Continuing the pattern of featuring free tools, today’s post is about Eraser, a free Windows tool to completely remove unwanted and/or sensitive files from you hard drive.

If you have ever stored passwords, account information, or other private personal information on your computer, you need a program like eraser to make sure that no one else can ever gain access to that sensitive information.  When you erase a file from your computer by putting it in the Recycle Bin, the file can still be recovered by easily available recovery tools unless the file is overwritten.  That is where Eraser comes in.

Eraser has received Chip Magazine’s Best File Shredder award for good reason.  Because Eraser completely overwrites the unwanted files, even with sophisticated programs those files can no longer be recovered, ensuring that your private data remains just that - private.

What file eraser program do you use and/or recommend?