a clean drive like I do.

You're not limited to cleaning up flash drives, though. Fresher's custom cleanup option lets you run your tidy-up routines on any folder on your computer.

USBDriveFresher is a free download and runs on everything from Windows 98 forward. It only uses about 6mb when running - well worth it if you need to keep a number of drives clean and ready-to-use.

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Permanently erase Windows files in two clicks with RightDelete


Windows is a nice foundation, but there are some simple functions that have long been missing from the OS - like secure file deletion. RightDelete is just about the simplest app you'll find for adding that functionality. It's a free 156kb download for Windows 98 or better.

Extract and launch the executable and you'll be asked to confirm adding an entry to your context menu. You'll need the executable on your system to actually perform erasures, so don't just run it from inside the zip.

Once the menu entry has been added, just right click on any file and choose securely delete. You'll be prompted again to make sure you want to proceed with the deletion. The program utilizes the seven pass method, which is more than enough to prevent recovery with any normal applications.

It's fairly fast as well, wiping a 32mb file in just over two seconds.

[ via Freeware Files ]

Filed under: Security, Troubleshooting

The right way to erase your iPhone

erasing iPhoneWith rumors flying about a summer release for the next-generation iPhone, a lot of people are going to selling off their current iPhones on eBay or Craigslist. Of course, you'll probably wipe the data from your phone before you let it go, but how can you be sure it's completely erased? Files have been recovered from refurbished iPhones already, so it doesn't hurt to take precautions.

First, do a restore of the phone from iTunes, with all syncing options turned off. That means clicking through each tab in the iPhone menu to make sure photos, videos, contacts and calendars aren't syncing to the phone anymore. Next, make 3 new playlists that are each big enough to use all of your iPhone's storage. Set one of them to sync, and fill up your phone with it. Then switch to the next one, sync it, and do the same with the third. These playlists should write over any remaining personal data, and leave your device lemony-fresh and ready to change hands.

[Via Hack a Day]

Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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