Did you know Nothing gets ‘DELETED’? Does that make you 🥳 or 😳?

The Concept of Deletion. Did you know that Deletion is just a concept?

Have you ever wondered 🤔 what happens when you hit the delete button or more accurately when you Shift + Del (permanently delete) something on your computer?

Well, let’s find out what happens, and hopefully, you should be excited 😆 and not 😳!

First, we will look at what ‘Deletion’ is all about as regards to computing and file 🗃️ systems and then we will explain what happens and what it has to do with data recovery. Yeah, you heard me right, your deleted stuffs can be recovered in almost same state before they were deleted! 😎

This is a short informational article and I wouldn’t want to go into the technicalities here. So if you are a ‘guru’, please 🥺 pardon your guy…we can talk about it later.. 😊

WHAT IS DELETION?

Deletion in computing refers to the process of removing data or files from a storage device, such as a hard drive, SSD, or memory card. When you delete a file or data, it is typically moved to a state where it is no longer visible or accessible through the operating system or file explorer. However, the actual data often remains on the storage device until it is overwritten by new data. The concept of deletion is crucial for managing storage space and maintaining data privacy and security.

So, What really happens, when we delete stuff?

When you delete a file, the operating system marks the space previously occupied by that file as “free” or “available” for use. This means that the file’s directory entry is removed, making it appear as if the file is gone.

So here’s the thing, every file, folder, or any data at all that you store in your computer has what is called a directory or you can call it an address, with this address, a file manager or explorer can locate the file upon an initiation of a search request. So in very simple terms, when you hit the delete button, you are simply instructing the operating system through the file system to remove ❌ the address allocated to the specific file you want to ‘delete’, once this is done, you no longer would be able to access that file anymore through the filing system.

However, the actual data remains on the storage device until new data is written to the same storage sectors. In other words, the deleted data is still physically present on the drive until it is overwritten.

Hmm 🤔, so is that why Data Recovery is possible?

Now, you know the secret 😜, (pay me! 💰)

Data recovery is the process of attempting to retrieve deleted or lost data from a storage device.

Data recovery software and services can scan the storage device to locate and restore files that have been deleted. They do this by looking for data that has not yet been overwritten.

If the deleted data has not been overwritten and is still recoverable, data recovery tools can restore it. The success of data recovery depends on factors such as the time elapsed since deletion, the amount of new data written to the storage device, and the file system in use.

How about Recycle ♻️ Bins/Trash 🗑️ in my Computer?

Well, it basically the same thing but this time, your computer gives you the opportunity to reallocate that address to the file.

Many operating systems provide a “Trash” or “Recycle Bin” where deleted files are temporarily stored before being permanently removed. This allows users to easily restore files if they were deleted accidentally.

Hold on… 🛑 before you go! There’s something called “SECURE DELETION“

I know I promised to keep it short but know this one, it’s TKH for you, we want you to know as much as possible 😊.

Secure deletion methods are used when you want to ensure that deleted data is not recoverable. This is important in situations where data security is paramount.

Secure deletion tools, like overwriting software, overwrite the storage sectors of deleted files with random data, making it extremely difficult or impossible to recover the original content.

We may talk about this later!

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

To take advantage of this concept to recover your lost data, time is of necessity, and it is always advisable not to keep using the affected storage if you intend to recover your lost data. Understanding these concepts is essential for managing and safeguarding data in the digital age. Deletion is a wonderful computing concept. Isn’t it?

Please 🥺 share and comment your thoughts for more good contents like this on TKH