How to: Permanently Delete a File in Vista

Windows Vista has a new feature called Volume Shadow Copy. Instead of just tracking changes to your system files as System Restore did, Vista tracks every change to every file. This means that every single time you delete a file, it is not deleted at all. A copy remains hidden. A large percentage of your hard drive could be taken up by files which you have deleted but remain hidden.

Most likely you do not want to deactivate Volume Shadow Copy because you would lose the ability to do a System Restore. So what if you want to delete a file permanently? It's simple:

* Turn off System Restore
* Delete the File
* Empty the Recycle Bin
* Run Disk Cleanup
* Turn on System Restore

That's it! You can still do an XP-style System Restore but deleted files will be permanently deleted.

That is kind of a useless feature. If I've deleted a file why would I want the file still on my drive?

Hi phileysmiley...

I tried your method:
* Turn off System Restore
* Delete the File
* Empty the Recycle Bin
* Run Disk Cleanup
* Turn on System Restore

Whenever I search the file, its still there... Its really annoying, i really wanted to delete the file permantly. when i try to delete again, it says the file is not in the location, but when i search i still can find it.. Can you help me...