Question erase files on hard drive

[Creakj]

I want to erase my photos on my Seagate external drive. How do I do that? I have run out of space.

 

[Marklamarkle]

Connect the hard drive to your computer then highlight the folders with the pictures in holding control. Hold shift and press the delete button on your keyboard.

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

The term Erase is usually used when you want to remove the files so they can NOT be recovered.
Otherwise you delete them

With vista and later windows format clears all files on the drive , quick option is the default and allows possibility of un delete or un format to recover files but un ticking 'quick format ' tests the disk by writing to all sectors , slower but secure data removal

Regards
Mike Barnes

 

[kenrivers]

Open the drive in Finder, select the files you want to delete, drag those files to the trash can, and then empty the trash can. The trash can is usually located in the lower right corner of the screen.

 

[chris_shadez]

A standard 'Right click > Delete' option would suffice to get back the hard disk space.

However, technically speaking, a regular delete/empty recycle bin does just 'recycle'... deletes all shortcuts viewable to the files being deleted/emptied from recycling bin, and marks the previous occupied space, as 'available to be overwritten' (you get the data space back to be used but the deleted fiules are still present, until overwritten, so can still be recovered through data recovery software tools)

I use CCleaner with an option of 'Secure File Deletion' which overwrites the data being deleted, to an an unrecoverable point, literally giving back all space.

Either way, both normal Delete And 'Secure Deletion' would both give you back the space, just the difference of available to be overwritten or fully erased and available space.

 

[kenrivers]

chris_shadez makes an excellent point. Deleting a file does leave a pointer to the file deleted which is what makes recovery of files that have been deleted possible. The pointer will remain until it is overwritten. There is a Mac version of CCleaner available from piriform.

Please keep in mind the OP has posted this question in the Mac OS X forum so instructions for how to do this on a PC won't help.

If you right click on a file in Finder you have the option to "Move to trash". If you choose Command+Delete or Command+Option+Delete it will do the same thing and that is move the file to Trash. To securely delete files when you empty Trash you can go to Finder, click on Finder at the top, click on Preferences, click on the Advanced button and then check the box beside "Empty Trash securely". Shift+Command+Delete will empty Trash.

I'm still looking for a way to bypass Trash with a couple of keystrokes.

 

[chris_shadez]

Apologies, new to the forums, hence did not notice post originated in Mac section. Thanks
i believe there is a hidden option of forcing trash to empty with the Option key, maybe this is already in use by you or still too long lol, but:

Press and hold the mouse button on the Trash icon in the Dock to display the context menu for Trash
Press and hold the Option key or the Shift-Option keeyboard combo
Select Empty Trash from the context menu for trash
Release the Options [or] Shift-Options keys currently p[ressed and held

Or if it was Move to Trash keystrokes you were looking for as i think on a second read, tried setting it to a Function key? though keybd shortcuts require modifier keys too, you can go to;
Keyboard and Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts add shortcut to Finder for Move to Trash
And there's the keystrokes notched down