This video explains why deleted files are not necessarily gone. This is especially important in e-discovery.

What happens when I delete a file?

Steve Burgess explains what’s left over when a file is deleted, and what happens when it is created?

Deleted data is becoming a bigger issue, especially in cases where one party is attempting to destroy evidence. For example, a number of white collar criminal cases have involved executives attempting to destroy data. Sometimes the email destruction is attempted by simply deleting the file, sometimes hard drives are reformatted, and sometimes special software tools are used to delete and overwrite the incriminating data.

In this video, Steve Burgess explains the basics of deleting data, and why a file that is deleted is not necessarily gone.

Steve Burgess is a computer forensics expert. He can be reached at Burgess Forensics.